PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The University of Pennsylvania has pledged to give $10 million a year to the Philadelphia School District for the next ten years — the largest gift in the school district’s history. It will be used to address environmental issues in school buildings.
Penn President Amy Gutmann said she sees the total $100 million contribution having both an immediate impact on student and staff health and a long-term value.
“By enabling the school district and the school board to move forward with the rest of their agenda for education, which you can’t do without public health and safety,” Gutmann said.
District spokesperson Monica Lewis said the gift will go a long way to containing lead paint and asbestos, which is present throughout most of the district’s 257 schools, some of which date back to the 19th century.
“This is a very tremendous gift and we’re very grateful for Penn’s support,” Lewis said.
Councilmember Helen Gym, a public school advocate, welcomed the gift.
“Penn ought to be commended for taking this first step forward, but most importantly, for focusing its investment on the condition of our schools,” Gym said.
Donna Cooper of Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth believes the gift may have been a way to fend off growing calls for the nonprofit to contribute Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) to the district.
Penn students, alumni and faculty have circulated a petition asking signers to pledge not to donate to the university until it contributes to an Educational Equity Fund which, they say, would be a fraction of what Penn would pay if it were taxed.
“This is not a matter of charity but of justice,” they write. “Penn is the seventh richest university in the country. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has the highest poverty rate of the ten largest cities in the United States.”
Still, Cooper credits Penn for helping the district meet an urgent need.
“This contribution is going to mean that fewer children walk into Philadelphia schools and get sickened by the buildings. And that’s terrific,” Cooper said.
Cooper and Gym say they hope other nonprofit institutions will follow Penn’s lead. The district estimates it would take $4.5 billion to fully address its capital needs.