Requesting that the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia suspend any action which establishes any new or increased fee schedule for the Parent Cooperative Nursery Program until a comprehensive review and analysis of all early childhood programs has been performed by the School District in conjunction with all stakeholders; and requesting that the comprehensive review be presented to the Council President in the form of a report which details the findings, methodology, cost/benefit analysis, collaborative process, and recommendations surrounding all early childhood programs provided by the School District; and further requesting that no fee increase be imposed until such report is presented to the Council President and until an opportunity for a review and discussion of the report with the City Council is provided.

WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia provides three different pre-school programs -- Head Start, Comprehensive Day Care, and the Parent Cooperative Nursery Program; and

WHEREAS, All of these pre-school programs provide a critically important role in helping to insure that children are ready for school; and

WHEREAS, These programs have many similarities, but they also have several differences, such as the level and nature of parental participation, the fee structure, and teacher qualifications; and

WHEREAS, In the summer of 2000, the School District proposed a significantly increased fee for the Parent Cooperative Nursery Program ("PCN"); and

WHEREAS, Because of very limited notice about this fee increase and essentially no involvement with the parents in the derivation of the new fee structure, City Council raised serious objections to the implementation of this new fee structure; and

WHEREAS, On September 11, 2000, the Board of Education adopted Resolution B-1 which suspended the implementation of the proposed fee and directed the School District to "undertake a comprehensive review of the need, costs and funding of pre-kindergarten early childhood programs in the District" and to perform this comprehensive review "in conjunction with the Mayor's Office, City Council, and appropriate City and non-governmental agencies;" and

WHEREAS, During City Council's hearings on the School District's budget, it was clear that no "comprehensive review" as contemplated by the School Board's resolution was conducted; yet, the District was attempting to again impose an increased fee on the PCN Program; and

WHEREAS, Parents who participate in the PCN Program have attempted to initiate these discussions and performed their own analysis of the costs and benefits of the PCN Program; and

WHEREAS, Until the appropriate review and analysis is performed on the early childhood programs in a thorough manner which involves all the stakeholders, including most especially the parents, no changes should be made to the fee schedule in the Parent Cooperative Nursery Program; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That this body requests that the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia suspend any action which establishes any new or increased fee schedule for the Parent Cooperative Nursery Program until a comprehensive review and analysis of all early childhood programs has been performed by the School District in conjunction with all stakeholders; and requests that the comprehensive review be presented to the Council President in the form of a report which details the findings, methodology, cost/benefit analysis, collaborative process, and recommendations surrounding all early childhood programs provided by the School District; and further requests that no fee increase be imposed until such report is presented to the Council President and until an opportunity for a review and discussion of the report with the City Council is provided.

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