Philadelphia’s after-school programs are struggling to continue as the district cuts funding

Nearly 40 students expressed interest in participating in this year’s successful debate program at Bodine High.

However, due to cuts in funding available for after-school programs in many district schools, there is no guarantee that the debate team will be able to operate in Bodine this year at all – even though the team recently went national and won local titles and numerous individual awards.

“We worked all this time to build it and now they’re stopping because of money?” said Khader Moton, a Bodine senior and captain of the debate team. “Children come to our school because of the extracurricular activities we offer.”

It was no surprise that federal pandemic aid money, which has boosted schools’ ability to offer programs over the past three years, would run out in September. But even as city and district officials promised free before- and after-school care and robust enrichment at 25 schools starting in the fall, others say they were surprised by the late news that programs paid for by district headquarters would be eliminated.

One high school principal said they were preparing for the end of federal stimulus funds and had planned accordingly, but it wasn’t until the summer that he learned they were running out of money for robotics, debating and chess, months after budgets were set — and he never heard from them . The District Board about it. Instead, they learned from organizations such as After School Activity Partners and the Philadelphia Robotics Coalition, which provided training and materials and taught classes, that their contracts had been terminated.

» READ MORE: After the Philly HS team wins the world robotics championship, the district cuts ties with the nonprofit it founded

“We cannot afford to maintain them, there is no budget for it,” said the director, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. “The programs are so valuable that you want to try to figure it out. But they didn’t give us any time to implement it at all.

The director is trying to raise funds to pay the management staff of all the clubs, but he cannot promise miracles. This means that some clubs will do this meet less frequently or may need to end earlier in the year. This is especially frustrating considering an issue often touted by district and city leaders: keeping kids busy outside of classes is important not only from the point of view of enrichment, but also from the point of view of safety perspective.

“Now we have to make a decision: Do we pay for these (after-school hours) or do we pay for books, desks, copiers, school supplies? What’s the trade-off? Nobody has a slush fund,” the executive said.

Christina Clark, a spokeswoman for the district, said the expiration of pandemic aid prompted the school system to “make an intentional decision to maintain” clubs like robotics, debate and chess, “with a particular focus on opportunities for kindergarten through eighth grade in a maximum of 40 schools . We actively seek a wide range of robust opportunities to enrich student experiences.”

“It takes away opportunities.”

At Bodine, the available budget for extracurricular activities – not including sports, which are funded separately and have no impact – is just 25% of what it was last year and now stands at just over $4,000 for the school’s nearly 500 students, said teacher Lauren Geschel. team coach and teachers David Fischer and Laura Williams, robotics trainers.

“Even the clubs that get some money from the European Commission don’t get much at all. There are fewer and fewer of them every year,” Geschel said. She said clubs are receiving less than they were receiving even before pandemic aid money boosted capacity.

Geschel, Fischer and Williams were told there was no money to pay them to coach their teams. Geschel loves her students, but running the club means she has to pay for her daughter’s care, so coaching will cost her money.

Williams found grants to cover just over half of the team’s materials and travel costs, but robotics is time-consuming and expensive compared to other activities, and it’s unclear where the rest will come from. Bodine’s robotics team also enjoyed tremendous success, winning the “Rookie All Star” award and participating in the prestigious national competition in Houston last year, marking its first time in the FIRST Robotics League.

“We’re trying to find a corporate sponsor to save our robotics program,” Williams said. “It could work, but if it does, it will only be one school. Many schools are not offering robotics classes this year because they do not have the materials or money to support them.”

Geschel also sees a capital problem.

“I’m not even sure how they’re going to run the Philadelphia Debate League,” Geschel said, speaking of the citywide league run by After School Activity Partners. “Even if we get the funding, who will be there?”

Student Julianna Tejada moved to Philadelphia from New York last year and found her place in Bodine thanks to the robotics team; now leads the business side of the team. He worries about the long-term consequences of the cuts – kids involved in robotics not only have the chance to take part in a national competition; they also received the opportunity to study under scholarships.

“They limit opportunities for students to find things they are passionate about,” said Tejada, a senior.

Sydney Le, another senior, said taking up robotics shaped her plans for the future. She loves the ability to innovate and the warm community she has found.

“I wouldn’t have chosen to major in (science, technology, engineering and math) if I hadn’t been involved in robotics,” she said. Bodine, an urban high school that attracts attention, educates mostly students of color – 88% of its students are black, Latino, Asian or multiracial – and almost three-quarters come from economically disadvantaged households, and robotics provides these students with opportunities for advancement future.

“The STEM community doesn’t have many minorities and is male-dominated,” Le said. “It takes away opportunities for minority people and women.”

Williams and Fischer observed that robotics gave children who had academic or social problems a reason to come to school, they said. They observed that this encouraged children to take higher-level courses to acquire skills used in robotics professions.

“These are programs that provide a space for children who may have difficulty feeling safe and belonging,” Williams said. “If we lose these programs, where will these children go? Who will they be?”

What students “love and look forward to”

While some schools have never had much in the way of extracurricular activities, others have been working to create clubs over the past few years, said Walette Carter, president of the citywide Home and Schools Council.

But now: “I heard about club cuts. Things are not coached or sponsored as has been the case in some cases in the past.

CW Henry, Mount Airy’s neighborhood elementary school, is also struggling with fewer opportunities for students. The pot of money available for extra-curricular activities means the school can offer fewer clubs or make existing clubs not meet as often.

Kim Massare, Henry’s parent and PTA president, is frustrated with the situation across the city. Teachers have put considerable effort into creating extra-curricular opportunities for children, activities ranging from drama and broadcasts to debates and yearbooks; Massare said it was unfair to require them to run clubs without pay.

“Instead of expanding these programs, teachers are having to think about how to limit them, and that is simply unfair. Why can’t we find a way to fund the after-school programs that students love and look forward to? Does this build equity?” – Massare said.

At Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy in Southwest Center City, 70 students raised their hands to participate in a robotics class taught by digital literacy teacher Trey Smith. The school has 13 teams this year, up from three last year.

With central funding for the program disappearing, Smith is raising funds and dipping into her own pocket, on top of her unpaid work hours, to pursue after-school robotics.

A nonprofit Friends group affiliated with Marian Anderson agreed to cover some of the costs, covering most of the team’s registration. Smith paid for one team’s registration himself; a subsidy paid to another. He ran a Donors Choose campaign to cover extra robotics kits for additional children who signed up, and purchased another kit himself because the team needed it quickly. His director found a grant for more sets.

But that’s “not sustainable in the long term,” Smith said. “I’m just trying to make the case for programming and calculate the costs so that I can communicate the issue transparently to the school community and the district. “I don’t know what schools with fewer resources are doing.”