The Philadelphia School Reform Commission, acting in defiance of the city’s charter, has refused to vote on the school district’s budget, one that the superintendent called “wholly insufficient.”
Commission members seemed to have calculated that any negative ramifications may come from violating the charter would pale in comparison to the effects of adopting a budget that did not have the endorsement of Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. because it contained cuts he believed would have devastating effects.
The proposed budget would have led to higher class sizes, cuts to maintenance and transportation, and the layoff of nearly 800 teachers.
