William R. Hite and William Green address school plans
Photo cred: Alejandro A. Alvarez
We all are aware that the Philadelphia School district has struggled tremendously in the last few years. “In the past several years, the district has shed 5,000 jobs, closed 31 schools and reduced administrative costs to less than 3 percent of its total $2 billion budget"(Philly.com). As funding continues to be a major concern, Philadelphia council begins to think outside of the box to strategize on how to raise more money to pump into the school district.
State lawmakers were requesting a $2/pack cigarette tax to reduce the risk of pushing back the first day of school for public school students citywide. This proposal was made in early 2013 with a decision deadline of August 15, 2014. The purpose of this law would be to support the educational needs of some 200,000 public school students that the district serves, by paying down a significant portion of the $3.3 billion municipal deficit. According to CBS Philly, the $2 cigarette tax will allow the city to bring in $40 million in just half of a fiscal year. Although the decision was made to start school on 9/8/14, as scheduled, ten days after stated cutoff, lawmakers are still trying to come to an agreement.
As of 2012, 18.1 % of Americas were smokers, which means that roughly 180,000 adults (calculation derived based on 2010 Philadelphia Census statistics) will not be pleased about the substantial increase in cigarette costs. But there is a greater risk at hand. Standard and Poor recently awarded Philadelphia with its highest rating, however Moody’s Investor Service referred to the School System as a “deterrent to economic growth.” Because the law has not yet been passed, the district will have to save money somehow in the meantime. For now they plan to do so by “not filling vacant school police jobs; cleaning schools less frequently; offering fewer spots in a program for students at risk of dropping out or who have dropped out; and cutting access to free transportation for students who live less than two miles from their schools, a reduction that affects about 7,500 district, charter and nonpublic students, ” according to Philly .com.If that isn’t bad enough, we can expect for the central office to take a hit too. They expect that 20 office personnel will be laid off come Sept 1. The previous year has already been rough enough for the inner-city students who were subject to these changes. As the shortfall increases, resources decrease, ultimately resulting in higher student to teacher ratios and limited books and educational tools in classrooms.
The reluctance of passing the cigarette tax increase appears to stem from concerns about relying on a tax that has potential to fluctuate and be unsustainable. Because smokers may smoke less as a result of the added tax or for any given reason, some feel that the revenue generated from it is not stable. I don’t see how that is really an issue, considering the likelihood of smokers quitting just because of the added cost. Sad to say we know the effects of nicotine and chances are the addiction will make the decision rather than the person. If this for some reason unsuccessful, there has also been talk of imposing an additional liquor tax. Not much has been disclosed on that matter as of yet. Regardless of how the gap is filled, it crucial that something be done. As the nation’s 5th most populous city, we owe our youth a true chance at life. Without basic tools for learning we are doing them a disservice. I only hope and pray that we can come up with a way to provide a environment conducive to the advancement of our children.
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