Philly school district leaders unveil $4.6 billion 2025-26 budget, but forecast chaos ahead
Follow along with Inquirer education reporter Kristen A. Graham, reporting from the monthly Philly school board meeting.
The Philadelphia school board gathered for its monthly meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, Watlington spoke with media about the district's precarious financial situation, noting it will need to spend $306 million of its reserves to avoid layoffs and classroom cuts.
For fiscal 2027, it’s projecting a $15 million deficit that would balloon to more than $2 billion in five years.
Why are Philly schools headed for a fiscal cliff?
Philly has a historically underfunded school district. The fiscal cliff was delayed because of COVID-19 relief funds, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said. (And unlike many other districts, Philly had to take its $1.2 billion in federal funds to fill budget holes. That money was not extra.)
District officials said they want the board to approve spending $300 million of district reserves in order to prevent classroom and staff cuts.
Watlington said he and CFO Mike Herbstman do not take the decision to spend down the fund balance to protect classrooms lightly. "You always want to keep dollars available as the rainy day fund, because you never know when emergencies are going to occur," the superintendent said.
Board quickly votes on remaining items and wraps up meeting
The board sped through the rest of its agenda, approving motions such as accepting a $26.8 million donation from Mastery Charter Schools, basically allowing the charter school company to make building improvements at several schools it runs in district-owned facilities, and approving a $10 million contract for modular classrooms at Lincoln High, which has struggled with overcrowding. (The full agenda delineating the items can be found here.)
For more details on the board’s votes Thursday night, check back on this story later Thursday night; I’ll be updating it with more information from the meeting.
Thanks for following along! We’ll see you back here next month.
Suspended teacher Keziah Ridgeway urges the district to complete her investigation, in light of budget issues
Keziah Ridgeway, who was removed from her job teaching at Northeast High because of personal social media posts and activism around Palestinians and the war in Gaza, says before the board that the budget is on her mind.
"When you have an employee labor relations department that is wholly inadequate with their investigations, that takes away lots of money," Ridgeway said. She is paid $91,000, and is paid her salary despite being under investigation. A substitute is also paid to teach her class. Her investigation was finished in January, and she was told the results would be made public in January. "I would love for you all to complete my investigation, so we can move forward."
(Ridgeway also said Lynn Rauch, the district's General Counsel, attempted to friend request her on Facebook and said it was bullying. Rauch denied doing so.)
Retired educator questions the board's acceptance of a $26 million donation
Lynda Rubin, another Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools member and retired district educator, is questioning the board's acceptance of a $26 million donation from Mastery Charter Schools to make improvements at Mastery schools run in district buildings.
A retired teacher is singing the school board a song about subpar charters
Ilene Poses, a retired teacher, is singing an original song she composed as testimony. "We shouldn't approve subpar charter schools," Poses sings, to the tune of "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You." (It's Poses' signature move, but she has not repeated one tune! A new one every time!)
"Approving failing charters should now be shunned. Approving subpar charters should now be solved," Poses sang.
As public testimony continues, a former school board member highlights the special education assistant vacancy problem
Lasheera Hall, another district parent, talks about concerns about her daughter's high school. Her daughter has lost senior privileges because of absences. "I come here tonight looking for resolution, and I will not leave until I get one," Hall said.
Yvonne Stephens, a community leader in Bridesburg, says nurse Regina Valentino, who has been disciplined, "goes above and beyond" for Bridesburg School.
Mallory Fix-Lopez, another former board member, is talking about a student of hers at Community College of Philadelphia who applied for a special education assistant position in the district (and really wanted that job) but was instead given a job as a food service worker.
Parent urges the board to reconsider denying two new charter schools
Ekiah Lewis, a parent, is speaking out on behalf of the African-American Charter School Coalition. She says the board's action last month to deny two new charter schools is troubling.
"I urge you to reconsider the decisions to deny these charter applications," Lewis said. "Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed in a school that meets their needs."
Public speakers continue: board hears about safety transfers, special ed classes, and a call to reinstate Keziah Ridgeway
Fatima Harper, a district parent, is asking for help with safety transfers. Her daughter, a student at Harding Middle School in Frankford, "has endured excessive and severe bullying." Her daughter's safety transfer was denied, and Harper wasn't told why.
