Countdown, Day 39: Hite says staffing levels 'nowhere near sufficient'
by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 01 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity?
Superintendent William Hite said that his voice might stay calm, but he is definitely not calm about whether he will be able to open schools on time. He was expecting at least to have access by now to $50 million in new funds from the city -- and he still doesn't have it as Mayor Nutter and Council are still at odds over the best way to make it available.
"I will not be irresponsible in putting students into environments that are not able to serve their needs," Hite said in an interview Wednesday. "At the moment, a principal and a secretary in a 3,000-student high school is not sufficient to serve the needs of students there." Northeast High School has 3,000 students.
So far, he has access to only a small portion of the additional funds from what one frustrated officials described as the "contortionist deal" worked out in Harrisburg to close the District's financial hole. The $50 million was supposed to be a loan against a future sales tax extension that the City Council has yet to approve, partly because members don't agree that all of the revenue should be directed to the District.
And a promised one-shot, $45 million state payment is dependent on certification from the state Secetary of Education that the District is putting certain reforms in place. Presumably, this will require changes like the severe dilution if
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks Some education advocates charge that Mayor Michael Nutter is not doing enough to ensure that schools open in September with adequate staffing. But Nutter says that is his one, laser-like target right now. “My primary focus, fairly singular focus at the moment,” he said, “is making sure that we can open schools six weeks from now with the appropriate level of person
