As the School District of Philadelphia struggles to deal with asbestos in its aging buildings, administrators are making use of the University of Pennsylvania’s $100 million pledge to help with abatement of toxic materials… Jerry Roseman said he’s grateful for Penn’s gift — which others have criticized as a drop in the bucket compared to what the university would contribute if it had to pay property taxes…

In recent years, students, faculty, and staff at the city’s rich universities have joined with neighbors and residents to push for reigniting the program. Groups like Penn for PILOTs, Penn Pay PILOTs, and Drexel for PILOTs have organized protests and written opinion pieces urging the academic institutions to give back to their city by voluntarily restarting payments. … The chronically underfunded School District of Philadelphia, which relies heavily on property taxes, is often cited as a suitable destination.

Nonprofits like Penn, Drexel and Jefferson Hospital are tax exempt, so they don’t normally pay anything — that could change under Mayor-elect Jim Kenney.