PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With a big budget deficit looming, the School District of Philadelphia is taking a more cautious approach to its pilot program for year-round schools.
Superintendent Tony Watlington has made a pilot of up to 10 year-round schools part of his five-year "Accelerate Philly" plan, with a projected cost of about $25 million. However, with a projected budget shortfall of $400 million next year, Watlington tells KYW Newsradio that the district is backing off of the accelerator.
"We want to make sure that we have the resources not just to do this, but to do this well," Watlington said, "so we've delayed a communication about next steps until we see what the budget looks like."
Mayor Cherelle Parker — who talked about her desire for year-round schools during her campaign — clarified her position on Tuesday, at Watlington's "State of the Schools" address.
"Some people refer to it as out of school time. I called it year-round school during the campaign," she said. "You can call it whatever you want to call it, but I want our young people to have access to those opportunities year-round."
Watlington says he'll have a more complete picture of any year-round school pilot later this semester.
