PHILADELPHIA – The City of Brotherly Love isn’t getting any love from the local teachers union.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has staunchly refused to consider financial concessions to help rescue the school system from its massive $304 million budget deficit. So the city announced plans yesterday to borrow $50 million to hire back 1,000 of about 3,800 school employees it laid off after 2012-13, and will pass the bill to taxpayers, Reuters reports.

Mayor Michael Nutter said the move was necessary to open the district’s 218 schools on time. The $50 million would come from the city of Philadelphia, which would sell municipal bonds and repay the money over four years.

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The city would like the loan payments to come from an extension of a sales tax that’s set to expire, Nutter said.  The city council must authorize the loan and voters would have to approve extending the sales tax, as well.

Officials estimate the tax extension would generate about $15 million per year, according to Reuters.

If that plan falls through for some reason, Nutter told Reuters the city would be forced to dip into its reserves to repay the loan. Those reserves dropped by over $100 million in the last year, from roughly $189 million in FY 2013 to $86 million this year.

We believe all of this financial wrangling is not only unnecessary, it’s offensive.

The city’s taxpayers should not be required to fund the district’s wasteful spending habits, simply because the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers refuses to do its part.

The union’s defiance is especially egregious considering the expensive perks required by the union contract, which is set to expire August 31. EAGnews analyzed the PFT contract in 2012 and found numerous questionable expenses, including $14.4 million in cost of living increases, $2.6 million for free legal services for employees, $165 million in health insurance, $66 million for the union’s “health and welfare fund,” $7.1 million spent on a “wage continuation plan,” $23.6 million in extracurricular pay, $15 million in retirement bonuses, and $25 million in substitute costs.

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Simple changes to the PFT contract, such as postponing the cost of living increases or reducing generous retirement perks, could help wipe out or greatly decrease the district’s debt. But instead, PFT President Jerry Jordan continues to insist school staff have already “reached into their own pockets to fill the gaps left by cuts to public education funding.”

The union’s resistance is not only forcing city officials into incur massive debt, it’s holding up about $45 million promised funding from the state. Governor Tom Corbett has repeatedly stated he won’t release the funds until the union contract “makes substantial progress” toward financial and academic reforms, Reuters reports.

“State law requires that the school district begin implementing fiscal, operational and educational reforms before the money is released,” Corbett said.

The Philadelphia school district is managed by the state through a special School Reform Commission.