Philly school district, City Council reach deal on financial transparency

Philadelphia and the city school district now have an intergovernmental cooperation agreement.  

The pact, which guarantees financial transparency on the part of the district, means City Council will soon deliver promised dollars.

The agreement opens up a new level of transparency when it comes to the district’s finances, said City Council President Darrell Clarke, something council has been seeking for years.

“Our belief is that we didn’t have enough information and I said that over and over, but this goes beyond that,” he said of the newly signed agreement. “Not only do we get the information, but we get to participate in the formulation of the information. And I think that’s very important.”

The agreement is something that should have been in place all along, said William Hite, district superintendent.

“These are reports that we should be producing anyway, particularly for funding bodies like City Council,” he said.

The agreement paves the way for the city to pass along an additional $25 million to the struggling school district.