What happens now
The implementation of the facilities plan will begin right away. Some schools on the closure list, like Rudolph Blankenburg and Robert Morris, will close following the 2027-2028 academic year, with students being assigned to other schools for the following year.
Other locations, like John B. Stetson Middle School, will begin a phasing-out process, losing one grade per year. At the same time, the students’ new school — Lewis Elkin Elementary School and William Cramp Elementary School — will begin to add one grade each year.
The district’s Office of Diverse Learners is planning ahead for a “smooth continuity of special education programming, services, and record-keeping” for any schools that are receiving students from others closing. New buildings are also set to receive physical upgrades, if needed, to accommodate students with learning disabilities.
Throughout the upcoming process, the district said it is “committed to ongoing engagement with students, families, staff, and community members.”
While critics have condemned the board for not listening to community desires, the district argues that it has done its due diligence with community feedback.
Throughout the facilities-planning process, there have been 90 public listening sessions, 35 data-verification sessions with principals, two districtwide surveys that received more than 13,000 responses, and two town halls discussing the facilities plan.
Superintendent Tony Watlington said in a statement that the decision to close schools is “not easy,” but that it’s an informed one committed to improving city schools.
“This is not just a facilities plan — it is an academic strategy,” Watlington said. “When we improve the environments where students learn, we improve what they can achieve. Students have pride in their schools. This plan is about giving every child in Philadelphia the opportunity to succeed.”