On April 22, 2020 the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and our Board of Directors shared the following letter with Governor Wolf urging that emergency education block grant funding be utilized to stabilize the budget and preserve operations for the School District of Philadelphia.
Dear Governor Wolf,
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia representing hundreds of thousands of employees throughout the region, we are writing to request that the recently announced emergency education block grant funding be utilized to stabilize the budget and preserve operations for the School District of Philadelphia.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the School District of Philadelphia has already seen a drop of $60 million in local revenue and is expected to see additional losses. Furthermore, the District has incurred expenses related to staffing, remote learning, and supplies. This includes over $2 million for emergency cleaning supplies and PPEs, and more than $1.1 million per month in overtime payments related to maintaining basic operations, meals, chromebook distribution, and other COVID related operations. The District anticipates millions more for deep cleaning that will need to be done to reopen school buildings. In short, $27 million in emergency funding is needed to continue operations for the current year and put the school district on a somewhat stable path forward going into next year.
Thank you in advance for your leadership during this critical time in our Commonwealth’s history.
Sincerely,
Daniel J. Hilferty (Chair)
Timothy J. Abell
President
Firstrust Bank
Monica Allen
Director, Marketing & Communication
Villanova University
Joel Anderson
President & CEO
Five Below
Michael Araten*
President & CEO
Sterling Drive Ventures
Bruce D. Armon, Esq.
Office Managing Partner
Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
Mary Stengel Austen
President & CEO
Tierney
Chetan Bagga
Managing Director
Archetype Solutions Group
Silvana Battaglia
Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer
AmerisourceBergen
Nick Bayer*
Founder & CEO
Saxbys
Madeline Bell*
President & CEO
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Matthew Bergheiser
President
University City District
Keith Bethel
Chief Growth Officer
Aramark
David R. Binswanger
President & CEO
Binswanger
John K. Binswanger**
Chairman
Binswanger
Emily L. Bittenbender*
Managing Partner
Bittenbender Construction LP
Robert W. Bogle
President & CEO
Philadelphia Tribune Company, Inc.
Steven S. Bradley
President & CEO
Bradley & Bradley Associates Inc.
Jonathan A. Brassington
Head
Capgemini Invent NA
David Brenner
Chief Administrative Officer
Macquarie Investment Management, Americas
Marc Brownstein
President & CEO
Brownstein Group
Christopher L. Bruner*
Managing Partner
Ernst & Young LLP
Deanna M. Byrne
Office Managing Partner
PwC
Valerie Camillo
President, Business Operations, Philadelphia Flyers & Wells Fargo Center
Comcast Spectacor
Anthony Campisi
President & CEO
Annodyne, Inc.
James M. Campolongo
Area Vice President
GlaxoSmithKline
James H. Carll, Esquire
Chairman
Archer & Greiner
Craig Carnaroli*
Executive Vice President
University of Pennsylvania
David L. Cohen*
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer
Comcast Corporation
Marc Coleman*
President & CEO
The Tactile Group
Benjamin J. Connors
Joseph F. Coradino
Chief Executive Officer
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr.
Founder, President & CEO
Nueva Esperanza
Elizabeth A. Dale EdD, MPA
Executive Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer
Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health
M. Walter D’Alessio*
Principal In Charge
NorthMarq Advisors LLC
Nicholas DeBenedictis**
Chairman Emeritus
Aqua America, Inc.
David A. DeLizza
CEO
Pennoni
Pasquale “Pat” T. Deon, Sr.
James F. Dever, Jr.
Philadelphia Market President; Global Commercial Banking Market Executive for Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware
Bank of America
Keith S. DiMarino*
President
DocuVault Delaware Valley LLC
Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A.
President
Villanova University
Larry Dubinski
President & CEO
Franklin Institute
Richard M. Englert, Ed.D.
President
Temple University
Anne Ewers
President & CEO
The Kimmel Center, Inc.
Christopher Fiorentino
President
West Chester University
Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, CFA*
President of Citizens Bank of PA / NJ / DE; Head of National Mid-Corporate & Industry Verticals
Citizens Bank
Christopher H. Franklin*
President & CEO
Aqua America, Inc.
Joseph A. Frick**
Vice Chairman & Managing Partner
Diversified Search
John A. Fry*
President
Drexel University
Dr. Donald Generals, Jr., Ed.D.
President
Community College of Philadelphia
Michael Gerber*
Senior Managing Director
FS Investments
James B. Ginty**
Peter Gonzales
President & CEO
Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
Geoff Gordon
Regional President
Live Nation Entertainment
Julie Coker Graham
President & CEO
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Rosemarie B. Greco**
Francine Friedman Griesing
Managing Member
Griesing Law, LLC
Jeff Guarancino
President & CEO
VISIT PHILADELPHIA
William P. Hankowsky*
Ernest R. Hanna, III
Principal & Regional Operations Officer, Mid-Atlantic Region
GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.
Colleen M. Hanycz, Ph.D.
President
La Salle University
Susan Hardwick
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
American Water
Patrick T. Harker, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Ric Harris
President & General Manager
NBC10 and Telemundo62
Michael J. Heller, Esquire*
Chief Executive Officer
Cozen O’Connor
Michael B. Hill
Managing Director
Synterra Partners
Mike Innocenzo*
President & CEO
PECO
Alan Jacobson
Strategic Director,
Founder and Principal
J2 Design
CEO
Exit Design
Susan Jacobson*
President
Jacobson Strategic Communications
Lawrence James
President & CEO
Connexus Technology
Philip P. Jaurigue
Chairman & CEO
Sabre Systems, Inc.
