Phila. school superintendent dialing for dollars

It takes a village to raise a child, as the saying goes. But according to Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, it also takes a village to fund a five-year school reform plan. WHYY’s Shai Ben-Yaacov reports the schools CEO is looking at all possible sources of revenue.

It takes a village to raise a child, as the saying goes. But according to Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, it also takes a village to fund a five-year school reform plan. WHYY’s Shai Ben-Yaacov reports the schools CEO is looking at all possible sources of revenue.

Script:
The school reform plan would include more teacher training and school counselors. It also calls for 35 schools to be transformed into charter or contract schools. All of this comes with an estimated $50 million price tag. Ackerman says she hopes the bulk of that will come from the federal stimulus bill, along with some additional state funding.  But she says the district will be looking to trim its own budget to raise some of the money.

Ackerman: “Where do we reallocate those dollars?  How have we spent our dollars in the past? Do we want to continue to spend our dollars that way? Did they get us results?”

Ackerman says the district will examine a recent audit along with department budget reports to see where to make cuts. She says the district will also be looking for private contributions from the community.

Listen:
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