PHILADELPHIA, November 2, 2017 — State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) issued the following statement on Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s announcement that he will seek to end state oversight of the School District of Philadelphia:

“I applaud Mayor’s Kenney initiative in asking for the School Reform Commission members to vote to disband and return Philadelphia to a locally-controlled school board. I look forward to working with city and state officials to ensure a smooth transition to the new board.

“Regardless of the governance structure, the School District of Philadelphia, like dozens of school districts throughout Pennsylvania, still faces a legacy of underfunding from the state, so I will continue to demand full funding for our public schools.

“We knew what the funding shortfall was 10 years ago when the General Assembly commissioned the costing out study, and we’ve made little progress in closing that $4 billion gap. Philadelphians have stepped up in recent years to help close that gap and I’m confident they will step up again but the state must come to the table with resources for all our public schools. It’s time to demand the legislature live up to its constitutional duty to support a ‘thorough and efficient system of public education.’”

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