Members of City Council urged the Philadelphia Board of Education last week to reconsider its plan to close multiple schools, including five in the Northwest.<\/p>\n
Several councilmembers held a press conference at City Hall asking board members to resume discussions with City Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here today to publicly ask the board to come back to the negotiating table, and let\u2019s come up with a plan that we can work with,\u201d Councilmember At-Large Isaiah Thomas said at the July 28 press conference.<\/p>\n
The district\u2019s 10-year Facilities Master Plan<\/a> aims to close 17 schools and modernize dozens more. The schools on the chopping block include Lankenau Environmental Magnet High School<\/a> in Roxborough, Parkway Northwest High School in Mt. Airy\/Germantown, Samuel Pennypacker School in West Oak Lane, Fitler Academics Plus in Germantown and the Academy for the Middle Years at Northwest in Roxborough.<\/p>\n The Board of Education approved the plan<\/a> 6-3 on April 30 at a contentious public meeting, in which councilmembers tried to block the vote and board members continued the meeting remotely. Afterwards, some members of City Council threatened to sue the board and block the reappointment of those who voted yes. City Council doesn\u2019t have the power to veto the plan, but it controls some of the district\u2019s funding.<\/p>\n District officials say the 10-year plan will address crucial issues within the district, including aging buildings and unequal enrollment, as well as expand access to high quality academic programs.<\/p>\n But city councilmembers and advocates at the press conference argued the planning process is rushed and the school closures are preventable. The Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards, executive director of POWER Interfaith, said he understands aging buildings and systemic underfunding run deep, \u201cbut scarcity cannot be excused for backroom decision making.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas, wearing a \u201cDon\u2019t Sell Lankenau Environmental\u201d shirt, held the press conference with Councilmembers Anthony Phillips, Jamie Gauthier, Curtis Jones Jr., Quetcy Lozada, Nina Ahmed and Mark Squilla. Students from Sankofa Freedom Academy also joined, though their school isn\u2019t on the chopping block.<\/p>\n Jones said \u201cwe have tools in our tool belt\u201d that he\u2019ll use if the board refuses to return to the negotiating table. He wants Council to advance legislation that would have the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Agency supervise the school district. The agency is an independent body that helps the city government manage finances.<\/p>\n Thomas said suing the school district is still a possibility. Delise Williams, a community advocate and Democratic committeeperson, spoke about her current lawsuit against the district at the press conference. Her lawsuit aims to halt the district\u2019s plan to merge Parkway Northwest High School and Martin Luther King High School. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 24.<\/p>\n In a statement responding to the press conference, the school board said it will move forward with its facilities plan but is open to more discussions about it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand the passion surrounding this matter, and we look forward to being collaborative partners in this process,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cAs we begin the transition planning process, we will continue to work closely with students, families, staff, elected officials, community members and the Board of Education to ensure every transition is thoughtful, transparent and centered on student success.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan Hoffmeier, a teacher at Lankenau, said he opposed the plan to close Philadelphia\u2019s only environmental science high school. \u201cWe should be expanding it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Lankenau is located across the street from the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and partners with the center on programming. The facilities plans would close Lankenau and use the building for an environmental center.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need to spend money in this center to do this because we have one,\u201d said Ahmad, who called for the district to present data on why some schools were taken off the closure list, while others were not.<\/p>\n \u201cI need an evidence-based plan that adds up. This does not add up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Jones, Thomas and Ahmad have introduced\u00a0legislation\u00a0to change the zoning of the land on which Lankenau sits to be used for the \u201cdevelopment and preservation of public-serving institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n