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PHILADELPHIA – The last time the School District of Philadelphia closed some schools it caused some real heartache for some neighborhoods. So, this time around, before they make any decisions, district officials say they’re trying to get as much input from the community as possible.

What they’re saying:

West Philly resident Keith Harris said he’s keeping an open mind at the School District of Philadelphia facilities planning forum.

“Schools have to close. I understand that. You can see that there are some buildings that can be brought back to life and re-used, so a neighborhood that has been through closure doesn’t necessarily mean a death knell,” Harris stated.

Others who showed up to weigh in and hear how the district plans to decide what happens to certain schools over the next decade aren’t as optimistic.

Barbara Dowdall, from Germantown, said, “We lost our high school in Germantown in the middle of the community. It shut down, was empty for 10 years. Fulton School next to that was closed.”

Dowdall worries that even though the district says it’s being open and transparent, nothing will change and all this input from people who care about the schools won’t matter in the long run.

“You have all these hundreds of people on committees to sort of say, ‘Oh we consulted everyone and so this is what we have to do.’ One board member said this is what we have to do! You don’t have to do anything. You can choose to go in another direction,” she commented.

The backstory:

The deputy superintendent of operations says the district learned from mistakes made in 2012 when school closings had a major impact on so many neighborhoods. And, that’s why these small forums are crucial for feedback.

“We wanted to ensure that we don’t commit those shortfalls and create challenges for the school community, students and families that we serve. So we’re being very intentional about looking at the impact that school closures had on communities in 2012 and 2013, explained Oz Hill, the Deputy Superintendent of School Operations.

Big picture view:

Cynthia Geesey teaches at Lakenau High School and says she appreciates the small group setting, saying, “Each of us have our perspective of the area of the city that we’re in or our background, so it’s been helpful to have that combination of experiences at the table evaluating the different schools.”

Even though the school board won’t make any decisions until the end of the year, this is the community’s chance to speak up and find out how decisions will be made.

Deputy Superintendent Hill added, “It allows each individual to come to get their hands dirty in terms of the process.”

What you can do:

If you’d like to attend one of the facilities meetings, you still have time as there are several meetings over the next couple weeks in different neighborhoods and a couple of virtual ones. You can find out where and when on the school district’s website, here.

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