Ideas on how Philadelphia might fully fund @PhillyEducation ? Share 'em with me & let's get this conversation started. 📚✏️🍻

Need a quick lesson on the schools in Philly?

The annual budget for the schools is $2.76 billion. Sounds like a lot, right?

In Philadelphia, that breaks down to $13,077 per student. In Lower Merion (about 10 miles away), the schools spend $22,963 per student.

Where do Philly’s schools get their money?

Philly’s schools get about $2.76 billion in funding. About 9% of that comes from the Federal government. About 50% comes from the state. And the rest comes from Philly.

Philly contributes $897.6 million through taxes: Real Estate (73%); Use and Occupancy (15%); the drink tax (7%); school (non business) income (4%); and public utility realty (less than 1%).

So my drink costs more in Philly than outside the city?

Maybe. Maybe not. Some bars just eat the cost of the tax. Some pass it on to the consumer.

We do know that the amount collected for the schools has nearly doubled since 2005 ($33 million) and has increased by $10.4 million since 2012.

The drink tax accounts for $300 worth of each student’s $13,760 education.