The School District of Philadelphia Office of Communications 440 N. Broad Street, Suite 102~Philadelphia, PA 19130-4015~(215)400-4040rnFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASErnContact: Jamilah Fraser (215)400-6315rnApril 27, 2011rnDISTRICT BUDGET UPDATErnPhiladelphia, PA— Under Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s budget proposal, the School District of Philadelphia faces a severe reduction in funding. The District stands to lose $292 million in funding, including $107M of Basic Education funding; $110M of Charter School Reimbursement; $55M of Accountability Block Grant funding; $19M of Educational Assistance funding; and $1M for Dual Enrollment programs. This represents close to a 10% reduction in the District’s overall funding, compared to 2010-11 and would force the District to go from a budget of $3.2 billion to a budget of $2.7 billion.rnToday, Michael Masch, the District’s Chief Financial Officer, provided an update on what the cuts would mean to District personnel and programs. The presentation also outlined the efforts that the District has taken to try to save certain programs in the midst of budget planning, especially those initiatives tied to Imagine 2014 school reform plan.rnIf Governor Corbett’s budget proposal is passed, the District will be forced to cut the workforce by more than 3,800 (16%), including over 400 members of Central Office staff, accounting for a 50% personnel reduction at District headquarters, and 1,260 teachers (12%). Nearly 650 Noontime Aides, almost 400 Custodians, over 180 Counselors and 51 Nurses would also face job loss. These decisions were not made easily and the District will continue to look at a number of ways to forego having to make the drastic cuts that will have to be made if Governor Corbett’s budget is passed.rnSeventy percent of the District’s budget is mandated and the District has to present a balanced budget each fiscal year. The District recognizes the great financial challenges currently facing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and we are prepared to do our part to deal with these challenges. But, the anticipated funding cuts, now being proposed, will in fact disrupt the district’s ability to serve Philadelphia’s 200,000 public school students and sustain the momentum of the past eight consecutive years of rising test scores and charter school expansion.rnAs we move forward, we hope that the Governor and legislature will be open to discussing and exchanging ideas before a final budget is adopted. The District is committed to providing a system of great schools for the students of Philadelphia.