City
cuts funding for Beacon schools by 10%
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Archdiocesan officials learned on May
1 that city funding for its six Beacon schools will decrease
by 10.5 percent for 2008-’09.
The decrease from $425,000 to $380,000 takes effect July
1.
“We’ll have less money available for staffing
but we’ll be able to serve close to the same amount
of children, because we’ll have the funding available
to the people who provide the direct supervision of the
children,” said James Amato, deputy secretary for
Catholic Social Services, under which the archdiocesan Beacons
operate.
“It’s disappointing that the number of slots
in children served has to decrease,” Amato said. “At
the same time, it’s encouraging to see that the city
administration supports programs like this to kids in neighborhoods
of high poverty and high crime.”
In the Philadelphia Archdiocese, the Beacon program has
two components: an after-school program for elementary and
middle school students, and another program for high school
students at night and on weekends. The program also runs
day camps at the sites in the summer.
The summer camp component of the Beacon and other city-subsidized
archdiocesan after-school programs begins June 23.
Amato said each Beacon program will serve approximately
75 children daily in the summer camp program. In addition
to the six Beacon sites, there are five city-subsidized
archdiocesan after-school programs that run summer camps.
Of those, three will serve 75 children, one will serve 40
youngsters and one will serve 25 children.
Two former Beacons that had been downsized to after-school
sites on March 1 — after initial budget shortfalls
were announced by the city in late February — have
announced that, at the end of this school year, they will
withdraw from the current program altogether, according
to Amato. Each will operate after-school programs without
funding from the city, he said.
They are Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament School at 344
N. Felton St. in West Philadelphia and the Gesu School at
1700 W. Thompson St. in North Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese joined the Beacon program in
2006. Through Beacons and other after-school programs, various
parish schools remain open after school hours in many of
Philadelphia’s dangerous and destitute neighborhoods,
affording children a place to play and learn, and a safe
haven from drug-pushers and street violence.
On Feb. 1, four archdiocesan Beacon programs and an archdiocesan
after-school program in Southwest Philadelphia learned they
were scheduled for closure on March 1 because of budget
problems at Philadelphia Safe and Sound.
Safe and Sound is the nonprofit organization that, through
a contract with the city, receives funds to manage and subcontract
Beacons and other-after-school programs. Those budget problems
were blamed on discrepancies in funds allocated by former
and current city administrations.
A grassroots effort to keep the Beacons and after-school
programs open followed the announcement.
At a Feb. 19 press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter said money for the threatened after-school programs
would be found in the budget of Safe and Sound — particularly
in its administrative budget. He also said his administration
would look for additional funds in the city’s budget.
On Feb. 28, archdiocesan officials were notified that all
the children at each of the affected sites could remain
in the after-school program until the end of the school
year.
However, funds for the night and weekend programs at the
four affected archdiocesan Beacon sites were substantially
cut. As a result, several jobs were cut and youth who participated
in those night and weekend programs had to seek refuge at
other Beacon sites.
Until February, the Archdiocese had a total of 10 Beacon
schools. Because funding for the night and weekend programs
was cut substantially from four of the 10 sites, the Archdiocese
now has six Beacon schools. Programs at the other four sites
are limited to after-school activities.
Safe and Sound has announced it is closing its doors on
June 30. Its board chairman has expressed the organization’s
commitment to work with the city administration to ensure
a smooth transition.
For more information about the Beacons, after-school and
summer camp programs, call (215) 587-3590.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine man be reached
at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.
Summer camps at archdiocesan
Beacon and after-school sites:
*
St. Cyprian, Southwest Philadelphia
* Nativity B.V.M., Port Richmond section of Philadelphia
* St. Veronica, North Philadelphia
* St. Martin of Tours, Northeast Philadelphia
* St. Francis of Assisi, Germantown section of Philadelphia
(St. Martin de Porres Interparochial School)
* Holy Innocents, Juniata section of Philadelphia
** St. Martin de Porres, North Philadelphia
** Visitation B.V.M., Kensington
** Casa Del Carmen, North Philadelphia
** Southwest Philadelphia Family Service Center
** Northeast Philadelphia Family Service Center
* Denotes Beacon Schools
** Denotes After-School Programs
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