Concerns rise over the overburdened Philadelphia school system which started a new school year on Monday.
Last summer, four thousand staffers were laid off before superintendent, William Hite, demanded $50 million to sufficiently replenish the staff. Since then, the district has brought back some programs and 1,650 staffers, but such numbers still fail to compensate, says The Huffington Post .
Some classrooms are starting with anywhere from 35 to 40 students, automatically over the contractual limit of 33 students per classroom.
CBS Local News quoted Hite, “We have now identified schools that have high numbers on their rosters, and they will have teachers in them today to help them absorb some of those numbers.”
As of right now, a number of Philadelphia schools can only afford a semester of music and sports. Furthermore, some schools are doing without counselors and assistant principles. In a low-income district with many unstable homes, many worry about the consequences of the lack of counselors.
City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. said, “We hope to look for help at the Harrisburg level, but at the city level, we have done $74 million dollars worth of heavy lifting.”
School officials plan to negotiate with city and state leaders for additional money.