Dive Summary:

• Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite announced Thursday that the city's 218 public schools might not open as scheduled on Sept. 9 without an additional $50 million by Aug. 16.
• The district faces a $304 million budget shortfall and originally asked for $180 million in June, when 3,800 employees were laid off and more than 20 schools were closed.
• Hite was reportedly headed to Harrisburg last night to meet with Gov. Tom Corbett, who lawmakers are calling on to release $45 million already approved for the city by the state legislature.

From the article:

... The situation in Philadelphia's schools is so dire it has caught the eye of the federal government. "I'm really really worried about the education that children in Philly are going to receive this upcoming school year," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told The Huffington Post, unprompted, in a July interview. "I'm concerned about a lack of commitment, a lack of investment in public education." Representatives for Hite did not immediately return requests for comment, and Eller, the Corbett spokesman, said only that he could not confirm the potential meeting with the superintendent. ...