Philadelphia officials, including Mayor Cherelle Parker along with City Council president Kenyatta Johnson, school representatives and others, made a call to state legislators in an effort to gain an increase in funding for the city’s school system on Tuesday.
“Philadelphia parents and families know all to well the impact of chronic, historic underfunding to our schools,” Parker said.
On Tuesday, Parker said that, earlier this week, she sent a letter to Governor Josh Shapiro and state legislators asking for the funding increase.
She wants a budget that “fully funds Philadelphia’s public schools and permanently closes, what we refer to as, the adequacy funding gap.”
“Our funding gap is $1.4 billion dollars. Yes, that isn’t a mistake,” she said. “That’s $1.4 billion dollars with a B.”
Parker has called for that gap to be closed over the next seven years, and called for $242 million for the upcoming year.
She said that the city’s budget increased funding for schools by $129 million — throughout a five-year plan — and it was time for state officials to chip in to help students throughout Philadelphia.
“We have waited too long. We have done our part,” said Parker. “We are now looking to Harrisburg to ensure that our students have the future that they deserve.”
This call for new funding comes in the heels of a recent $300 million scholarship plan announced by Roc Nation, an entertainment company founded by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, that is intended to help children in grades K-12 from low-income households afford to attend one of the city’s array of private schools.
Statewide, some argue, the public school system is currently underfunded by roughly $6.2 billion.
Read More: Philly mayor calls for new state education funds – NBC10 Philadelphia