No deal yet, but an agreement to talk on Philadelphia school funding

There is no solution, but a City Hall meeting has several parties promising to work to scrape together the money so Philadelphia schools open on time. 

Mayor Michael Nutter says he sat down with members of council and state lawmakers, but no concrete deal has been reached to come up with the $50 million needed for schools to open September 9th.

“All of us have some more work to do in our respective either executive or legislative branches of government at the city or state level. We’re going to continue these meetings whether in person or over the phone,” said Nutter.

Council President Darrell Clarke says he’s still against dedicating an extension of the sales tax to the schools.

“I wouldn’t characterize it as a clash. The legislative branch and the executive branch sometimes have different ideas. The one thing we are focused on is that schools open on time and in a safe way,” said Clarke.

School Superintendent William Hite says the clock is ticking.

“We have less than four weeks before we receive students, less than three weeks before teachers return. There are a lot of things that have to go on in the next few weeks to be ready to open,” he said.

The district is also looking for major concessions in teacher contracts for the new school year. The old one expires this month.