The budget impasse in Harrisburg has stalled funding to the School District of Philadelphia, and the furloughs as of Tribune press time yesterday could stall even more movement.

With the budget not finalized yet, district officials may not get word of state funding until the first day of school in September.

Chuck Ardo, Gov. Ed Rendell’s spokesman, said it is hard to predict when the funding will come through for Philadelphia’s schools.

“It’s hard to tell you,” he said. “You would really need a crystal ball to predict what the legislature is going to do.”

Ardo added the stalling on the education funding was a partisan issue.

“The entire budget and differing priorities between Republicans who are trying to slash education funding and the governor who is trying to increase opportunities for children,” he said. “Those are different philosophies with different priorities.”

The state budget passed last year on July 1, and Rendell signed it on July 11.

State Rep. Dwight Evans who was responsible for getting the district an extra $25 million in appropriations for fiscal year 2006, was unable to comment on the latest with the school funding.

“The bottom line is that everything is still in negotiations,” said Kim Turner, Evans’ spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, the School Reform Commission is asking the state for $54 million in funding.

The funding would result in the district being able to close the current budget deficit and lay the foundation for a financially stable 5-year plan, as well as operating surpluses in the years to follow.

With a unanimous 5-0 vote, the SRC adopted a $2.9 billion budget for the district’s fiscal year 2008 on May 31.

SRC members hoped to continue the district’s core reforms, not reduce any individual school budgets and not reduce the number of teaching positions for any reason other than declining enrollment.

The teachers have not been cut as a result of the SRC’s budget, but there have been significant cuts at the district’s administrative level.

District officials began elimination of 170 jobs last month that included 46 layoffs, 51 reassignments and 73 unfilled positions.