City Council, School District Sign Financial Cooperation Agreement
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The School Reform Commission has signed a deal promising to share more financial information with City Council.
The agreement doesn't expressly free-up $25 million in new city money that Council has been withholding from the School District -- but it goes a long way toward doing that. Council president Darrell Clarke says the deal grew from the annual tensions when the district made its funding requests.
"We needed to have some understanding between the parties involved that we were going to do things differently," said Clarke.
Superintendent William Hite says under the deal the district will submit quarterly financial reports to Council:
"We'll be working very closely with their chief financial officer and they will also have input into our five-year plan."
Clarke was quick to point out, "this is not a solution to the problems that we have at the School District."
He says for that, predictable state funding and a teachers contract are needed.
