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Gov. Wolf: Philly school crisis is a statewide issue

The governor visited Hunter Elementary School in Kensington on Friday afternoon to discuss the city's school crisis.

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During a visit to a Kensington elementary school on Friday, PA Governor Tom Wolf stressed the relevance of the Philadelphia School crisis to the entire state.

“This is not a Philadelphia thing, this is a statewide thing,” Wolf said.

The governor’s visit was hosted by Hunter Elementary Principal Dr. Alberto Rivera, Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite, Mayor Michael Nutter, Senator Christine Tartaglione, and PA State Representatives Ángel Cruz and Leslie Acosta.

Wolf’s central message was an affirmation of his administration’s proposed budget that intends to offer $538 million in tax relief to Philadelphia schools, with $159 million in  additional investment throughout the next four years.

That added investment is key for schools like Hunter Elementary. Teachers like Erica Furlong, who pay for some of their supplies out of pocket, exist in every public school across the district.

“I’d love to give them money so they could buy things like index cards,” said Hunter’s principal Dr. Rivera, gesturing to Furlong.

Wolf’s eyes shot open. Furlong, who teaches 2nd grade, said she’d do anything for her students. But what she can’t sit well with is the ongoing stagnant performance.

“The hardest thing for me is to fill out what their reading level is and then send them up to the 4th grade,” she said.

Hunter Elementary has 543 students, 83 percent of whom are Latino. The school is in the 19133 area code — the most impoverished in the city. But even so, the building is renovated. The air quality is clean. The community is close.

Does Wolf have any chance of both closing the budget gap for city schools and pumping investment into the district? Some didn’t think so.

“Cross your fingers,” State Rep. Cruz added. “Because remember, we’re controlled by a Republican legislature that hates Philadelphia.”

Wolf did not give a direct answer about whether or not he approved of Mayor Michael Nutter’s proposed plan to raise property taxes.

“People are always reluctant to raise taxes,” Nutter said, intercepting the question from the governor. “But we can’t be reluctant to educate our children.”

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