Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with news on the city’s public school system.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s second city budget address Thursday promised millions for teacher salary increases to be realized in 2030 but was otherwise light on education funding details.
Parker’s $6.7 billion budget and accompanying five-year plan rely on continued funding from last year’s shift in property tax revenue, which administration officials say will amount to a $250 million funding increase for city schools through 2030. But her proposal falls short of the transformative funding boost some advocates have called for in the face of federal uncertainty.
Parker’s budget seeks to increase the school district’s share of the city’s property tax revenue from 56% to 56.5% in fiscal 2030. The mayor’s office says that increase will pay for an additional $12 million per year to the district “to be specifically earmarked for teacher salaries.” Her spending plan would also add $4 million to district coffers via higher Center City parking fees, and nearly double the number of schools participating in her extended-day, extended-year school program.
As Philly’s mayor, Parker must present a one-year budget as well as a five-year spending plan. Parker was elected to a four-year term in 2023 and can run for another term in 2027, but the change in property tax revenue for the district would take effect three years after the end of her first term. The City Council ultimately adopts the city budget.
The school district is also currently negotiating a new contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Parker’s proposal could be a signal that she would like to see raises as a part of that new contract.
“As proud as we are of our efforts to improve the quality of our educational system during the first year of the Parker administration, we know how much more work remains to be done,” Parker said in her address to members of the City Council on Thursday.
The school district’s budget is $4.6 billion. Of that amount, $2 billion comes from the city, $2.4 billion from the state, and nearly $180 million from the federal government. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget for 2025-26 includes a $200 million increase for Philadelphia schools but that increase is subject to negotiations by state lawmakers.
Most of the district’s federal aid comes through the Title I program that focuses on students from low-income backgrounds, and through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. President Donald Trump’s administration is attempting to radically shrink if not totally dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. However, the recent job cuts at the Education Department did not affect funding levels for those and other federal programs.
The Trump administration’s layoffs at the Education Department hit the Office of Civil Rights particularly hard; all of the staff at the office’s Philadelphia branch were let go.
At a separate Wednesday press conference, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg said “nobody knows exactly how these layoffs are taking effect” in Philadelphia or what the impact will be on pending civil rights complaints.
“This continuing chaos will stop kids from learning,” Steinberg said.
Parker did not mention any changes in funding for the city’s free prekindergarten program in her budget address. The city released its complete budget proposal Thursday evening.
What’s in Parker’s budget for Philadelphia schools?
The most prominent part of Parker’s proposal for education spending is the district’s increased share of property tax revenue, which would take effect in fiscal 2030.
Last year’s shift of the district’s share from 55% to 56% brought the district an additional $24 million, according to city budget representatives — though they originally anticipated that figure would be closer to $18 million.
Parker is also proposing to raise parking fees in and around Center City from $3 to $4 an hour and direct additional revenue from that increase to the district. Parker said this would be the first parking rate increase since 2014, and that the additional revenue would be divided between the school district and the city’s general fund.
In her address, Parker also reiterated her support for her “year-round school” campaign promise, which has translated into an expansion of “extended-day, extended-year” schooling. In its first pilot year, the program largely expanded access to already-existing before- and after-school programming that’s mostly delivered by nonprofits and outside organizations.
Parker said her proposed budget proposes expanding that program from 25 schools to 40 schools — 30 of the schools would be district-operated and 10 would be charters. Her administration claims this would add 5,000 seats to the year-round school program, for a total of 12,000 seats across the city. According to the budget proposal, Parker is estimating the cost of that expansion to be $10.9 million over five years.
Parker’s office did not release an expanded list of schools that Parker wants to offer extended schooling.
Earlier in Thursday’s council session, City Councilmember and Chair of the Education Committee Isiah Thomas introduced a resolution “opposing any attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education or slash federal funding for public school programs that support low-income students and students with disabilities.” The council adopted the resolution via a voice vote.
Thomas also signaled that the City Council may seek to increase the share of property tax revenue schools receive above the mayor’s proposal.
“I think the .5 percent increase in real estate taxes is a good start. We’re going to possibly entertain even more than that,” Thomas told Chalkbeat.
Clarification: This story has been updated with a more precise figure for the cost of extended-day, extended-year school expansion following the release of the city’s budget documents.
Dale Mezzacappa also contributed to this story.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
