Education
For decades the Philadelphia School System has been plagued with several problems: persistent school violence, high dropout rates, very low proficiency levels in basic reading and math, and low college enrollment for those who do in fact graduate.
I propose the following innovative initiatives to address the problem combating the schools in the 192nd Legislative District
For Grade, Middle Schools & High Schools:
- I support school vouchers for students in persistently dangerous and failing schools in particular for low income families.
- An elected school board (Philadelphia, Chester and Harrisburg are the only cities in the state without elected school boards)
- Address the lack of availability of current school books
- Make sure schools meet adequate yearly progress using specific benchmarks
- Work to remove schools from the list of persistently dangerous schools
- Address the high dropout rate
- Work to increase student attendance by improving parental involvement
- Work to increase parent home and school association participation
- Work with the PA Department of Environmental Protection and the Philadelphia School District to audit the environmental aspects of our schools. By testing school buildings for asbestos and insuring that students have adequate safe drinking water, we will give students one less reason to skip school
- Insure that all teachers are qualified to teach the specific subject that they are hired to teach and that they are compensated appropriately
- Fight for state wide equality in school funding
- Fight for citizens to obtain a tax credit for volunteering at schools
- Work to create a new model of classroom management
- Fight to impose a longer school day for students
- Create incentives for males from urban centers to become teachers
- Increase mentoring programs for students
- Provide Charter schools with greater support
- Use same sex classroom model
- I will also work to put forth the following innovative programs:
- Place cameras in the school for purposes of creating a safer environment
Increase student’s safe environment IQ and make students ambassadors of safety
- Use school facilities in the evening as “life skills centers” for the community
- Require teachers to have behavioral health training
- Create a program to guarantee through public / private partnerships, scholarships and loan forgiveness for Philadelphia males in the 192nd Legislative District to come back to their community after college graduation, go to the grade, middle or high school in which he attended to teach
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Crime, Public Safety, and Prisoner Re-entry
- Increase the use of security cameras and other crime prevention technologies on commercial corridors and areas with a lot of criminal activity
- Adopt policies of community-based prosecution and encourage alternative sentencing
- Add a community component to the crime issues affecting 192nd District residents
- Treat drug addiction as a health concern, not simply a criminal concern
- Improve relations between the community and the Police by playing an active role in monthly PDAC meetings and confronting problems as soon as they arise
- Shift the focus of public safety funding from imprisonment to education, after school programming, and mentoring programs
- By the time they re-enter society, prisoners should have basic skills through obtaining a GED, using computers, basic life skills, and having small business development classes to prevent recidivism
- Limit the extent to which employers can discriminate against job applicants because of past criminal conduct
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Jobs and Economic Development
- I will have an employment specialist and small business Liaison on staff in my office whose sole purpose is to focus on employment and small business creation
- Urge public high schools and state colleges to teach skills that would lead to students working towards greening the environment or creating a green environment
- Work towards creating cleaning and greening entry level jobs
- Create a “Clean Up Philadelphia” Jobs program
- Encourage the use of tax credits to provide an incentive for Pennsylvania homeowners to install solar panels and other energy efficient technologies
- Create a jobs program for environmentally friendly public lights to be installed
- Transform the Acme warehouse (located in the district) into a multi use location for new businesses, housing, a technology and science job skills center where people can learn skills that lead to jobs, and open air space for community recreation
- Expand state support for Small Business Development Centers so that job seekers can learn how to become self employed
- Impress upon every corporate entity in the district and its surrounding areas to provide a percentage of entry level jobs to young people (16-25)
- Create a resume bank where in community members and constituents can create on line résumés and also obtain hard copies of their résumés
- Create internships for high school students
- Create a program for companies to donate used computers to the school and library system
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Transportation and Urban Development
- Develop Triangle Park in Wynnefield
- Develop Market Street, Haverford Avenue, Lansdowne Avenue and Lancaster Avenue Business corridor
- Refurbish and reopen the Wynne Ballroom as a source of community jobs and resource center
- Turn the School district owned building the former (Beeber Wynnefield Alternative Program) into a community recreational center and public health facility
- Partner with “Saving Overbrook High School” student initiatives
- Revitalize Acme Warehouse
- Continue to develop a viable Childcare provider’s network
- Develop land use standards that provide incentives for density in housing and retail
- Empowering community organizations like P.O.W.E.R. the Parkside Overbrook Wynnefield Education and Recreation youth sports league
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Constituent Services
- Utilize mobile constituent services.
- Maintain strong community organization partnerships with community non-profits, community youth organizations, civic associations, town watch groups and senior service organizations
- Appoint a dedicated staff person who will search for jobs, help match job-seeking constituents to employers, provide small business development resources and information, and provide trainings on resume-building and interviewing
- Appoint a dedicated staff person who will work as a public schools and higher education Liaison to empower schools and students in need of quality education advocacy
- Maintain multiple offices in the district to improve accessibility to the office of the State Representative
Create partnerships and work cooperatively with City and Federal officials to resolve problems at various levels of government
- Attend and participate in community meetings
- Maintain Saturday office hours one time per month
- Maintain a Senior Services Liaison who will provide dedicated service to district seniors who need assistance in all aspects of their life, including reviewing health insurance options, addressing housing concerns, writing wills, advocating for consumer protection, and obtaining rent rebates
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