City schools struggle with different problems

City streets, prisons, immigrants, shrinking tax bases and reduced state funding are facts of life for urban school districts.

While most school systems in the region encompass suburbs and rural areas, schools based in the hustle and bustle of downtown life face unique challenges in educating their pupils -- and paying for it.

"The biggest challenge is financial," says Dr. Jeffrey Namey, superintendent of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, home to 7,371 students.

His district has seen the loss of $2 million in property assessments over the last eight years. "Since January, we're down a half-million," he says.

Operating in a city where 52 percent of properties are tax-exempt, the district also faces pressure to keep school taxes low, he says.

Similar circumstances exist in neighboring Scranton.

"Scranton is not unlike a lot of other cities around the Northeast; we are losing population," Superintendent Dr. John R. Williams says.

He is more than familiar with the unique problems faced by city districts, serving as president of the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools and vice president of the Urban Superintendents Association of America.

At one time, his district's enrollment topped 17,000. Today, it falls just short of 9,000.

He, too, has seen a drop in property values and the income it generates for the district. This year marks the first time in eight years that the school board has held the line on taxes.

Revenue from the state is decreasing, too.

"Twenty years ago, the state paid 54 percent of the bill for public education," Dr. Williams says. "Now, it's down to 34 percent."

At Hazleton Area, there is also fiscal concern.

"Our biggest problem here has been Blue Cross and Blue Shield coverage," Superintendent Dr. Geraldine Shepperson says, noting price hikes this year in health insurance coverage cost the district an additional $1.6 million.

But money isn't the only concern for city districts. Compared with their suburban neighbors, their student populations are more likely to be low-income, not speak English, need special education or be incarcerated.

"Like it or not, we face a greater challenge with the kind of students we have to educate," Dr. Williams says.

Scranton has the highest dropout rate of the 37 regional districts at 6.9 percent, but the second-lowest student-teacher ratio at 15 to 1. It leads the districts in low-income students, at 54 percent, while its per-pupil expenditure is the highest at $8,334 -- the only district to fall above the state average of $8,323. It ranks 34th in the percent of graduates -- 64 -- going on to higher education.

Wilkes-Barre comes in second to Scranton in per-pupil expenditure at $8,172, while it leads the city districts with 77.5 percent of graduates going on to higher education, coming in 13th overall. It comes in second to last in attendance rates at 92.2 percent, with a student-teacher ratio of 16.1 to 1. Twenty-nine percent of its student enrollment is low-income, the lowest among city districts, while its dropout rate is 3.7 percent, falling in 20th place.

Hazleton Area ranks 31st with a 19.1 to 1 student-teacher ratio. Only 2.1 percent of its students drop out, while its low-income student population is 37.7 percent. Hazleton's attendance rate is 93.3 percent, and 75.5 percent of its graduates go on to higher education. It ranks 19th in per-pupil expenditure at $6,681.

Carbondale leads only one category with the highest attendance rate among the 37 schools at 97.9 percent. Its dropout rate comes in 34th at 4.4 percent, while its student-teacher ratio comes in 33rd at 20 to 1. It has the second highest percentage of low-income students at 47.6, while its percent of graduates going on to higher education falls in the middle of the pack at 71.8. It comes in 26th for per-pupil expenditure at $6,346.

Not reflected in those statistics is the growing immigrant population, creating both opportunities and problems for the districts.

"The cultural mix can be healthy and will eventually serve us well," Dr. Williams says. "But until they overcome their language difficulties, it presents a challenge to teachers."

Also challenging teachers -- and district coffers -- are children in need of special instruction.

"Our special education population is increasing," Dr. Namey says.

Wilkes-Barre supplements its state funding for such classes with $3 million from its general fund, he says.

Adding to Scranton and Wilkes-Barre's unique mix of students are those incarcerated in the Lackawanna County and Luzerne County prisons. Both districts employ teachers who work throughout the school year at each facility.

But the bottom line for city districts is still the financial one.

Dr. Namey is in the midst of trying to streamline his operation in an effort to reduce costs.

"You've got to spend your money wisely," he says. "To eliminate the fat, so to speak.

"But there's not much left. That's the problem."