Philly school district reallocates $8.8 million to end ‘leveling'

The Philadelphia School District is reallocating millions of dollars to stop Enrollment-Driven Resource Review, also known as “leveling.”  

During the annual budget process in the spring, each school’s budget and staffing allocations are determined by the projected student enrollment. Leveling is the process in which real-time enrollment data is used to reassign teachers every fall, based on a school’s enrollment needs.

Leveling has raised concerns due to its impact on students, staff and school communities, according to school district spokesperson Monique Braxton. Over the past year, the school district received input from students, families, staff, elected officials and communities on what they should invest in. That input included a City Council hearing in February in which they examined the practice of leveling.

The school district ultimately decided to reallocate up to $8.8 million from central office cuts and energy savings to stop leveling in any schools or classrooms after the start of the upcoming school year. Braxton said the district will implement process improvements and increase outreach efforts to students and families in the summer to get more accurate enrollment information.

“Research shows that the single most important factor in a student’s academic achievement is having access to an effective, highly-qualified, and stable teacher over time. The next factor is effective, stable principals.” Philadelphia School Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington, Sr., wrote. “We are committed to investing in and protecting our classrooms from budget cuts, to the extent we can. We have taken the following financial responsibility measures, which include reducing central office budgets without laying off employees.”

Braxton said the district will better align projected costs, implement data-driven evaluations and partner with the Fund of the School District of Philadelphia to help find support for the initiatives described in Accelerate Philly, their five-year strategic plan.

“The decision to eliminate leveling is a sound one and a very welcome one. It will allow both children and staff important stability at the start of the school year that will help set the trajectory for a strong year. Over the years, we have worked to mitigate the challenges set forth by the process of leveling.” Jerry Jordan, President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said. “To know that the District recognizes and appreciates the importance of a stable staff is significant. Every child in every school needs and deserves a highly qualified, certified teacher from the first day of school. It is imperative that we get this right for our young people. We can and must do more as a District and a city to ensure that we have fully staffed schools, where together, educators and students can thrive.”

The Philadelphia School District made progress in the past year, including reducing the student dropout rate, increasing the number of students who passed state tests, and improving student and teacher attendance, according to Braxton.

Braxton also said the district had the fastest School Year 2022-23 post-pandemic recovery in math grades 3-8 and second fastest recovery for reading in grades 3-8, among all large, urban districts, according to a report from Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research and The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University.