City Council hearing gets heated over Philadelphia's proposed ride-hailing tax, school district's master plan

Tuesday saw heated testimony inside Philadelphia City Council chambers at City Hall as Mayor Cherelle Parker's nearly $7 billion budget proposal came under fire.

City Council chambers were packed for a contentious hearing that featured questions and concerns from councilmembers over the mayor's proposed budget. A big point of contention was not just the tax on ride-hailing services but also the School District of Philadelphia's proposed long-term facilities plan.

"How am I supposed to look at my neighbors in the face and tell them I'm going to hit them with another tax," Councilmember Jim Harrity said.

There was a heated debate at City Council on Tuesday as councilmembers discussed Parker's proposed $1-per-ride tax on ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft in Philadelphia.

While the mayor called on the companies to absorb the tax, city councilmembers questioned its trickle-down effect. Uber and Lyft have already said they will pass the tax on to riders.

"Drivers will absorb," Lyft public policy manager Angeline Jefferson said. "Relying on one industry isn't fiscally responsible."

Parker pitched the plan as a way to save 340 teaching and staff jobs in the district, but officials clarified Tuesday that those 340 people would not be laid off and instead transferred to other schools.

Still, school principals say losing that staff in their schools will hurt students.

"We are able to do breakfast before school at 7:45," Bryant Elementary School Principal Bahir Hayes said. "Those positions are filled by climate workers. Without those climate workers, our students, who already have food insecurity, cannot eat."

"Our kids are going to go backwards because they've made a lot of progress with the support they've had," Philadelphia Chief Education Officer Debora Carrera said.

But councilmembers noted even more staff would be moved in the district's controversial plan to close 17 schools.

"How can you testify here today that the problem that you have and you need this tax is that we can't disrupt 340 staff members, while simultaneously ask us to approve a facilities plan that disrupts more than 340 staff members?" Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said.

Council took the rare step of summoning Superintendent Tony Watlington and School Board Chair Reginald Streater to testify while voicing concerns about the school closing plan.

"To us, it feels like you're not listening," Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said. "But at the same time, you're not listening, you're coming to us and asking us to do something hard for you. How dare you do that?"

Council called on Streater to postpone a planned Thursday school board vote on that facilities plan. However, Streater indicated that the vote will likely go on as planned.

"If it's May, then it's June," Streater said. "Then it turns into July. Then there's an election. And then I'm asked to do it next year. At some point, we have to do this."

Councilmembers say they're still weighing whether they'd support the ride-hailing tax, but some have said first, they want changes made to that facilities plan.

Later Tuesday evening, the conversation on the proposed ride-hailing tax moved out of City Hall and into the community, as residents gathered at a "Your City, Your Budget" town hall at Julia de Burgos Elementary School in Fairhill. Some speakers urged councilmembers to support the proposed ride-hailing tax, calling it a necessary step to boost school funding.

"This funding is the difference between students receiving support, and crying under a desk, or sitting forgotten in a side room," South Philadelphia resident Will Walker said.

But others questioned whether the tax goes far enough.

"Ultimately, it's a band-aid on a bigger issue," said Jessica Perusa, an autistic support teacher at Harding Middle School — one of 17 schools slated for closure under the district's long-term facilities plan.

Perusa and others raised concerns about the broader impact of school closures, including the displacement of students and staff.

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson noted the meeting marked the "second marathon" budget discussion of the day, as officials continue weighing key decisions ahead of a final budget deadline.

School district officials are set to be right back in front of City Council on Wednesday.