Is there a solution for Chester Upland's problems?

Donna Cooper, former policy and planning secretary for Gov. Ed Rendell, said partisan politics and impatience was "100 percent" to blame for the district's inability to turn around. She said Chester Upland did not just need a plan - it needed five or six years to let a plan work.

"In education, there's not a silver bullet. It's a packet of changes that turns a school district around," Cooper said. "To revive this district requires motivating the hearts and minds of every parent, every teacher, every administrator."

Thomas Persing, a retired superintendent who helped run the district from 1998 to 2003 and returned in November as an assistant superintendent, said the district was "looking for leadership - and all we are getting is stalemate."

He predicted that even after paying off its $20 million deficit, Chester Upland would need an extra $10 million to $12 million next year to turn the corner.

Himes, of the business managers' association, said such hopes were not realistic.

"Districts like Chester Upland can only ask for more state aid, and I don't see that in the cards," he said. "I don't know what the solution is. I don't know where those kids are going to go."

Contact staff writer Dan Hardy at 215-854-2612, dhardy@phillynews.com, or @DanInq on Twitter.