PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A City Council hearing on a rideshare tax became a debate over school closures on Tuesday, after Council summoned School District of Philadelphia leaders to grill them about the facilities closure plan.
Council members have been criticizing the school closures for weeks, winning only minor changes. While they don’t have a vote on the closures, they do have complete control over Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposal to put a $1 tax on rideshare trips to help the district close a budget gap — giving Council new leverage.
As Councilmember Jamie Gauthier put it, to levy it at the same time that the beneficiary — the school district — is poised to close schools, the district needed better explanations for its decisions.
“How dare you rush this plan to a Thursday vote when you haven’t even taken the time to fully engage our communities,” she asked, “but then come in here and ask us to do something hard for you?”
Superintendent Tony Watlington and Board of Education President Reginald Streater appeared promptly when Council sent for them in the middle of the hearing, after members got what they considered unsatisfactory answers on questions about the closures.
They tried to separate the tax from the closings under questioning.
“This is completely separate from the facilities plan. There are two separate issues on the table,” Watlington said.
“One is 70, 80 years of deferred maintenance,” Streater elaborated. “The other is recurring things we have to do to support student learning. They are different situations.”
“We don’t see it that way,” retorted Councilmember Jay Young. “We don’t see it as two separate things because the pot of money is coming from the same place.”
While Watlington and Streater insisted that wasn’t the case, their insistence only seemed to intensify opposition to the tax, which needs nine votes to pass. Councilman Curtis Jones told them to read the room.
“When this day started, you had nine votes for an Uber tax. You might be at six,” he said, “and it’s heavily weighted on statements like, this is our last and final offer, we’re closing these schools!”
The school board is currently scheduled to vote on the closings Thursday.
