'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools
If the "catastrophic" budget picture Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. laid out Thursday comes to pass, Philadelphia schools would be virtually unrecognizable come September.
There could be no money for counselors or librarians. There might be no sports or extracurricular activities. No dedicated funds for secretaries, aides, or summer school would be provided. And that would follow the steep cuts made over the last two years.
There also could be 3,000 layoffs, including some teachers.
This doomsday scenario comes as a result of a deficit of more than $300 million in the district's $2.7 billion 2013-14 budget. Officials have asked for $120 million in additional funding from the state and $60 million from the city, as well as $133 million in concessions from labor unions.
But none of that money is guaranteed.
"Too many budgets and contracts in the past were being based on what we had hoped for and not necessarily what was real," Hite said.
Laying out the grimmest possible reality is a strategic move, as the district makes its case in Harrisburg and City Hall for more funding and sits at the negotiating table with its unions, including the 15,000-member Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
But $220 million in additional school-based cuts is a very real possibility. Union officials have said they would not bow to demands for big concessions, and while Mayor Nutter has signaled his support for