Councilwoman urges sending larger portion of tax revenue to Phily schools

A Philadelphia city councilwoman wants to dedicate more real estate taxes to the city schools. 

Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez said she wants to give another 5 percent of the city’s real estate tax collections to the schools.

“Right now, the taxpayers’ contribution to schools is 55 percent,” she said. “I’m proposing that we go to 60. We’re adding it to the conversation. Whether that gets phased in ultimately, or over a period of time, is something we want to do responsibly.”

The city needs to show it is committed to public education, Quinones-Sanchez said Thursday.

“Now that we are getting to a point where we know how much the union contracts are going to cost us, I think we can have a responsible conversation about how we are going to pay for it without the need to cut services,” she said.

The extra 5 percent would send an estimated $53 million more to Philly schools.