Dive Brief:
- Opening schools on schedule next month will require Philadelphia Public Schools to cut an additional $32 million in services.
- Among its moves to address an $81 million shortfall: cutting transportation for thousands of high schoolers, cleaning schools less often, and leaving school police positions vacant.
- The district is hoping legislators will approve a cigarette tax that will tack on an extra $2 per pack, potentially leading to an extra $45 million for schools.
Dive Insight:
If the cigarette tax does not go through, then the district's teachers can expect a flood of layoffs. Philadelphia schools have been struggling for quite some time. According to ABC News, the district has had to cut 5,000 jobs and close 30 schools in recent years. The financial difficulties are attributed to rising costs for pension and healthcare, as well as payment to charter schools. The irony of it all is that the district desperately needs funds to be great again, but with every cut it makes, the less desirable it becomes. It appears to be a sinking ship. "We cannot cut our way to a quality education," School Reform Commission Chairman Bill Green told ABC News.