Mayoral candidates face education issue

One main area of contention is school vouchers, which Sam Katz favors but John Street opposes. One main area of contention is school vouchers, which Sam Katz favors but John Street opposes.First in an ongoing series of examining the critical issues of the 1999 Philadelphia mayoral campaign. Though they are battling over contrasting education platforms, Sam Katz and John Street both say they can revive the city's schools -- and help Philadelphia students learn their ABCs. With the city's public school system continuing to struggle because of insufficient funding and a lack of teachers, the next mayor will have to make education a top priority. While Democrat Street and Republican Katz have both stressed the importance of school reform heading into the next millennium, they have very different views on how to do it. Street's education platform is based on greater state funding, which he has pledged to secure. Katz, meanwhile, believes that the city school system is mismanaged and students would be well-served with a voucher program. The issue of school vouchers, a nationally debated program of giving government financial support to parents who choose to send their kids to private schools, is the main source of contention between the two. Katz supports the traditionally Republican issue, while Street calls them "radical." Critics, like Associate Graduate School of Education Dean Nancy Streim, say that school vouchers are dangerous and take away precious resources from already-underfunded public schools. "[Vouchers] drain resources from an already struggling public school system and pumps it into private schools," Streim said. But Katz disagrees. "There is no statistical evidence to support that vouchers will drain resources [or the] best kids," he said. Katz also backs a range of other alternative education options, including charter schools. Meanwhile, Street, who has been endorsed by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, has focused on increased state funding as the primary need for the suffering public schools. Area suburban schools spend around $10,000 per student, compared to $6,000 per student inside the city, according to PFT statistics. Street also said the schools' operating deficit will soon result in a showdown with the state government. "The school district is going to have a financial crisis," he said. He believes that when the crisis strikes, the state will be forced to come through with additional school funding. "The schools need three-quarters of a billion dollars in investments," he added. Though in the past the city has failed to secure financial support from state government, Street said that within his first five months as mayor he will travel to the state capital in Harrisburg and request money from the state legislature. While Katz agrees that funding is needed, the former business executive also thinks schools could be more efficiently managed. He has said he won't retain Superintendent David Hornbeck and plans to create a new management team for schools. Street has avoided discussing Hornbeck directly, as he has with most other major political appointments, to avoid being nailed down to specific personnel decisions, insiders say. Although the mayor does not have direct control over city schools, he appoints school board members and City Council approves the school budget. A recent Keystone poll on the election showed that voters believe Street would be better at improving education and neighborhoods, while Katz would whip the city into better financial shape. But although Street may have a slight edge in the education issue, it appears that the voucher issue will not hurt Katz. Fifty-seven percent of the approximately 500 surveyed said they favored school vouchers, while 33 percent oppose them. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers -- which represents 20,000 teachers, librarians and other school personnel -- said they backed Street because of his experience. "Street has a track record," PFT spokesperson Hal Moss said. "There have been times when City Council has provided additional funding for schools." Both candidates have stressed the need for school improvements, such as smaller classes, pre-kindergarten programs, after-school programs and more teacher training. "Teacher quality is at the heart of any education system," Penn Graduate School of Education Dean Susan Fuhrman said.

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