Specter gives summer school grant

Philadelphia schools will receive $14 million for summer school programs, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced yesterday at McCall Elementary School near Old City.

Specter spoke and issued a press release from the school library, addressing two tables of first- and seventh-graders, as well as members of the Parent Teacher Association and the media.

The funding -- a portion of Pennsylvania's $20 million allotment for summer programs -- will support the 90,000 Philadelphia students expected to enroll in remedial education and enrichment programs in the coming summer.

This is the third year that Specter has secured $14 million for Philadelphia summer school programs -- and the third year that he has made the announcement at McCall.

Specter emphasized the social importance of summer school programs. Some of the programs include prekindergarten camp for students who did not attend preschool, traditional remedial summer school for 11th- and 12th-graders and environmental camps for elementary students.

This year for the first time, remedial education will be mandatory for students who fail a class or score in the bottom quartile of the TerraNova, a national standardized test.

"When the students are occupied, they're not juvenile delinquents," he said, adding "I believe that education is a capital investment."

Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas and McCall Principal Paula Bantom Waters were on hand for the event and echoed Specter's remarks about the positive impact of summer school education.

"Our students need to have instruction all year round, because it benefits them so much," Waters said.

Vallas praised the scope of Philadelphia's summer programs -- which will include 60,000 students in remedial education and 30,000 in enrichment programs.

Philadelphia's 2004 program "will be the largest summer school program per capita in the nation," Vallas said.

"None of this would be possible without the ongoing support of the senator in Washington."

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