PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington is back from Washington, D.C., where he used a new tactic in lobbying for continued federal funding for schools.
“Historically we’ve relied on the moral argument about providing more resources to children. But improvements are occurring and the data don’t lie,” Watlington told KYW Newsradio.
In meetings on Capitol Hill Monday with the staffs of Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and Rep. Dwight Evans, Watlington presented data that he said shows Philadelphia is providing a good return on investment. He pointed to increases in school attendance and the four-year graduation rate, while the number of dropouts is down.
“They need hard data to make the case that this is about economics,” Watlington said. “We want to give a counter narrative and put the data on the table. It’s important for Democrats to have and it’s also important for Republicans to receive that information.”
The district gets about 10% of its budget from the federal government. With the Trump administration seeking to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, Watlington is aware funding could be affected. So far, though, he hasn’t seen an impact. “We have experienced no federal cuts in the School District of Philadelphia,” he said. “None.”
Philadelphia schools don’t have taxing authority, so the district relies on local, state and federal funding. Watlington said he’ll continue to make his argument to Democrats and Republicans in both Washington and Harrisburg.