The first witness from Pennsylvania’s largest school district, the School District of Philadelphia, took the stand Tuesday in Harrisburg: Dr. William Hite, the district’s superintendent since 2012.
Hite testified about his experience leading the district in the aftermath of large state cuts to funding for public education, about the facilities needs of a district in which the average building is 70 years old, and about the effect of COVID-19 on the school district, among other topics.
We will have more to share from Hite’s testimony about the School District of Philadelphia when it concludes. Court is not in session on Wednesday, Jan. 12.
Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy, is a city of 1.6 million people, nearly a quarter of whom live in poverty. It is the poorest large city in the country.
The district’s average daily membership of 204,490 is nearly eight times higher than the combined district and charter enrollment of the next largest district. More than 22,000 Philadelphia students require special education services — more than the total enrollment of any other Pennsylvania district. Philadelphia has more than 16,000 students in district schools who are learning English, speaking more than 100 languages and coming from more than 150 countries.
State funding for Philadelphia has not come close to allowing the district to meet its students’ needs. The district ranks 473rd out of 499 districts in its spending per student relative to student need and is short $5,583 per student -- $1.1 billion total — according to a state benchmark for adequate funding. Read more about the School District of Philadelphia in our district profile.
Before he took the helm at the district, Hite said he was struck by the strength of commitment to bettering the lives of children that Philadelphians showed.
“I had never experienced such a deep commitment of individuals who were so concerned about young people being educated as I had experienced when I was talking with individuals in Philadelphia,” he said.