Education takes center stage in Philadelphia mayoral debate
Democrat Jim Kenney and Republican Melissa Murray Bailey face off for the second mayoral debate of the general election.
More than 200 people packed a Center City auditorium Monday night for a tame, wide-ranging mayoral debate between Democrat Jim Kenney and Republican Melissa Murray Bailey.
As it has throughout this election season, education dominated the hourlong event at WHYY.
Over and over, Kenney stressed the need to improve access to pre-kindergarten education. For him, better access means better educated children and, in turn, a greater chance of them making a good life for themselves.
"That will start to change the narrative of poverty in this city," said Kenney, a city councilman for 23 years before running for mayor.
He said 18,000 city children currently lack access to pre-K.
Bailey, the daughter of two teachers, pushed for the city to spend more on making sure all of its students can read by the time they reach third grade. At some schools, she said, only eight percent of students are meeting that mark.
"We're going to get them to 100 percent by the end of my first term," said Bailey, a first-time candidate.
The debate, moderated by WHYY reporters Kevin McCorry and Katie Colaneri, also touched on crime and, specifically, police-community relations.