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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMFebruary 13, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
New Leadership. New Direction. A New Philadelphia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2007
CONTACT: Melanie Johnson
(215) 545-9700
(267) 984-2027 cell
melanie@nutter2007.com
Philadelphia, February 13, 2007 -- Mayoral candidate Michael Nutter today called for an independent external audit of the School District of Philadelphia, following reports that the School District is facing a budget deficit of approximately $140 million next year.
Nutter said that he had received credible information that the deficit could be even higher than reported today. “The School District is clearly spinning out of control,” said Nutter. “This is the third budget ‘surprise’ in less than two years. It is time for answers, not excuses, and for public disclosure, not duck and cover.”
“The political band-aids that have been applied in the past are falling off and not working,” noted Nutter. “The funding formula for schools is broken, the fiscal oversight is inadequate, and our children are getting short-changed because of these short-term political fixes. We need serious, permanent solutions to these problems. In addition, the City of Philadelphia must play a major role in the future of public education for our children.”
Nutter suggested that, because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania controls the School District, the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) is the right entity to lead a process to bring in an outside audit firm. However, Nutter also called for a more inclusive school budget advisory team that would include parents’ organizations, civic leaders and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. “We should have an open request-for-proposal process, with evaluations by a team of interested parties,” Nutter noted. “These budget decisions have been made by a small handful of people for too long.”
Nutter said he was also trying to address the lack of transparency in the School District’s budget. “It is virtually impossible for the public or parents to understand where their money is going or for what it is being spent. The School District must become more transparent.”
Last fall, Nutter called on School Superintendent Paul Vallas to open up the budget process, in light of a $73 million deficit that Vallas later said came as a surprise to him and the School Reform Commission. In a letter to Vallas dated October 30, 2006, (see attachment) Nutter called for a review by PICA, requested public hearings on the deficit, and asked for a “full, detailed disclosure of how the current budget crisis developed.” Nutter stated that he never received a response to the October 30, 2006 letter.
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PO Box 58550 • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Phone: (215) 545-9700 • Facsimile: (215) 545-4088
www.NutterForMayor.com
Paid for by Nutter for Mayor, Kahiga A. Tiagha, Esq., Treasurer