Williams continues pushing Pa. for more Philly school funds

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

by Mary Wilson for NewsWorks

One Democratic state lawmaker is warning that poor schools are being overlooked as the Pennsylvania legislature gets down to the final two weeks of budget negotiations.

Sen. Anthony Williams points to the Philadelphia School District, which is laying off nearly 3,800 workers, and says other financially distressed districts will join it soon if the state doesn’t send more money.

Lawmakers are too busy trying to find consensus on policy issues orbiting around the budget, he said.

"Pensions, transportation, liquor, they’re being resolved as we speak. Education has not been resolved," he said Monday. "And it can actually affect whether we get a budget or not."

He stressed that it’s an issue that should concern Republicans just as much as Democrats.

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