Three days before Thursday’s Board of Education action meeting, district parent Anthony Hurts had his phone charged and ready. He wanted to make sure he was able to sign up to speak as soon as the online window opened at 4 PM. If he wasn’t one of the first 30 people to sign up, he probably wouldn’t be on the list. Mr Hurts wanted to tell the board why the students at his daughter’s school in North Philadelphia needed air-conditioning. The week before, students at several schools, including his daughter’s, had been sent home early because of the heat. Mr. Hurts would only get two minutes to make his case. He hoped that the board would give him an answer.
One week before the September board meeting, Jalen Hurts, starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, spoke as the guest of honor at a celebratory assembly at Northeast High School.The band played, cheerleaders performed, balloons dropped. Hurts announced that his foundation would be donating $600,000 to install air-conditioning in the school’s auditorium. Mayor Cherelle Parker applauded Hurts for using “your time, your treasure, and your celebrity”. District Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. thanked Hurts for his generosity.
Hurts told the dignitaries and the Northeast High community that he decided to do something a few years ago after seeing a TV news story about students dismissed early because of excessive heat. His Jalen Hurts Foundation then established the “Keep it Cool” initiative which donates $5000 for every Eagles touchdownscored. Hurts didn’t explain how he decided to give Northeast High this $600,000 donation over the other 52 schools still without air-conditioning.
Hurts, paid $51 million annually by the Eagles, was lauded in the media and by local politicians and civic leaders. And really, who could possibly be against a rich sports star giving money to the city’s struggling schools? Sorry to be a party pooper, but we do have to face the downsides here.
Publicizing big donations perpetuates the idea that public schools are charities dependent on the generosity of the rich and famous. Students’ health and safety should not be dependent on how many points their football team scores. Parents of students at the 52 schools still without air-conditioning may wonder why their school wasn’t chosen. Schools should be adequately funded by the city and the state, with resources distributed equitably, after public review by the district’s governing body. When those in charge fail to do so, advocates can make their voices heard in public meetings in City Council and in Harrisburg.
Jalen Hurts (unlike the fictional Anthony Hurts) will not have to go down to school district headquarters and make his case to the board that Northeast High deserves air-conditioning more than the other 52 schools. There is no question that the board will vote to accept Hurt’s donation. It is unlikely that the mayor-appointed board would want to try to explain to the public how accepting a large donation to benefit one school, chosen by a sports celebrity, adheres to its stated commitment to equity. Any parent who came to ask the board for an explanation would probably not get one as the board rarely answers questions from public speakers.
The district’s Facilities Master Plan, approved by the board in April of this year after months of public meetings, recommends only “electrical improvements” for Northeast High, to be implemented in 2033. No one from the Hurts Foundation was required to come to the board and persuade them to override part of the plan to benefit one school chosen by one person.
Lisa Haver is a former Philadelphia teacher. She is co-founder and coordinator of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools. appsphilly.net
Photo: Girls High students rally for adequate faculty staffing before September Board of Education meeting. (Photo: Lisa Haver)
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