West Philadelphia public schools face additional budget cuts

While Philadelphia’s public schools took yet another hit last week with the passage of a so-called “doomsday budget,” Penn’s partnerships with West Philadelphia chools may not be affected.

To make up a $300 million-plus shortfall, the School Reform Commission passed a bare-bones budget that will force schools to open in the fall without new books or paper and will strip schools of arts, music and athletics programs.

“This is not a budget anyone wants,” Superintendent William Hite said the night the budget passed.

Penn programs could step up to fill part of the void.

“One thing that is consistent is the students that come out,” rising Engineering senior and Outreach Chair of the Penn Music Mentoring Program Kristin Marra said of her program. “We tend to get the same students every year. And that’s one thing that we’d like to change and I think it will.”

Penn Music Mentoring provides music instruction for grade school students in the West Philadelphia area. Marra emphasized the importance of music programming and lamented the cuts.

“I think it’s a great way to keep [students] from doing bad things, so I think it’s a shame it’s being cut,” she said.

Prominent parent activist Helen Gym, a 1993 College graduate and former Daily Pennsylvanian editor, has been on the front lines pushing for an improved budget.

“We really feel like they did a disservice by not protecting some basic student rights, even with a difficult budget,” she said. The school district has asked for more money from the city and state and through concessions from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. However, the political reality is not favorable for getting increased funding.

Harrisburg is reluctant to grant new money to the district, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has proposed raising money through a per-drink tax increase on alcohol, as well as a possible tax on cigareetes.

“We’re determined to try to figure out how to set this thing right,” Gym said. “It might not happen this year, but this is not a sustainable situation.”

Penn Alexander School, which is financially supported by Penn, will probably be shielded from the worst of the cuts. The University provides $1,300 per student to the school, which is located at 42nd and Spruce streets.

“One of the great aspects of the Penn Alexander School perspective is that it is organized with comprehensive support,” Director of the Office of Government and Community Affairs Dawn Deitch said.

“It’s not all just the school district and its funding,” she added. “It’s all the layers of participation and support.”

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