Great Expectations

With smaller groups, there was more time to talk about each person's concerns, and we got right into it. Given that Philadelphia doesn't have control over the funding of its school system, the group concentrated on what the city could do to further education citywide. Margaret, a CCP staffer from Fairmount, started off by suggesting that everyone have access to good quality education whether it be a person's first time around or returning to school later on in life. Marguritte was concerned about the literacy rate in schools and the people working jobs once out of school. She blamed the notion of social promotion, which ushers children through the system without addressing problems. Piggybacking on Marguritte's comment, Helen wanted to see more literacy programs opened up throughout the city. She also wanted to see the after-school programs (which are not run by the School District) to be revamped to be more than rudimentary baby-sitting. Ivy, from West Philly, had watched programs on CNN addressing foods causing ADHD in children and wanted more nutritional awareness in and out of schools.

Zeroing in on how to guarantee good quality education in the city, Margaret started off by suggesting that if a person who graduated from high school can't perform basic functions at work, s/he should be able to go back to school without feeling bad about it. The group suggested a "Mayor's Guarantee" that a diploma is worth the paper its printed on and that a person with a diploma can read at at least a sixth-grade level (the level of many daily newspapers like USA Today and The Daily News) - certainly a low bar, but progress has to start somewhere. To build on that guarantee, nonprofit literacy programs that currently exist should be coordinated through a reinvigorated Mayor's Literacy Program. Marguritte remembered under the Goode administration that education was a top priority, but she no longer feels the same way. The Goode administration was pre-takeover of the School District by the state, but since the takeover, in 2001, the state has increased funding approximately 7 percent per year, totaling $400M+; in the five years pre-takeover, state funding was stagnant [link].

But how to get the word out? Margaret suggested that educational issues also be included on the list of things 311 operators have training on. She suggested a database (once coordinated) to be ready for the operators so that when a person who wants to improve their grasp on reading calls in, an operator can easily direct them to a local resource. Jean, the group's moderator, noted that technology is likely the fourth "skill" kids will have to learn nowadays adding to the old Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. With access to computers and the Internet being an issue to learn that new skill, Margaret suggested partnerships with businesses who replace their computers on a regular cycle. Recycling of computers could lead to new jobs in the communities around the schools, where people can be trained on how to wipe hard drives and install new software and placing the hardware within the classrooms and tech centers. Another group member pointed out the success of Project H.O.M.E.'s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs.

Moving onto Ivy's [pictured above] concern for improved nutritional awareness, Margaret started off the discussion by suggesting a city ordinance for labeling of all fast foods - more than the pamphlets that are available upon request at the chains around town. Marguritte suggested public service announcements with local big-name athletes talking about nutrition creatively. Edna, a retired senior, noted how the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging mails out pamphlets containing information and $20 coupons once a year for seniors to use at local markets for fresh produce. Why shouldn't a similar thing be done for every child entering the school system? I brought up The Food Trust, which has a Nutritional Education program in place in Philadelphia already. Margaret suggested the city provide permits for empty lots to be gardened. For that, there's actually a group [disclaimer, I work with this group often] called the Philly Orchard Project, which has been planting orchards around town, with the cooperation of communities, to bring access to fresh, locally grown produce to parts of the city where it can be hard to find.

Back to the big group for the final Q&A session; the panel gathered up front for questions. The Inquirer's Chris Satullo asked the group what they noticed while talking and looking over the notes. Councilman Curtis Jones noted how all these issues are so interconnected. Poverty leads to crime which is a sign of lack of education and a lack of good jobs. Dealing with all the problems all at once is a daunting task, and he told the group to look at the budget [Fiscal Year 2009 .pdf] and see what the city is truly concerned about. And taking a look at the pie chart on page 13, one can see that the city plans to spend $230M on prisons while Parks & Recreation will get $58M and Streets $33M. Approximately $2.4B is committed to city personnel costs, which equals 60 percent of the $4B budget and is, according to Budget Director Agostini, typical of major cities.

One attendee asked about the customer-service training for the new 311 operators. Councilman Jones said that since January (when he took office), there had been approximately 600 customer service calls with a 60 percent to 70 percent closure rate. Many if not most of the calls are easy answers to questions or simple fixes. It's those remaining 35 percent or so that really takes the work, and there will be ample training. He shared a funny statistic that the number-one call into his office was in regards to raccoons. He laughed and said that he never would've guessed that raccoons would be the number-one issue that his constituents call for help.

The gentleman above asked about the deplorable operation of health centers. How there are so few, the lines are too long, how doctors leave before all patients are dealt with, and the wait for a prescription is too long. Councilman Jones agreed that the conditions are deplorable. He pointed out that there was a single ER in the 4th District, and it was in Roxborough. There are no health centers in the district at all. He said that thankfully, there is money in the budget and the situation, at least in the 4th, will get better and soon. Another gentleman up front asked about manufacturing jobs coming back to the city. Councilman Jones talked of a company from Inchon, Korea, which is set to open up shop in the 4th. That company will build trolley cars that will be used in Philadelphia. Yes, Philly is getting a local source for the trolley cars people ride every day. The factory will create 300 blue collar, family supporting jobs in the city. Looking further down the line, Jones said that green jobs are the future of Philadelphia - like the technology that went into the LEED Gold certified school building the group was in that night.