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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMMay 11, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Friday, May 11th, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Spreitzer
OFFICE: 215/253-4965
CELL: 215/514-0170
tim@evansformayor.com
PHILADELPHIA --- Dwight Evans discussed Bob Brady’s “agenda” for school reform today on the public sidewalk in front of the new Constitution High School for American Studies. Evans has repeatedly taken issue with Brady’s proposed “solution” for improving schools in Philadelphia: simply giving the Mayor one more appointment on the School Reform Commission. Evans announced for Mayor before more than 1,200 supporters on December 11th; his campaign slogan is “A Safer Philadelphia – Block by Block.”
“The School District of Philadelphia has made incredible progress since the reforms I led the charge on were implemented in 2002,” Evans stated today. “Test scores are up in reading and math, parents have more quality choices and options than ever before, and violence is down overall. Bob’s notion that these reforms will be enhanced or that even one child will be better served simply by putting one more politically-connected person on the School Reform Commission is plainly misguided.”
Evans chose to return to the sidewalk in front of the Constitution High School, the site of his education policy paper release, in order to highlight the differences in his school reform record and that of Bob Brady’s. Evans has been a consistent leader on school reform in Philadelphia, authoring the legislation that created the School Reform Commission and led to the hiring of Paul Vallas, creating Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law, and delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in new resources to the School District.
“We chose this location today because parents need more quality choices and options like the Constitution High School,” Evans stated. “As Mayor, I will continue the successes we’ve seen over the past five years by leading the efforts for smaller class sizes, modernized classrooms, more resources for early childhood education, and ending our drop out crisis. Rearranging the leadership of the School Reform Commission won’t accomplish these goals; only a leader with a demonstrable track record of education reform will. I offer that leadership.”
Dwight Evans for Mayor •1500 Walnut St., Suite 501, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Paid for by Friends for Dwight Evans. B. Callands, Treasurer
Here’s the Story of Reform…
1. Delivered hundreds of millions of dollars to the Philadelphia School District including $30 million last year alone.
2. Risked his political career to engineer the state’s partnership with the Philadelphia School District because he believed the long-term needs of children far outweighed any short-term political costs his support might carry.
3. Credited as the driving force who gave the School Reform Commission, Chairman Jim Nevels and CEO Paul Vallas the tools they need to rejuvenate the district. As a result, test scores have gone up for five straight years, new schools are being built and school safety has improved.
4. Secured passage of Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law in 1997 leading to the creation of more than 62 charter schools serving students and families throughout Philadelphia.
5. Founded the New Media Technology Charter School, a digital project-based learning high school; the West Oak Lane Charter School; and the Martin Luther King Network.
6. Crafted legislation that gives every school district a guaranteed subsidy for each student based on a district’s poverty level, enrollment and tax base.
7. Provided millions of dollars in funding to job training programs for teens and young adults, including $820,000 in March that saved 631 summer internships
8. Backed the early childhood education proposals made by Gov. Ed Rendell and increased school funding to continue state investments in education starting in pre-kindergarten.
9. Led the efforts to include financial literacy as part of school curriculums.
10. Earned his degree and taught in the Philadelphia School District.
A Bunch of Nothing!!