Nutter calls for Council action this week on schools funding

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks

Philadelphia’s cash-strapped School District began mailing out layoff notices to nearly 3,800 employees last week. On Monday, Mayor Nutter again called on City Council and state lawmakers to take action in order to reverse the layoffs.

Nutter wants Council to pass legislation that would raise $67 million for the schools through taxes on liquor and cigarettes. He is also vowing to send $28 million to the District by improving the city’s tax collections.

Without the extra funding, Nutter said, the schools that open in September would hardly be schools at all, lacking assistant principals, guidance counselors and extracurricular activities.

"All of that can be prevented, certainly, by the actions of responsible adults," he said.

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