Philly mayoral candidate Helen Gym’s education plan includes a $10B ‘Green New Deal’ for schools

Philadelphia mayoral candidate Helen Gym on Thursday unveiled an education proposal that includes guaranteed jobs for teenagers, free SEPTA passes for all city students, and a $10 billion plan to modernize school buildings.

Gym, who stood with supporters outside Edward T. Steel Elementary School in Nicetown to make the announcement, called her public-education focused capital plan a “Green New Deal for Schools” and vowed to implement a 10-year facilities improvement plan. She also said she would add more librarians and counselors to schools, overhaul the high school selection process, and base school budgets on need, not enrollment levels.

Her announcement was another sign that the former City Council member and longtime public-schools activist is running in part on her education background by proposing a laundry list of schools improvements that teachers and advocates have been urging for years.

And it comes as the heated race for the Democratic nomination for mayor is entering its final weeks ahead of the May 16 primary election. The race — for which $17.5 million has already been spent— has not yet yielded clear front-runners, and top contenders are taking every opportunity to pitch themselves to voters.

The proposal didn’t include an overall price tag, but $10 billion in capital costs alone would represent an enormous expense. Under the current administration, the proposed capital investment for the entire city for the next six years is $13.2 billion.

Gym said Thursday the city could borrow money to finance some capital costs and that she favors directing a higher share of property taxes to the School District, which currently receives 55% of local property tax revenue. Doing so would, in turn, decrease cash flow to the city’s coffers.

“The point is that we’re not going to get there if all we say is what we don’t have,” she said. “I know the city has to get down to business to do it, but it needs a plan, it needs a vision, and we need somebody who’s been relentless about fighting for this from day one.”

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The city’s teachers union, one of Gym’s biggest backers, quickly endorsed the plan Thursday, with Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan saying in a statement that Gym’s plan also prioritizes safety — including through guaranteed after-school programs — and has “thoughtful and proactive measures to address a real crisis in our city.”

Also on Thursday afternoon, businessman Jeff Brown hosted an event in South Philly to tout a new endorsement from Local 8 of the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees. And Cherelle Parker, a former City Council member, held a news conference in West Philadelphia to announce she’s being backed by Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. and State Rep. Morgan Cephas.

The winner of the Democratic mayoral primary is well positioned to win in the general election, given the city’s heavily Democratic makeup.

Several other candidates have put forth education-related proposals. Parker is advocating for year-round school, and former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart says she will seek to improve school library programs, increase teacher pay, and bolster technical education.

Gym said Thursday that her education plan is more robust than her opponents, who she said don’t “have a plan on how to balance a diverse, complicated district” that includes an array of school types and settings.

Some of her proposals — like overhauling the high-school selection process — are not in the direct purview of the mayor, but the mayor does appoint the nine members of the Board of Education. (Those appointees must be confirmed by City Council.)

Asked if any charter-school proponents would sit on a Board of Education if she were to be elected mayor, Gym — who has advocated against charter-school expansion — didn’t dismiss the idea. She said she would “want a diverse range of people,” saying “we do need a representative group on our school board.”

Inquirer staff writer Kristen Graham contributed to this article.