By Victor Skinner
EAGnews.org

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia public school officials approved a budget last week that will result in 3,000 fewer jobs next year, as well as the elimination of school art programs, student counselors and sports teams.

Philly schools will also be stripped of nurses, librarians, and music programs, NBC10 reports.

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The “doomsday budget” reflects the district’s obligation to balance its budget by May 31, and represents the worst-case scenario if school officials don’t get requested assistance from state and local governments.

“To be fiscally responsible, the School District of Philadelphia must live within its means,” Superintendent William Hite said. “This is not the budget anyone wants.”

The budget everyone wants is much, much more expensive.

District officials are asking the city for an extra $60 million, they’ve requested $120 million from the state, and they’re seeking $133 million in concessions from the district’s various labor unions, NBC reports.

Mayor Michael Nutter wants to raise $95 million through sin taxes on liquor and cigarettes, and a city council committee is considering his proposal, although those taxes would need the approval of the state legislature.

But raising extra funds may be difficult for the district.

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Pennsylvania Senate Republican spokesman Erik Arneson told NBC “the issue of funding a source for $120 million in new state funds remains as challenging as ever.”

City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez wants to increase taxes on commercial property owners to raise money, but faces opposition from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan has indicated his union is “not budging” on concessions, the news site reports.

In other words, the district may be forced to live within the scary parameters of its doomsday budget.

The situation begs the question: Where did all the money go?

A review of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ collective bargaining agreement, conducted by EAGnews in 2012, highlights some of the more expensive provisions that have dragged down the district’s budget for years.

The district paid $14.4 million for an employee cost of living increase in 2010-11.

The same year the district contributed $2.6 million towards the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers legal services fund, which covers the cost of personal legal expenses for PFT members at taxpayer expense.

Free or low cost health insurance for PFT members cost the district about $165 million in 2010-11, while employees contributed a total of only $270,550. The district also paid $66 million into a PFT fund for dental, vision and prescription benefits for school employees.

Termination or severance bonuses totaled $15.3 million in 2010-11. A wage continuation plan – “meant to ensure against wage loss in the case of an illness, non-work related injury or other short term disability” – cost $7.1 million.

Other expenses tied to the union contract for 2010-11: $579,457 in tuition reimbursement for Philly teachers, $23.6 million in extracurricular pay, and $25 million for substitutes to cover for teachers who took an average of nearly 12 days off per year.

We believe the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has done quite well for its members, to the point that district officials are now taking an ax to student programs to pay for union perks.

Given the district’s generosity toward teachers, the union’s resistance to concessions says a lot about its true priorities. Teachers were happy to accept all the goodies when money was available, but they don’t want to be part of the solution when the very future of the district hangs in the balance.