Philly schools may be taken over by for-profit company

PHILADELPHIA -- The roof leaks, the plaster is cracked, the plumbing fixtures are original, circa 1923. There is not enough money in the budget for a security guard. Many of the students come from broken homes.

Test scores at William B. Mann Elementary School are just as dismal: 71 percent of fourth-graders lack basic math skills, and 45 percent read poorly or cannot read at all.

Help is on the way, as the state sees it. But many educators and others worry that the cure might be worse than the disease.

Next month, Pennsylvania is expected to launch what some are calling the most audacious education reform plan ever in the United States -- one that would hand administration of the nation's seventh-largest school system, and dozens of its worst-performing schools, to a for-profit company, Edison Schools Inc.

The plan has drawn fierce criticism, with Mayor John Street calling it "fantasyland." But Republican Gov. Mark Schweiker, armed with authority from the state Legislature, appears determined to go forward with the takeover of the 205,000-student district.

Educators across the nation are watching.

"The use of a profit-making private company is unprecedented for this scale and scope of effort," said Michael Kirst, a Stanford University education professor who specializes in school reform.

In announcing the plan last week, Schweiker said that bold strokes are needed in a school system with a $216 million budget deficit, chronic teacher shortages and crumbling buildings.

$40 million a year

Edison would get about $40 million per year to manage the district. The company would also run 45 of the 60 worst-performing schools, with the 15 others managed by private companies in consultation with community groups.

School takeovers and school privatization are not new. Eighteen states have seized control of 40 districts, and some places tried private management, among them Baltimore, Minneapolis and Hartford, Conn.

The results have been mixed. While states have generally had success taming budget deficits and renovating buildings, educational improvements have been harder to come by.

New Jersey took over Jersey City schools a dozen years ago, the first state to intervene directly in an ailing district. The state balanced the budget and reduced truancy and dropout rates. But while test scores improved, they still fall below the state average.

Last year, Baltimore turned to Edison to run three elementary schools. One school scored impressive gains in math and reading scores.

'We think we're ready'

Altogether, Edison, the nation's largest for-profit education company, runs 136 schools with 75,000 students. Its schools feature a longer day and school year, heavy investment in technology and a uniform curriculum.

"We think we're ready. We've been training for this for 13 years and we've invested $500 million to figure out how you turn around tough schools," said Edison chief executive Christopher Whittle.

Philadelphia teachers, blue-collar school workers, minority leaders, student activists, the school board, City Council, and parent and community groups have all spoken against the plan.

At a City Hall rally this week, Helen Gym of Asian Americans United branded Edison executives "vultures" and "profiteers."

Public-school advocates say they want more money for smaller classes, early childhood education, new textbooks and upgraded buildings. They believe these goals can be accomplished without a private takeover.