Program with local schools faces cuts

Penn's partnerships with two public elementary schools may face significant funding cuts as part of the proposed Philadelphia School District budget.

A provision in School District CEO Paul Vallas' $70 million budget cut proposal would reduce district funding for the partnerships by 10 percent this year, and 50 percent next year.

The school district is in debt by over $73 million.

Penn provides curriculum development and teacher training to Alexander Wilson and Lea elementary schools, said Ann Kreidle, Penn's planning coordinator for partnership schools. For acting as a partner, the University gets $450 in district money for each student in those schools.

The partnerships began in 2002 in to help poorly performing schools boost test scores.

Penn's partnerships are two of more than 40 between Philadelphia public schools and "educational management organizations." EMOs include Penn, Temple University and other groups, both non-profit and for-profit.

Unlike the other groups, Penn and Temple do not directly manage schools. Groups that directly manage schools receive $750 in funding per student.

The district's School Reform Commission voted Wednesday for certain aspects of Vallas' proposal that cut some jobs and contracts. Votes on other provisions, including the one that affects EMOs, could come this week.

Nancy Streim, associate dean at Penn's Graduate School of Education, said that if the provision passes, Penn would have to review its overall budget to determine what aspects of its programs to cut. Officials do not yet know what the outcome will be, she said.

Other EMOs face the same decision, and are unsure what adjustments might be necessary.

John Henderson, spokesman for nonprofit EMO Foundations Inc., which manages six schools in Northwest Philadelphia, said his group would make the adjustments that are the least likely to affect safety and quality of learning.

For example, cutting school supplies could be more feasible than reductions in personnel or instructional materials that would affect learning, he said.

EMOs and their results have met with mixed reviews.

On the TerraNova standardized tests, partnership schools have made less improvement than district-managed schools since the partnerships began. And even among EMOs, progress has varied significantly.

Penn's partner schools declined in TerraNova reading scores but saw the most improvement among EMOs on the math section of a state standardized test, according to the district's Accountability Review Council's March report.

Kreidle said these test results will be a factor in discussion of the budget cut and when the School Reform Commission decides whether to renew the partnerships next spring.

School officials could not be reached for comment.

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