Authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings to investigate the care of school property policy for the School District of Philadelphia as it relates to the distribution, collection and return of textbooks and to evaluate and determine best practices for further efficiencies.

WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia is the eighth largest school district in the nation with 154,482 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grades and alternative education programs; and

WHEREAS, With the newly proposed spending plan for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the School District of Philadelphia is facing a $629 million dollar deficit in funding; and

WHEREAS, When the academic year commences, students receive textbooks for their studies; and

WHEREAS, Each year the School District of Philadelphia spends approximately $25-35 million dollars on textbooks by purchasing new textbooks and replacing older ones; and

WHEREAS, Textbook publishers work with minority, women owned and disabled vendors for additional printing and publishing services; and

WHEREAS, Across the United States, school districts have textbook policies that provide for the collection of fees for damaged and loss textbooks and/or withholding of report cards and/or transcripts in the event the fines are not paid; and

WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia has the care of school property as an administrative policy which underscores student responsibility for the care, maintenance and timely return of all textbooks with primary oversight given to the principal of each school; and

WHEREAS, Parents and guardians are partners in proper student care and conduct as it relates to all school materials especially textbooks; and

WHEREAS, The care of school property policy provides for administrative and financial consequences for a stolen or misplaced textbook; and

WHEREAS, The effectiveness of the care of school property administrative policy as related to outcomes is in question; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby authorize the Committee on Education to hold hearings to investigate the care of school property policy for the School District of Philadelphia as it relates to the distribution, collection and return of textbooks and to evaluate and determine best practices for further efficiencies.

End