Tony Danza, Actor And Teacher, Blasts Cuts In Philadelphia Schools Budget

February 23, 2012 6:10 PM

Pa. State Sen. Mike Stack (D-Phila., left) talks with Tony Danza outside Phila. school district HQ on North Broad Street. (Credit: Mike DeNardo)

Reporting Mike DeNardo

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By Mike DeNardo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Actor and former Philadelphia public school teacher Tony Danza is joining area lawmakers and union officials in denouncing budget cuts at Philadelphia schools.

Tony Danza, who spent last year teaching sophomore English at Northeast High School for his reality TV show, says laying off staffers because of budget cuts (see related stories) can have a devastating effect on the kids.

“You know about the nurses. At Northeast we lost shop teachers, art teachers, and it sends a message to the kids that they really don’t matter,” Danza told KYW Newsradio.

At a news conference in front of School District headquarters, Pennsylvania State Senator Mike Stack (D-Phila.) said Governor Tom Corbett’s cuts in education funding are mostly to blame for the school district’s budget mess.

But Stack adds that the School Reform Commission could have handled its finances better.

“The only way I can describe the last two years in our school district is one word: turmoil,” Stack said Thursday.

But he acknowledges that he doesn’t see where the district can cut without ending up with a big problem.

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Tony Danza, Actor And Teacher, Blasts Cuts In Philadelphia Schools Budget

Scott Edgell

What the article blatently omits is that the state has massive increases to the teacher pensions in the state. And the education spending has not been cut…. just the Federal subsidies that came with the stimulus are gone… it creates a vacuum… And since when does a one year rookie teacher/television star become an expert in education funding?.
Stephanie Palmer

I don’t remember. Did Corbett run on the idea of closing down the public school system, or was that another hidden agenda like the 10 abortion bills passed in our legislature right off the bat?
Kathelleen Parsons

why dont you look into posting advertisements on the school bus, on the school grounds, in the lunchroom. Have the sport program go Club instead of school district since parents throw a booster club to help support the sport. the sports do not need a school program to survive.