Pa. School Privatization Plan Dropped

Gov. Mark Schweiker on Tuesday abandoned a proposal to privatize the central management of the city’s public school district, a centerpiece of a sweeping reform plan he unveiled three weeks ago.

Mayor John F. Street had bitterly opposed handing the administration to a private company, calling it “fantasyland” and refusing to negotiate with Schweiker until that proposal was off the table.

“The mayor made it clear that the management of the central office by a private provider was something he couldn’t live with,” said the governor’s spokesman, Steve Aaron.

Though the Philadelphia school district’s top 55 management positions will remain in public hands, all the other components of Schweiker’s proposal are still in play, Aaron said.

“The fact that there is an understanding there will be no privatization of the central management of the school district of Philadelphia is a huge . . . and very important step for the governor,” said Street, appearing with Schweiker.

The announcement comes as Schweiker and Street work on an overhaul of the 205,000-student school district, plagued by a $216-million budget deficit, chronic teacher shortages, crumbling buildings and low test scores.

If Street and Schweiker cannot reach an agreement by Nov. 30, the state has said it will take over the school district. The two plan to meet again after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Schweiker was asking that 60 of the city’s worst-performing schools be run independently by a mixture of private companies and community groups.

The governor wanted to hire Edison Schools Inc., the nation’s largest private operator of public schools, to manage the Philadelphia district.