Mayor Cherelle Parker recently announced a change to her proposed rideshare tax in order to help close the Philadelphia School District’s $300 million budget gap. The proposal would implement a tax of $1 per ride for rideshares originating from Philadelphia. While the Parker administration has said that the rideshare companies could absorb the cost, Uber has said the cost would go to the riders themselves. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk spoke with a panel who shared their thoughts on the proposal. The panelists are Donna Cooper, the executive director of Children First, Pat Loeb, a reporter with KYW Newsradio, and Reverend Cean James, the pastor of Salt & Light Church and a member of POWER Interfaith.

Here’s a full breakdown of the episode

:00 – Intro

1:39 – Reactions to Mayor Parker’s amended proposal

3:25 – The balance of helping Philly schools and Philly residents

5:14 – City council’s reaction to the proposed tax

6:30 – Thoughts on taxes on corporations

8:30 – Philly’s sweetened beverage tax in the conversation over the proposed rideshare tax

9:57 – Mayor Parker’s economic mobility agenda

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Philadelphia will receive DNC officials for a visit at the end of the month as part of a bid to host the Democratic National Convention, the president of the host committee said. The DNC last month named Philadelphia along with four other cities – Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Denver – as frontrunners moving ahead in the selection process to host the 2028 convention. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk speaks with Pick Pennsylvania president and former ambassador to Canada David L. Cohen about Philadelphia’s bid for the DNC.

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The Philadelphia School District’s $2.8 billion master plan has been met with some opposition from students, parents and teachers. Under the plan, the district would modernize buildings and expand programs in tech, the arts as well as music. However, it also calls for the closure of 18 Philly schools. In the latest episode of Battleground Politics, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk speaks with School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington about the plan and its potential impact. She also spoke with Arthur Steinberg, the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Here’s a full breakdown of the episode:

Interview with Dr. Tony Watlington

00:49 – Whether or not there will be additional changes to the plan

2:45 – Message to family, students, staff who want changes to the plan

3:40 – The plan’s impact on students who move to different school buildings

7:04 – Deadline for securing funding for the plan

9:40 – The benefits of the plan

10:07 – Plan’s initial impact on students, families and staff

13:45 – Could districtwide algebra be implemented without the plan?

15:21 – Conversations on which schools would be given to the city under the plan

17:16 – Possibility of unused buildings providing revenue for the plan

18:31 – The potential loss of public school students under the plan

Interview with Arthur Steinberg

22:18 – The union’s concerns over the school plan

22:46 – Reaction to revisions to the plan

23:10 – Parts of the plan the union is focused on

24:07 – Steinberg’s involvement with the school plan advisory committee

25:48 – What Steinberg is hearing from union members

26:36 – Current conditions of Philly school buildings

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