You may have read last weekend of the plan concocted by our illustrious Mayor to bailout the badly managed School District of Philadelphia which faces a $629 million deficit. Mayor Nutter’s proposed $110 million bailout is a political boondoggle that will cause your taxes to be increased to cover the bill.

As a fellow citizen and taxpayer, I am urging you to immediately contact your City Councilperson as well as Philadelphia’s seven At-Large Councilpersons who will inevitably decide this plan’s fate.  Please take a moment to call your Councilperson and our At-Large Councilpersons today and urge them to reject any efforts by Mayor Nutter to increase taxes to compensate for the inadequate budgeting and planning of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman (who is scheduled to make $500,000 this year alone).

The suggestion that the Philadelphia schools should first target reductions in full day kindergarten and student transportation is both laughable and unrealistic. Budget cuts in the city schools ought to be focused on trimming unnecessary bureaucracy, selling off unused assets to charter schools seeking venues to educate children, auctioning off the bureaucratic palace at 440 North Broad Street for profit, and moving the top-heavy district administration into the excess spaces that exist in various school buildings.

As a strong supporter of public education in Pennsylvania, I believe that using this crisis as a vehicle to raise taxes on already over-burdened, cash-strapped working families is insulting and cowardly. The public relations game being played by Superintendent Ackerman is obvious. Ratchet up the pain on the most visible, sympathetic targets like our youngest children, those in need of subsidized lunches (eliminating full day kindergarten eliminates required meals), and the kids who need transportation to school each day. It’s simply a publicity tool to tug at the heart strings of the public and not a realistic plan to move forward.

Succumbing to the request to pony up money that the City of Philadelphia does not have would be imprudent at this juncture. It would set a terrible example for future years with similarly lean budgets. Philadelphians are taxed beyond the point of necessity as it is and cannot afford this $110 million bailout of the ineptly managed schools.

Please use this link to locate your Councilperson and the At-Large Councilpersons who represent the entire city: http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/CouncilMembers.html. If you aren’t sure which district you live in, please use this tool to locate your Councilperson by entering your home address: http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/.

Call them today and tell them that hardworking Philadelphia taxpayers can’t afford Mayor Nutter’s inevitable tax increase to bailout the schools.

UPDATE:
June 2, 2011—The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this morning that Mayor Nutter has proposed a 10 percent property tax increase, a two cents per ounce tax on sugary beverages, and increased parking rates at meters and kiosks. Unfortunately, none of these proposals are acceptable. This 10 percent property tax hike comes on the heels of last year’s 10 percent property tax increase. Parking rates in the city are already astronomical. Finally, thanks to the Mayor’s sales tax increase in 2009, our consumers are already paying significantly higher sales taxes than citizens in the rest of the Commonwealth and should not be forced to pay even higher taxes on beverages.

It is even more important now than ever to contact your member of City Council and urge them to act today to defeat these proposals!

In Liberty,

Nathan Shrader
Republican Committeeman, 5^th Ward 17^th Division
Member, American Federation of Teachers
Contact: Nathan@NathanShrader.com