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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMMarch 29, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
New Leadership. New Direction. A New Philadelphia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2007
CONTACT: Melanie Johnson
(215) 545-9700
(267) 984-2027 cell
melanie@nutter2007.com
Philadelphia, March 29, 2007 – Today mayoral candidate Michael Nutter called on the School Reform Commission (SRC) to reform the way the School District contracts with outside parties. “The School District clearly needs more controls and more discipline,” said Nutter. “The wrong people are guarding the henhouse.”
Nutter called on the SRC to do the following:
* Follow the City’s requirements for no-bid contracts:
(1) Listing all no-bid contracts on the City and SRC websites and
(2) Disclosing campaign contributions to state officials entities receiving no-bid contracts with the School District. These requirements were mandated from the City and approved by the voters of Philadelphia in 2005 as a result of legislation drafted by Nutter when he was a member of City Council.
* Limit campaign contributions by people or entities that do business with the School District to $2500 per person annually and $10,000 per political action committee annually for campaigns by all state officials, including the Governor and members of the General Assembly.
* Immediately cancel or renegotiate the contracts with two EMOs – Universal and Edison – who are being paid a fixed amount, regardless of how many students they teach in their schools. Two members of the SRC have said that they have no distinct recollection of agreeing to this payment arrangement.
* Use the $1.6 million annual savings from these contracts to pay an additional 40 non-teaching assistants who will provide safety staffing in schools. “This money could be making our high schools safer,” said Nutter, “instead of lining the pockets of private managers."
Nutter noted that since no one at the School District is defending the Edison-Universal payment plan, there is no reason to keep it in place. “It does suggest that there is a need for more oversight of the place. When high-level officials can’t keep track of million dollar contracts, things are getting out of control.”
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