Money woes could delay opening of city schools
Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said it would be irresponsible to try for a regular opening. Mayor Nutter called that "one of the most chilling statements" ever by a school leader. (CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer)
Facing a still-massive deficit, the Philadelphia School District will not open on time unless it has assurance by Aug. 16 that it will receive $50 million from the city, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said Thursday.
Hite said the district would postpone the scheduled Sept. 9 opening of 212 district schools, open just a few, or operate them on half-day schedules because of the financial crisis that led to the layoffs of nearly 4,000 employees.
Flanked by several high school principals, Hite said it would be irresponsible to try for a regular school opening with only skeletal staff and no assurance the district would receive more money.
Hite's unprecedented announcement unleashed a torrent of confusion and exposed a rift between Mayor Nutter and Council members who oppose the terms of a state bailout package for the schools. Council President Darrell L. Clarke called the state package "a bad deal" and floated a plan for the city to give the district $50 million in return for unused district buildings.
Nutter and others had backed a state plan that called for the city to borrow $50 million against future collections of the city's extra 1 percent sales tax, which was set to expire next June, and turn the money over to the schools.
Nutter called Hite's comments "one of the most chilling statements that I've ever heard a school leader . . . make."
Hite's stunning announcement comes as the district continues to grapple with a deficit of more than $270 million. Delaying the opening of school would affect 136,000 students and their families.
"I want to be clear about why the $50 million matters now," Hite said, adding that the amount would allow the district "to tell parents that when their child is walking through the hallways, eating lunch, or at recess, an adult will be supervising them. It allows us to tell parents that counselors will be available to serve children in our largest and neediest schools, and that an assistant principal will be on hand to resolve any disciplinary issues that keep children from learning."
Because of massive layoffs in June, each school has a principal, a secretary, and fewer classroom teachers. Schools have no