By Pedro A. Ramos
With a $304 million budget gap, the School District of Philadelphia faces a financial crisis. Superintendent William Hite and the School Reform Commission have requested a combination of new revenues and savings. But these requests are about more than closing a deficit. They are about giving every child in Philadelphia the chance to be ready for college or work. We want to build on promising and difficult steps already taken, so that new funding truly becomes an investment to make every school a great place for learning.