The Philly school board wants the next mayor to prioritize these four things

The school board on Monday called on Philadelphia’s next mayor to embrace four priorities it says are paramount to the future of the school system.

In an open letter released ahead of a board-sponsored mayoral forum Tuesday night, president Reginald Streater said the mayor and City Council — who allocate nearly half of the district’s funding — “have an outsized role in ensuring that our children have the resources they need to achieve their greatest potential.”

Here’s what the school board thinks the mayor should prioritize:

For the city’s school system to achieve full funding, the district needs an additional $1.14 billion annually, according to an analysis by the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center. (Its current budget is about $4 billion.)

“So we are calling on city officials to balance the needs of our students with the needs of residents, and to commit to fully funding our schools by increasing the annual appropriations by $318 million within four years,” Streater wrote.

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The school system has a stock of aging buildings; officials estimate it would cost $5 billion to fix all 200-plus. “At least 85″ schools need major renovations, and 21 schools ought to be closed and replaced, the board said.

Facilities are currently a hot-button issue: Two district buildings were closed this month because of damaged asbestos. One of them, Building 21, is still closed, and Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has said officials knew of the environmental concerns for at least two years before the school was shut for repairs; the district initially said the asbestos was newly discovered.

The board is spending more than $2 billion on capital projects over the next six years, “but more resources are needed from our city and state partners to make sure all of our students are learning in safe buildings that prepare them for future success.”

The city must do more to keep the city’s students safe on their routes to and from school, Streater said, calling for a “coordinated and comprehensive response,” including increasing safe corridors around all schools, and ensuring libraries and recreation centers are open when schools are closed.

The board also wants the city to create safety zones around schools, enforce gun laws — including the prohibition of gun possession by minors — and enhance mental health services.

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With tougher working conditions and salaries that are on average lower than better-resourced, suburban districts, Philadelphia “is at a disadvantage to competitively recruit and retain staff,” the letter said. The board called on the mayor to provide parking for teachers at every school, SEPTA passes for those who use transit, and other incentives to entice workers — loan forgiveness, housing vouchers, and more.

“It is our collective responsibility to come together and serve as a village for our children to support, educate, protect and inspire them to reach their greatest potential — oftentimes overcoming the daunting challenges many face every day,” Streater wrote.

The board-sponsored mayoral forum is scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia on Vine Street. The Rev. Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church will moderate, with panelists including Richard Gordon, principal of Paul Robeson High School; Sophia Roach, a student at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts; Darren Lipscomb, a vice president at the Community College of Philadelphia; and Donna Cooper, executive director of Children First.

The event is a “nonpartisan educational effort by the board and school district to make the public aware of each candidate’s views about education in Philadelphia,” the board said.