School Funding
Philly’s Schools Are in Trouble. The Answer Isn’t Higher Taxes
Listen to the audio edition here: I’m a big believer in education. A great school can transform a kid’s life — and a great school […]
This ABC Comedy About the Sad State of Philly Schools Is Taking the TV World by Storm
Emmy Award nominations won’t be announced until July, but you can be sure that the new ABC comedy Abbott Elementary, created by and starring Philly’s […]
Insider: Beware the Creation of a “Roid-Rage SRC”
(Editor’s note: This is an opinion column from a Citified insider.) If State Sen. Scott Wagner didn’t exist, school advocates might have to invent him. At a […]
Insider: How to Stop the Annual School District Vs. City Council Smackdowns
(Editor’s note: This is an opinion column from a Citified insider.) This is school advocates’ most dreaded time of the year: city budget season. If there’s […]
The Brief: State Moves Closer to Taking Over Philly Schools — Again
1. A state Senate committee approved a bill that would put low-performing Pennsylvania schools into a state-run system. The gist: The Inquirer’s Chris Palmer reports […]
How Selling Ads Can Save Philly’s School System
School Superintendent William Hite needs more money, and we’re all in agreement with him. City Council has rejected the district’s latest funding plan and remains […]
Big Parking, Property Tax Hikes Proposed to Fund City Schools
[Updated at 1:10 p.m.] Philadelphia City Council introduced legislation Thursday to hike three taxes in order to help fund the school district. Though lawmakers have been pooh-poohing Mayor Michael […]
The Brief: Unapologetic Bill Hite Presses His Case for More Cash for Schools
1. With City Council prepped to short the School District, Superintendent Bill Hite urges politicians not to let the district’s ongoing crisis become the new […]
City Council to School District: Go Away Already
There are few City Hall scenes more dispiriting than the display of mutual contempt that unfolds each year when the School District of Philadelphia comes to […]
Inside Take: Money for Schools, or Tax-Free Helicopters?
(This is an opinion column from a Citified insider.) Most Americans know that the federal tax laws are filled with carefully crafted tax breaks for […]
School Funding Crusaders to Appeal Suit to State Supreme Court
A Commonwealth Court ruling overturning a challenge to Pennsylvania’s method of funding schools will be appealed to the state’s Supreme Court, education activists said Tuesday […]
Inside Take: How (Relatively) Rich Philly Public Schools Benefit at the Expense of Poor Ones
(Editor’s note: This is an opinion column from a Citified insider.) There’s been a lot of talk about school equity in Philadelphia recently, but the conversation is […]
Sam Katz’s Audacious, Radical Plan to Save City Schools (and the Pension Fund, Too)
Sam Katz is acting more like a mayoral candidate than the mayoral candidates themselves. Thursday afternoon Katz launched a new website—Citizen Sam—and dropped what is, […]
The Mayoral Candidates Are Short on Ideas, so Citified Is Here to Help
There are just 82 days left before Philadelphia picks its mayoral nominees, and the race remains shockingly deficient in both original thinking and concrete plans. Licenses and […]