Street and Schweiker start school discussions

Marking a breakthrough in the standoff between the city and state officials over the fate of Philadelphia's ailing public schools, Mayor John Street and Gov. Mark Schweiker have resumed talks, according to representatives from both camps.

Officials for both Street and Schweiker confirmed late last week that the two have had a series of informal telephone conversations about the issue.

"I can confirm to you that the mayor has had some conversations with the governor in the past few days," Street spokeswoman Luz Cardenas said.

Cardenas described the conversations as "candid" and said that the Street administration sees the talks as "some progress."

Street is mainly objecting to the component of the plan that calls for some of the city's worst schools to be run by a private firm, and, in protest of the idea, had even set up office in the district's headquarters.

The governor and mayor have been at odds since Nov. 1, when Schweiker first announced his plan for aiding the debt-ridden and underachieving district.

Although Schweiker was known to be a proponent of privatization, Street shocked many in both city and state government by flatly refusing to negotiate if the issue was on the table.

Schweiker's proposal was based largely on a report compiled by Edison Schools Inc., a for-profit education company hired in August by former Governor Tom Ridge after Street asked the state for help. It is almost certain that Edison will have a role in the district if privatization occurs.

The main part of the plan calls for dividing public schools into three categories, with the most needy being transferred directly to the control of a private company, and even the top schools being placed under private supervision.

City Education Secretary Debra Kahn said she saw the talks as a step in the right direction, although she noted that discussions were still in the very early stages.

"I would just say there have been some conversations," Kahn said. "They were frank, they were candid, we do regard that as some progress."

However, Kahn said that more formal negotiations can not begin until Schweiker significantly changes his proposal, as Street remains adamant that he will not negotiate on a plan in which privatization has a role.

"We have not gotten down to direct negotiations because we can't," Kahn said. "The mayor maintains his position that there will be no negotiations until the issue of privatization is off the table."

According to Kahn, Schweiker started the discussions by calling Street late last week. And while state officials would not verify this, Schweiker spokesman Steve Aaron said that the governor was pleased with the conversations.

"We characterize it certainly as progress," Aaron said. "We are hopeful that there will be more discussion, possibly before Thanksgiving.... The governor has been anxious to talk to the mayor, and that has happened and now we go forward from there."

But regardless of whether negotiations take place in the near future, time is running out to reach an agreement and the Street administration does not have the upper hand in the situation. According to the agreement made between Street and Ridge when Street asked the state for help this summer, the state must assume control of the district on Dec. 1 if a joint decision cannot be reached.

The Schweiker administration will proceed according to this agreement, although officials say that the governor would prefer reaching a consensus with Street.

"We intend to stick to the language" of the original agreement, Aaron said.

"We are hopeful that an agreement can be reached," he added. "The governor said all along that his entire proposal is negotiable."

Some observers believe that despite the wording of this summer's agreement, the state should proceed carefully.

Penn Urban Studies Professor Ted Hershberg said that a takeover without a joint decision on a plan of action would be a bad political move for the state, and one which Harrisburg likely wants to avoid.

"I don't think that the state wants to take over if it's a hostile takeover," Hershberg said. "It just can't work very well. That would be a very very bad precedent for the state to establish. There going to have to work something out."

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