Barbara Dowdall, a retired district teacher, is recapping district history — state takeover, handing struggling schools to charter organizations, mass school closures, a loss of certified school librarians. "In short, public resources shrink, test scores sink," Dowdall said. (She ends her testimony with a call for the district to reinstate Keziah Ridgeway to her teaching job at Northeast High.)
Up now is Cecelia Thompson, a former board member and longtime advocate for students with disabilities. Thompson talks about her son's experiences with strong teachers bringing high-level work to special ed classes. "Talented teachers, if you give the space to do it, can bring that general ed curriculum into the classroom," Thompson said.
Mama Gail Clouden, a longtime activist, tells the board: 'We're watching children failing'
Mama Gail Clouden, a longtime activist, comes to the podium telling the board that the ancestors are not pleased. "We're watching children failing because they're in schools that are too small for them," said Clouden, who is married to Horace Clouden, the junior high crusader.
Mama Gail said the bigwigs go from district to district, but the kids stay, and the rank and file stay. She urges those in charge not to leave the district worse than they found it. "God is not pleased, and neither is the ancestors."
Leah Clouden (Mama Gail and Horace Clouden's daughter) is up now. She's also urging the district to move to a junior high model, and wants the district to look at the "failure of certified teachers" to do their jobs properly. She also doesn't like that the district is poised to spend $10 million on modular classrooms for Lincoln High.
One teacher says students who testified about feeling unsafe are being questioned and intimidated
Members of the public — including parents and teachers are speaking to board members. They include:
Parent Bertram Liyanage, whose child attends Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter, wants to express his "deepest gratitude" to the school, which has educated his daughter well.
Glenn Moore, a longtime district teacher, was granted a six-month sabbatical. He applied for a second six-month sabbatical and was denied. He's appealing the denial.
Teacher tells board it's done more than any other in recent memory to 'uphold white supremacy'
Now we're onto general (non-student) speakers. You can read written testimony submitted to the board here.
First up is frequent board critic Lisa Haver, a retired teacher and a founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools. Haver questions Project RISE, a district project to rethink how the district authorizes and supervises charters. She wants to know why its meetings are not open to the public.
District teacher Kristin Luebbert says the board, which is made up mostly of Black and brown members, has done more than any other board in recent memory to "uphold white supremacy." Luebbert calls out the district's treatment of Keziah Ridgeway, and its "soulless" budget process. She said her school is losing its only career and technical education teacher.
Sister urges school board to allow her brother to attend Science Leadership Academy
A brief detour: Two students weren't present when the student speakers were called, so they are speaking to the board now.
Up first is Jah'Aire Cox, who attends Mastery Prep Elementary: "Our teachers won't give up on our education, and they make learning fun."
Next, Ahmed Sabil, who attends Solis-Cohen Elementary, wants to go to Science Leadership Academy. (He wants to be an architect.) He has great grades and test scores. His sister, speaking for him, says Ahmed has been waitlisted for all schools he applied to. He doesn't feel safe going to his neighborhood high school.
'The situation is dire,' says board member and financial expert Joan Stern
The district cannot afford to adopt this budget and pretend everything is fine until next year when the district will be in an incredibly tough spot, said board member Joan Stern, a financial expert said.
"The situation is dire," she said.
"My stomach started clenching up," board member Joyce Wilkerson said when officials began presenting the grim budget picture. "We've been through this before." Wilkerson, a former School Reform Commission chair and board president, has steered the district through tough times in the past.
Board vice chair issues a call to action on the budget
Sarah-Ashley Andrews, the school board vice chair, issues a call to action on the budget and advocacy for more for Philadelphia students.
"We see what it is, and we have to do something," Andrews said.
Board member Wanda Novales asked if there were plans to phase in spending cuts to avoid drastic cuts down the road. Watlington says the mayor and governor have said they want to get the district to adequacy (what it would take to educate Philadelphia students at the level achieved by better-funded districts.) But it's unrealistic to get there all at once.
Board members take in the gravity of the budget situation
"I am very concerned about the long-term trajectory of our fiscal plan," said board member ChauWing Lam.
