Teachers, staff, parents, and the wider community already give what we can to elevate the brilliance of our students within a system that is steeped in inequities. Teachers spend hundreds of dollars in pocket money each year; parents who raise money to fund their own libraries perpetuate an inequitable practice; and a cash-strapped district continues to slash school budgetsin a time of crisis. These imperfect, band-aid solutions are not sustainable, and our children deserve more.

Penn needs to pay PILOTs, and it should consider the additional contributions it makes in the community reparations of sorts for decades of gentrification, tax breaks and expansion. It’s not either/or. It’s both.

Ten million per year represents about 10% of what Penn would owe in property taxes. In other cities like Boston, New Haven, Conn., and Providence, R.I., wealthy nonprofits have agreed to pay PILOTs above that standard. Many in Philadelphia have called on the university to pay 40% of what it would owe in property taxes to the public schools — an estimated $40 million per year. That’s a reasonable figure. Other nonprofits should also step up so that Philadelphia’s public schools have the money needed to educate the next generation.

We are two school district educators who would like to encourage the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania to consider payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), a common practice among private institutions around the country.

When I hear arguments that Penn should not pay PILOTs because the District is a broken system, I believe that is like starving children and then blaming them for being frail. But, in this case, the analogy is not even hyperbolic. Students in the District, such as those on The Bullhorn panel, shared stories of both inadequate meals at school and the academic undernourishment that comes with slashing enrichment programs.

Penn and other big tax-exempt nonprofits do not have unlimited funds especially amid the COVID-19 crisis; endowments carry restrictions and stewardship requirements. But asking them to directly invest in public education in their hometown is a reasonable request deserving more than stony silence. A lively conversation about PILOTs for nonprofits is already underway. It’s time for Penn and other big players to be part of it.

“It’s difficult to say if the refusal to pay PILOTS is a result of greed, willful ignorance, financial prudence, or something else. But our recent history of standing back and letting highbrow volunteerism be enough has not paid high enough dividends. David Cohen, it is time to change.”

When called upon to pay PILOTs, Penn highlights the vast reach of our civic engagement programs. During my freshman year, I worked in West Philadelphia High School as a science teacher through the Netter Center, and while volunteer efforts are indisputably beneficial, fundamental issues with the education system urgently need to be addressed. An asbestos-laden school without toilet paper, soap, and hot water does not need weekly university volunteers. They need fiscal support. Community service should not be leveraged to discredit the urgent need for PILOTs.