Philadelphia – June 29, 2018 – Efforts to eradicate lead, asbestos and mold from Philadelphia schools were bolstered today by the announcement of more than $15 million in state and local funds, according to state Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery).
Gov. Tom Wolf, state and local officials discussed the remediation funding at a morning news conference at Roosevelt Elementary School. The $15.6 million includes $7.6 million from the state and $8 million from the School District of Philadelphia.
Haywood, working in concert with and state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), helped secure the state and local funds.
The state funds are targeted to remove lead from city schools, while the local dollars will be used to abate asbestos and mold. It is estimated that the grant dollars will fund 59 projects in 57 schools.
Haywood is one of the Senate’s leading proponents of lead testing. He sponsored legislation (Senate Bill 647) on testing for lead and was a key advocate of a provision in the recently adopted School Code that requires all school districts to test for lead in drinking water.
Haywood’s comments on the new funding to aid Philadelphia schools follows:
“Finding resources to address health risks in schools is critical. The funding earmarked to eradicate lead, asbestos and mold from school buildings will help children and improve the quality of education. Children, teachers, administrators and all those who use our school facilities should not be exposed to health risks.”
“The governor, school officials and all who were involved in reaching out to obtain these funds should be congratulated for a job well done. These new grant dollars will spur rehabilitation activity in our schools and promote an even better learning environment. However, we all must understand that our work is not finished and that we have to be aggressive in earmarking other dollars to continue facility upgrades.”
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