“The need for independent oversight has never been more evident”
PHILADELPHIA — Today, Councilmember Helen Gym released the following statement in response to the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s reversal of their request for the School District of Philadelphia to return $10.8 million:
“From the beginning, I made it clear that the Parking Authority was never going to take a single dollar back from our schools. Today’s concession by the PPA, a $10.8 million reversal, proves they egregiously overstepped and once again, underestimated the power of our school communities.
“Year after year, our District has consistently been short-changed by the Parking Authority. And year after year, we see new instances of financial mismanagement, surprising budgetary allocations, and forced leadership changes.
“The need for independent oversight has never been more evident, and today’s announcement does not change that fact. I once again reiterate that the PPA cannot continue to be allowed to have final say over its own budget. The City of Philadelphia should sign off on the PPA’s budget.
“We must get to the bottom of how this request came to be, and determine whether the School District is actually owed funds by the PPA. My City Council investigation will be moving forward with an official hearing next month in order to understand how the PPA is actually spending and accounting for the hundreds of millions of dollars that they collect from Philadelphians every year.”
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