WHEREAS, Neighborhood development and capital improvement to school district facilities are directly related; and
WHEREAS, The impact of the development of school district facilities on housing and neighborhood development is an important factor in reducing crime and increasing learning; and
WHEREAS, The lowest achieving Philadelphia Schools are concentrated in poor, neglected, and blighted neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Funding for Philadelphia Schools comes from a tax based upon property
values of the neighborhood buildings; and
WHEREAS, In these blighted neighborhoods the buildings are some of the oldest housing stock in the city; and
WHEREAS, The coordination of neighborhood development and improving school district facilities is vital to improving the quality of life for students, teachers, neighborhood residents and our entire city; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we Call for Hearings before the City Council Committee on Education to Explore the Relationship between Neighborhood Development and Capital Improvements to School District Facilities.
End