What are your thoughts about the 37 Schools closing in Philadelphia? Will violence escalate due to the closings? Philly's Own Gossip Girl would like to hear from you. Drop me a line or two on your thoughts, advice for the school district and whether you think we should prepare for more violence..... xoxo
How to not close 37 schools: A summary of alternate proposals
Submitted by thenotebook on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 16:56 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Bill Hangley Jr.The School District’s deadline for alternative community proposals for its closure plan has now passed, and all 38 proposals received have been posted on the District’s website.
The alternative plans represent a wide range of responses to the District’s recommendations. Some are highly detailed blueprints endorsed by powerful officeholders and complex proposals citing multiple partners, while others are brief plans from community groups and individuals.
One consistent theme: Many schools propose addressing under-utilization by expanding their program offerings or grade spans. Some suggest bringing in new schools to share their buildings. In a few cases, schools offer alternative plans that they believe are cost-neutral and will meet the District’s overall goal of saving money.
What education advocates said at City Council's school-closure hearings
Submitted by thenotebook on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 15:56 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
Philadelphia City Council's hearings yesterday on the school-closings plan featured testimony from a number of Philadelphia's education stakeholders. Some organizations have published their testimony, which are linked to below:Philadelphia's military academy students plead to save their schools
Submitted by thenotebook on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 13:30 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
Dressed in uniform, students of the military academies at Leeds and Elverson came to District headquarters Tuesday to hear alternative proposals to the planned relocation of both schools.
They joined parents, teachers and community members -- about 40 attendees in all -- at the meeting, the fourth of an additional six sessions that the District scheduled this month to focus on individual schools or groups of schools slated for closure or relocation.
The District has proposed to move Elverson and Leeds to the Roosevelt Middle School building, combining them to create Philadelphia Military Academy High School.
The District needs to hit the redesign button
Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 12:49 Posted in Commentary | Permalink
A version of this testimony was given at the Feb. 12 City Council hearings on school closings.
My name is Samuel Reed III, and I am a proud member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the Teacher Action Group, two organizations that are working with PCAPS, a coalition of parents, students, teachers, and community members calling for a one-year moratorium on school closings.I would like to thank City Council for adopting a non-binding resolution calling for a moratorium on closing 37 schools in September. I would like to echo the sentiments of Councilman Curtis Jones, who notes that people shouldn't make whole decisions on half-information.
I want to counter the current notion that frames the one-year moratorium as hitting the pause button. Instead of hitting the pause button, City Council should use its influence to persuade the District to hit the redesign button.
Council, community grill Philadelphia superintendent on school closings
Submitted by thenotebook on Tue, 02/12/2013 - 18:56 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
[UPDATED 9 p.m.]by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
Questioning everything from safety to academics to promised savings, a parade of Philadelphians testified at City Council hearings on Tuesday in the hope of chipping away at Superintendent William Hite's plan to close 37 city schools by next fall.
"We are all agreed that this particular plan, by itself, is not the answer," said the Rev. Alyn Waller, pastor at Enon Baptist Tabernacle Church in Northwest Philadelphia.
Hite said he would not bow to the growing demand for a one-year school-closings moratorium, arguing that the combination of declining enrollment, crumbling buildings, and a huge budget deficit has left the District with no choice but to dramatically downsize.
City Council to hold school-closing hearings
Submitted by thenotebook on Mon, 02/11/2013 - 10:21 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
Over the last six weeks, parents, students, labor unions, and clergy have all taken turns blasting the School District of Philadelphia's plan to close 37 schools by next fall.
Now, City Council wants to get in on the act.
"Everybody agrees that some schools have to be closed. But certainly not all of them," said Jannie Blackwell, who chairs Council's education committee.
Where displaced teachers will land is uncertain
by Connie Langland Posted in February 2013 Edition | Permalink
These are days stretching into weeks of uncertainty for hundreds of teachers in the 44 schools slated to be shuttered or relocated under the Facilities Master Plan before the School Reform Commission.
Will their school be closed?
Will they be laid off?
Where will they land?
District to hold public hearings on school closings
Submitted by Wendy Harris on Fri, 02/08/2013 - 12:28 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
The School Reform Commission will hold a series of public hearings over three days to hear testimony on the proposed school closures before the commission votes March 7. The meetings will take place Feb. 21, Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. All hearings will be held in the auditorium at the School District of Philadelphia headquarters, 440 N. Broad St., and will be divided up according to District planning area.Those who want to testify must pre-register by calling the Office of Parent, Community & Family Engagement at 215-400-4180. Pre-registration runs from 9 a.m. Feb. 19 through noon Feb. 21. No more than 10 speakers will be permitted to testify about each school that is slated to close, and the guidelines as outlined in the District’s speaker policy for SRC public meetings will apply to the hearings.
The dates and times of the hearings are listed below:
The School Reform Commission will hold a series of public hearings over three days to hear testimony on the proposed school closures before the commission votes March 7. The meetings will take place Feb. 21, Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. All hearings will be held in the auditorium at the School District of Philadelphia headquarters, 440 N. Broad St., and will be divided up according to District planning area.
Those who want to testify must pre-register by calling the Office of Parent, Community & Family Engagement at 215-400-4180. Pre-registration runs from 9 a.m. Feb. 19 through noon Feb. 21. No more than 10 speakers will be permitted to testify about each school that is slated to close, and the guidelines as outlined in the District’s speaker policy for SRC public meetings will apply to the hearings.
The dates and times of the hearings are listed below:
| Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 | |
| Planning Area | Time |
| Northcentral (west of Broad St.) | 6-7 p.m. |
| Northcentral (east of Broad St.) | 7-7:45 p.m. |
| Northwest (high schools) | 7:45-8:15 p.m. |
| Northwest (elementary / middle) | 8:15-8:45 p.m |
| Southwest | 8:45-9:30 p.m. |
| West | 9:30-10 p.m. |
| Southcentral | 10-10:25 p.m. |
| Northeast | 10:25-10:35 p.m. |
| Friday, Feb. 22, 2013 | |
| Planning Area | Time |
| Northcentral (west of Broad St.) | 8:30-10:30 a.m. |
| Northcentral (east of Broad St.) | 10:30 a.m.-noon |
| Northwest (high schools) | 1-2 p.m. |
| Northwest (elementary/middle) | 2-3 p.m. |
| Southwest | 3-4:45 p.m. |
| West | 4:45-5:45 p.m. |
| Southcentral | 5:45-6:35 p.m. |
| Northeast | 6:35-6:50 p.m. |
| Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 | |
| Planning Area | Time |
| Northeast | 8:30-8:45 a.m. |
| Southcentral | 8:45-9:30 a.m. |
| West | 9:30-10:30 a.m. |
| Southwest | 10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. |
| Northwest (high schools) | 1-2 p.m. |
| Northwest (elementary/middle) | 2-3 p.m. |
| Northcentral (east of Broad St.) | 3-4:30 p.m. |
| Northcentral(west of Broad St.) | 4:30-6:30 p.m. |
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