If you have something to say about the latest public education crisis in Philadelphia, this meeting may be for you. Parents, educators and community residents are invited to “Tell it to the Children,” a citywide town hall meeting to address the budget crisis that could cost the district thousands of jobs and delay the opening of the school year.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St., near 6th and Lombard). The interfaith social justice organization POWER is hosting the meeting and Rev. Kevin Johnson of the Bright Hope Baptist Church and Rabbi Laura Grabelle Herrmann of West Philly’s Kol Tzedek Synagogue will moderate.

Organizers say that one of the purposes of the meeting is also to discuss the District’s long-term funding issues.

Organizers say that the meeting will also be streamed live at  http://new.livestream.com/accounts/4917752/events/2315718.

School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite announced last week that the start of the 2013-2014 school year could be delayed if the District does not receive $50 million in funding, which he said will just “get the doors open.” The District is maintaining a “school opening” website here to help parents and students navigate the beginning of the school year.

The new school year is scheduled to start in a month, Sept. 9 (fingers crossed that the budget crisis is resolved soon) and there are some efforts in the area to help many local families get ready. So far we’ve heard of two school supply drives to help West Philly families with school children. If you know of more school supply collections/drives, please drop us an email (editor@westphillylocal.com) or leave a comment below.

ACHIEVEability’s Backpack and Book Donation Drive

Photo courtesy ACHIEVEability.

You can help ACHIEVEability to support more than 250 school-age youth and community residents by donating to their Backpack and Book Donation Drive. If donating a backpack please consider including the following school supplies: spiral bound notebooks, loose leaf paper, composition books, pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, calculators, pencil sharpeners, glue, etc. If donating a new or gently used book, please ensure that it is appropriate reading material for school age children (K-12).

Donations for the backpack and book donation drive can be delivered to ACHIEVEability’s administrative office located at 35 N. 60th Street (between Market and Arch Streets). If you have questions, please contact ACHIEVEability Events Manager Brian Hoskins at brian.hoskins@achieveability.org or 215-748-8814.

Penn School Supply Drive

Through Friday, Aug. 16, multiple locations across the University of Pennsylvania campus will serve as drop-off points for the Penn Volunteers in Public Service’s annual back-to-school drive.

The school supply drive collects basic back-to-school items such as binders, dividers, dictionaries, staplers, glue, tape, calculators, crayons, pencils, pens, paper, rulers, notebooks, book covers, markers, folders, lunch boxes or bags, school bags or backpacks, umbrellas and blank CDs or DVDs. The preference is for new items, but they would also accept “gently used” items like book bags (they have to be in really good condition).

The supplies will be distributed to nearby schools, after-school programs and other organizations in West Philadelphia. One of the schools in West Philadelphia that will receive a portion of the collection is the Henry C. Lea Elementary School.

There are a lot of drop-off locations, so please check out this link for more information.

Superintendent William Hite said today that the 2013-2014 school year may be delayed if the District does not receive an anticipated $50 million from the city by Friday, Aug 16. “We will not be able to open all 218 schools for a full-day program,” Hite said in a statement released this afternoon. “Without the funds to restore crucial staff members, we cannot open functional schools, run them responsibly or provide a quality education to students.”

William Hite (archive photo).

Schools are scheduled to open on Sept. 9, but Hite said administrators are considering alternatives, including pushing back the first day of school, only opening some schools on Sept. 9 or opening for a half day.

Hite said that $50 million is required to rehire hundreds of aides and other school personnel who have been laid off as a result of the budget shortfall.

“Fifty million dollars allows us to tell parents that when their child is walking through the hallways, eating lunch or at recess, an adult will be supervising them,” Hite said. “It allows us to tell parents that counselors will be available to serve children in our largest and neediest schools, and that an assistant principal will be on hand to resolve any disciplinary issues that keep children from learning.”

Hite went on to say that $50 million “only allows us to open the doors” and reiterated the District’s position that labor union concessions are also required.

Parents can register public school students for the upcoming school year this Friday, Aug.  9 at the Family and Education Reunion at the School of the Future, 4021 Parkside Ave.

The Reunion runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will include free backpacks, educational workshops, entertainment and food. Registration is required for students who moved to another neighborhood during the summer, those who are new to Philadelphia or transferring from private, parochial and charter schools, and kindergarten students who did not pre-register in the spring.

There are some exceptions to that though. Placement for specialized services, Renaissance Schools, overcrowded kindergarten classrooms or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and arrangements for children who live with an adult other than their parent won’t be available.

Also, it is unclear whether registration for Penn Alexander School, which last year had its own registration date separate from the rest of the District, will be available on Friday. General registration at neighborhood schools is on Aug. 19. UPDATE (8/7/13): We have confirmed that parents who want to enroll their kids in Penn Alexander School will not be able to register them at Friday’s event. For more information about the enrollment at the school please call 215-823-5465.

Parents or guardians will need the following to register:

• Proof of identification, including current PA driver’s license or photo ID card; a valid municipal, state or federal employment identification or a passport.
• Proof of residency, including: PA driver’s license; current vehicle registration; lease with name of parent/guardian; recent property tax bill; voter registration ID; recent letter from government agency with parent/legal guardian’s name; recent pay stub, bank statement or credit card bill; change of address notice; deed; mortgage settlement sheet; wage and tax statements.
• Proof of child’s age, including: birth certificate (original or notarized copy); child’s valid passport; baptismal certificate; prior school records; notarized statement from parent.
• Immunization document that shows proof of vaccinations for diptheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, Hepatitis B and varicella (chicken pox). Valid proof includes child’s immunization record, written statement from former school district or medical office that required immunizations were administered; verbal assurances from former school district or medical office that required immunizations were completed with records to follow.

Transfer requests will not be accepted until later in the fall.

The first day of school is Sept. 9.

Little Green School House teachers (from left to right) Tyler Colvard, Dionne Wright-Chambers, and Rowan Machalow.

Rowan Machalow and her partner Tyler Colvard, both teachers, are opening a new preschool this fall, called The Little Green School House, at their home located near 45th and Walnut (219 S. Melville St). Apart from teaching music, art, yoga, science, reading readiness, math, and drama, the school will have a special emphasis on living green – kids will also be learning things like “composting in a worm bin, planting and growing food they can eat, preparing and eating local veggies, cleaning and beautifying our block, visiting a local chicken coop, sorting materials for recycling, and using recycled materials to create art.”

The preschool will have full-day and half-day options and will only have 12 spots available, since Rowan and Tyler would like to “keep it pretty small.” Besides them, there will be two other qualified teachers in the program. Kids from almost 2 years old through 3rd grade (for after school programs) are welcome to apply. You can check out the space and meet the teachers at one of the Open Houses – on Tuesday, July 30 and Friday, Aug 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.littlegreenschoolhousepa.com, email info@littlegreenschoolhousepa.com or call 215-222-0208.

What a difference a year has made for West Philadelphia Catholic High School. The school, located at 45th and Chestnut, was supposed to have closed last year, one of many victims of school closures and consolidation undertaken by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. But it was saved and officials there announced on Monday that the school received a $1 million donation, the largest single donation in its 96-year history.

Pledged by an unnamed donor, the money will help fund a five-year plan focused on issues such as enrollment and technology. West Catholic’s president, Brother Richard Kestler, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the gift will also bolster the school’s plan to become financially self-sufficient by 2015.

The school will also get a new name – from now on it will be called “West Catholic Preparatory High School, located in University City.”

Enrollment figures are on the rise as well. The school had about 250 students last year. This year it will add a freshmen class of 145, three times bigger than last year’s class and the largest since the 2007-2008 school year.