LeRoy E. Jones
Chief Executive Officer
GSI Health, LLC
Robert D. Kane
Market President, Eastern PA/Southern NJ
KeyBank
Alan J. Kaplan
President & CEO
Kaplan Partners
Joseph Kirk
Regional Bank President
Wells Fargo
Ronald J. Kozich**
Paul Lemmo
Vice President & General Manager
Lockheed Martin
Rodger Levenson
President & CEO
WSFS
David H. Lipson, Jr.
Chairman & CEO
Philadelphia Magazine; MetroCorp Content Studio
Amy T. Loftus
General Manager
Slalom Philadelphia
Susan Lonergan*
Regional President
Southeastern PA
Fulton Bank
Garry Maddox*
President & CEO
A. Pomerantz & Co.
Malik Majeed, Esq.
President, CEO
& General Counsel
PRWT
William J. Marrazzo
President & CEO
WHYY, Inc.
Sharmain Matlock-Turner*
President & CEO
Urban Affairs Coalition
Frank Mattei*
Philadelphia Managing Partner
KPMG LLP
Ronald B. Matthew, Jr.
Head of Regional
Commercial Credit,
Metro PA/NJ
TD Bank
Shawn McCaney
Executive Director
William Penn Foundation
Jami Wintz McKeon*
Chairman
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
Robert J. McNeill, Jr.
Managing Partner, Greater Philadelphia Region
Deloitte LLP
John J. McNichol
President & CEO
Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA)
Brad Messinger
Greater Philadelphia Market Leader
Willis Towers Watson
Joseph G. Meterchick*
Regional President for Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey
PNC Bank
Edgar Miranda
Market President
for DE, OH, PA and WV
CIGNA
Scott B. Mirkin*
President & Executive Producer
ESM Productions
Judith L. Mondre
President
Mondre Energy, Inc.
Edward A. Montgomery**
Anne Bovaird Nevins
President
PIDC
John Otte
President
PROCONEX, Inc.
Raymond J. Pennacchia
Senior Vice President
NovaCare Rehabilitation
Angelo R. Perryman
President & CEO
Perryman Building and Construction Services
Louis A. Petroni, Esquire
Robert M. Poliseno
Senior Vice President & Regional Executive Officer
Chubb
Bernie Prazenica
President & General Manager
WPVI-TV 6
Trevor Prichett
Ronald R. Rabena
Chief Client Officer
Allied Universal Security Services
Matt Rader
President
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Ajay Raju, Esquire
CEO & Chairman
Dilworth Paxson LLP
Pedro A. Ramos*
President & CEO
Philadelphia Foundation
Siobhan A. Reardon
President & Director
The Free Library of Philadelphia
Tim Reeves
Principal
Allen & Gerritsen
Lori F. Reiner CPA
Chief People Officer
Eisner Amper, LLP
Paul D. Ridder
President
Tasty Baking Company
Steve Rosen
Managing Director
Aloysius Butler & Clark
Nicole Pullen Ross
Managing Director, Mid-Atlantic; Region Head, Private Wealth Management
Goldman Sachs & Co.
Ronald Rubin**
Executive Chairman
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
William R. Sasso, Esquire*
Chairman
Stradley Ronon
Maria Scenna
Chief Operating Officer
Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Narashima B. Shenoy
President & CEO
Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia
Molly D. Shepard
President & CEO
The Leader’s Edge
Kate Shields
President
Vault Communications
Larry Skinner
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Conversion Technologies International
Evelyn F. Smalls*
President & CEO
United Bank of Philadelphia
Don Smolenski
President
Philadelphia Eagles
John Spagnola
Managing Partner
PFM Group
Manuel Stamatakis
President & CEO
CME Benefits Consulting
Russ Starke
CEO
Think Company
Susanne Svizeny
EVP, Market President, Greater Philadelphia
OceanFirst Bank
Gerard H. Sweeney*
President & CEO
Brandywine Realty Trust
H. Marc Tepper, Esquire
Managing Shareholder,
Philadelphia
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Nicole J. Tranchitella
Managing Director, Philadelphia Metro Region
Accenture
Daniel R. Tropeano
CEO, Pennsylvania & Delaware
UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania & Delaware
Paul A. Tufano
Chairman & CEO
AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies
Judith M. von Seldeneck*
Chairman & CEO
Diversified Search
Jeffrey Warmann
President & CEO
Monroe Energy, LCC
Joan Waters*
Chief Executive Officer
COFCO Office Furnishings
Gilbert A. Wetzel**
Craig White
President & CEO
Philadelphia Gas Works
Julie E. Wollman, PhD
President
Widener University
Robert C. Wonderling*
President & CEO
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
Richard D. Wood, III
Director of Government Relations and Sustainability
WAWA, Inc.
Dawn Holden Woods
Chief Executive Officer
Turning Points for Children, A PHMC Subsidiary
David Yadgaroff
Senior VP and Philadelphia Market Manager
Entercom
David Yager
President
University of the Arts
Harold L. Yoh, III*
Chairman & CEO
Day & Zimmermann
Stephen T. Zarrilli
President & CEO
University City Science Center
