December 2020 – Page 8 – Broke in Philly

Pa. shortchanged its poorest school districts in giving out federal CARES Act money, report says

December 9, 2020

Despite having a formula that directs state aid to districts with greater shares of students in poverty, among other factors, Pennsylvania didn’t do so for $175 million in CARES Act funding. Instead, it gave every district the same base amount of aid, then additional money based on enrollment — a process that resulted in the poorest districts receiving less funding than their more affluent counterparts, according to the Keystone Research Center. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)

How immigrants in Philadelphia adjusted to remote learning

December 8, 2020

Language barriers, cultural differences and technological hurdles abound for student population | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)

Philly mayor, school board objected to CARES fund distribution

December 8, 2020

Mayor Jim Kenney and city council president Darrell Clarke sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf in August complaining about how the state distributed $174 million in coronavirus relief funds to school districts, saying it denied the Philadelphia school district, the state’s largest, its “fair share” of the money. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)

Philly businesses hurt by COVID: Evictions are fair game, and outside help is scarce

December 8, 2020

Some commercial eviction proceedings are underway, while other developers are negotiating. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)

ACT UP, Philly organizers demand solutions to affordable housing

December 7, 2020

ACT UP, Philly organizers demand solutions to affordable housing

Philadelphia children in homeless shelters face barriers to learning in virtual school

December 7, 2020

COVID-19 has upended education for millions, shifting classes online, making traditional classroom experiences impossible for most kids, and forcing working parents to wrestle with child-care issues. For the city’s most vulnerable, including an estimated 8,000 (Read more.)

Renting an apartment in Pennsylvania with a criminal record: Landlord and tenant rights

December 7, 2020

Many landlords perform criminal background checks as part of the application process, and having a criminal record can legally be grounds for denial. In large part, that’s due to people with criminal records not being considered a protected class under the Fair Housing Act, which federally outlaws discrimination against housing applicants based on race, age, religion, and other factors. There are, however, some limited protections. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)

Coronavirus relief method cost poor districts millions, report says

December 7, 2020

When the state of Pennsylvania distributed $174 million in federal coronavirus relief to schools, it used a formula that shortchanged districts with large numbers of low income Black and Latino students, a new report shows. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)

$1 billion in relief sat around while Pa. businesses struggled

December 5, 2020

Keystone Crossroads reporters Miles Bryan and Katie Meyer walk us through why things shook out the way they did, and why politicians on both sides of the aisle are pointing the finger at the federal government. | From: WHYY (Read more.)

How would you spend $1M in city cash? Philly wants residents to shape next budget

December 4, 2020

For the first time in Philadelphia history, city officials are asking residents to weigh in on the spending plan and generate ideas for capital projects, then vote on which get funded. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)