Philly District May Cut Police Force Despite Widespread Violence
PHILADELPHIA — Despite widespread violence in its schools, the Philadelphia School District is considering cutting a quarter of its school police force.
In response to a $629 million budget gap, officials are looking to eliminate climate managers, who are administrators responsible for safety at some schools, as well as other jobs, the Inquirer reports. According to Michael Lodise, president of the school police officers union, 163 of the district’s 635 full and part-time officers would be cut.
District officials in a letter listed other cuts, including the district’s entire athletic and gifted programs. District spokeswoman Shana Kemp said officials are working to restructure the work so parents and students will not be negatively affected by the cuts.
Lodise told the news course he was concerned that such cuts would make the already unsafe conditions in the district’s schools worse.
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- Philadelphia Forms Panel to Address Violence, Truancy in Schools
- ‘How Safe Is Your Campus?’ Survey Results: K-12 Schools and Districts
- ‘How Safe Is Your Campus’ Survey Results: Officer Salaries
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