"I think it's very concerning" that the district is looking at a negative fund balance within two years, Lam said — potentially borrowing money, incurring more debt service — just to maintain the current levels of service, without state and city intervention.
What will Philly spend its discretionary funds on?
Much of the district's budget is eaten up by fixed costs: salary, benefits, charter school payments. The amount it can control, the superintendent said, largely goes to driving student achievement.
Watlington illustrates:
Philly schools are getting a new science curriculum
Watlington noted that the district will introduce a new science curriculum next year — that money was already allocated from federal COVID-19 funds.
That means that Philly teachers will have introduced new math, reading, and science curricula in three successive years. The superintendent said he knew it was a heavy lift for educators, and thanked the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers for its work.
More than billion is needed to meet students' basic needs
"We would need $1.2 billion more just to meet the basic needs of our students," CFO Mike Herbstman says. That's according to a state analysis.
This year, the district is OK — barely. But "we will need additional state and city funding, continued sound fiscal practices from the district and board, and potentially some difficult decisions as we look into our future," Herbstman said.
The phrase "structural deficit" is going to be used a lot in the next several years, I can tell.
Watlington presents next year's $4.6 billion spending plan
Dr. Watlington is now making his budget presentation, talking about the year's $4.6 billion 2025-26 spending plan. Read all about it here.
It's clear that the district's financial news isn't the best. But they are stressing the phrase "historically underfunded," reminding people that Philly is the only Pa. school district unable to raise its own revenue, so it must depend on others. They are also stressing the academic trends, which are up.
"Nothing is sacred in the budget," Watlington said. "We continue to comb through the budget."
Watlington addresses student attendance and dropout rates
Student attendance dipped in February, Watlington shares, with just 57% of students posting 90% attendance or better in February. That's down from 67% in February 2024. (Blame the Super Bowl and two snow days.)
Dropouts year over year: 1,275 through February 2025, 1,916 through February 2024.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. starts his monthly update with a pop quiz
Watlington also gives praise to Mezzacappa, "a great investigative journalist."
Plus, a pop quiz: Watlington wants people to name these five famous Philadelphia women, all connected to the district. Can you name them? (Answers are in the caption below the photo.)
Students speak to the board
We're onto student speakers now! First up is Marilia Braga da Silva, an eighth grader at Carver High School of Engineering and Science. She missed two weeks of school in 7th grade because she broke a bone.
Despite strong grades, she doesn't qualify for automatic high school admission because of her absences. No one at the district will help her, and she's ineligible to go to a magnet school. She's asking the board to consider her case.
Darion Wyatt, a student at Mastery Prep, sings the praises of the school, which has helped him and his little sister achieve.
Board recognizes seniors and teacher of the month and a retiring reporter
Seniors of the month are Heaven Lee Mack at Vaux Big Picture High School and Alondra Andino at George Washington High School. Teacher of the month is Abigail Risser at Harding Middle School in Frankford.
Board president Streater also shouted out Dale Mezzacappa, longtime Inquirer education reporter, who is retiring from the education publication Chalkbeat. She's covered the district in one form or another since 1986.
School board president Streater acknowledges cultural recognitions
Every month, the Philly school board gives a nod to all cultural recognitions. This month, there are a lot!
Board president Streater gives a special shoutout to women — 7 of 9 board members are women — "despite forces" that would erase them, he said.
Meeting kicks off; eight board members physically present
We're off with the Philly school board board meeting! Here's the Mustangs Modern Band, from Dobbins High, starting things off right.
Eight school board members are present in person; board member Cheryl Harper is attending virtually. Board president Reginald Streater is urging folks to call their legislators to talk about the "devastating consequences" of dismantling the US Department of Education.
School board meeting starts at 4 p.m.
The Philadelphia school board will hold its monthly meeting Thursday evening, with plans to discuss the district's $4.6 billion 2025-26 budget. Earlier on Thursday, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the district is bracing itself for a financial cliff, and will have to spend $306 million of its reserves to avoid layoffs or classroom cuts.
Other items on the agenda include: the approval of $10 million for modular classrooms at the overcrowded Lincoln High School; an $11 million contract for site improvements at Bethune Elementary in North Philadelphia; and news from the superintendent on student and teacher attendance rates.