Most people agree that Philadelphia's ailing public school system needs to be revamped. How that renovation should occur, however, is another issue. But recently two prominent Philadelphia politicians -- State Sen. Vincent Fumo and State Rep. Dwight Evans -- announced that they are developing plans to restructure Philadelphia School District management. The two politicians chair the State House and Senate Appropriations Committees, respectively, and have conferred about their proposals as recently as last Tuesday. The details of Fumo's plan have not been made public yet, but the final draft of Evans' plan will be released today. Fumo spokesperson Gary Tuma said the senator is "leaning towards independent school districts that would give people on the local level more control to influence the quality of the education their children are receiving." He added that the current "large" school districts lead to "monstrous bureaucracy" that could be curbed with decentralized control of the schools. Fumo's plan would also include proposals for an elected school board, according to Tuma. Evans' press secretary, Kimberly Turner, said the representative also seeks to "restructure" school district management to make the public "more accountable" for the education in their neighborhood schools. She explained that Evans' plan for school district restructuring has been in the works since August, adding that the proposal is designed to keep the "positive aspects" of the current system while creating a "five-member council of accountability." But a Philadelphia school board official who requested anonymity noted that "research shows that elected school boards have not proven to have positive effects on student achievement." The official added that improved academics should be the key motivation behind the proposals. And Niles Schore, State Sen. Hardy Williams' spokesperson, said that without "having any details" about the two proposals, it is too early to know if Evans and Fumo's plans "are the right ones." The 1961 Wharton graduate added that having "powerful politicians who are creatively coming up with ideas to improve education [is] always a good thing." City School District Spokesperson Bill Epstein said his office has recently conferred with both Evans and Fumo about their plans. "[The proposals] are certainly not new ideas from either legislator," said Epstein, who also received his MBA from Wharton. "It's not a surprise." Tuma said Fumo's "primary motivation" behind the plan -- which will not be released for "a good six months" -- is to bring middle-class families back to Philadelphia. "[Fumo] has consistently seen people move from the city because of the quality of education [was poor]," Tuma said. He explained that improving the education system would attract higher income families back to the city, increasing the public school system's tax base and further improving education for poor and middle-class children.
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