{"id":89933,"date":"2025-07-24T23:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T23:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/89933\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T23:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T23:57:10","slug":"worries-emerge-about-phillys-process-for-closing-and-consolidating-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/89933\/","title":{"rendered":"Worries emerge about Philly\u2019s process for closing and consolidating schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia\u2019s free newsletter<\/a> to keep up with news on the city\u2019s public school system.<\/p>\n

School officials in Philadelphia say closures are coming \u2014 and they\u2019ve promised to use data about building needs, enrollment, and neighborhoods to decide which schools shut their doors.<\/p>\n

But more than a year into the district\u2019s facilities planning process, details on which schools are desperately in need of repairs and which ones are struggling most with enrollment remain murky. <\/p>\n

For months, the district has pushed back a promised release of the information officials have said will inform its recommendations of which schools to close, colocate, modernize, repurpose, or maintain as they are. And the data the district has shared \u2014 which officials have only made available via printouts<\/a> at community engagement sessions \u2014 includes serious limitations and inconsistencies, according to principals and educators in attendance.<\/p>\n

At community engagement meetings<\/a> held by the district this month, some educators pointed out that the district\u2019s stated capacity for their schools did not seem accurate, based on their experiences in their buildings. Others noted that the data creates an incomplete picture about the city\u2019s enrollment, as it only captures a moment in time and does not include charter or parochial school enrollment.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, some principals worry their schools could be targeted for closure or colocations based on data that does not accurately reflect their schools. And some community members said that failing to holistically review their schools\u2019 strengths and challenges could result in decisions that harm children and neighborhoods. <\/p>\n

\"\"Deputy Superintendent Oz Hill has been telling community members “nothing is etched in stone” and that their input is still valuable. (Carly Sitrin \/ Chalkbeat) <\/p>\n

Many educators and community members attending meetings also asked for clarification about how the data would be used to determine school recommendations. Despite assigning scores and color codes to different school factors, the district did not explain how these scores and codes could make different outcomes for schools more or less likely. <\/p>\n

District officials said there was no formula, but that they would take many factors into account including comments and concerns shared at the meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing is etched in stone,\u201d Deputy Superintendent Oz Hill told a group of educators and community members at an engagement session at Thomas K. Finletter School. \u201cWe are still at a point where your input can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

We’re here to help.<\/p>\n

Every day, Chalkbeat Philadelphia reporters are answering your questions, following the money, and digging into what’s happening in the city’s public schools. Keep up with our free newsletter, delivered every Wednesday and Friday morning.<\/p>\n

Chalkbeat\u2019s analysis of the district\u2019s data revealed further inconsistencies and gaps. The district provided Chalkbeat with a list of each district school\u2019s capacity based on its current metrics. But the figures provided did not match the numbers shared during the engagement meetings. For example, the Abram S. Jenks School is listed as 87% full in the spreadsheet given to Chalkbeat. But in the printed handouts from the engagement meetings, the school is marked \u201cseverely overcrowded\u201d at over 130% full.<\/p>\n

The data the district gave to Chalkbeat also did not include information for several schools, including schools that recently returned to district control after being operated by charter organizations.<\/p>\n

The capacity figures the district provided to Chalkbeat and the capacity figures shared at the community meetings were \u201ccollected at different points in time,\u201d according to Monique Braxton, a district spokesperson. The district did not further explain the discrepancies. And updated capacity data for the schools \u201cwill be available when we launch the public website,\u201d Braxton said. <\/p>\n

District officials have repeatedly said the data they have shared during engagement meetings is preliminary and will be updated after walkthroughs of each school and a review by principals, some of whom have been away on vacation this summer. <\/p>\n

The new data will be released before the facilities plan is made public, several district facilitators at the meetings said. <\/p>\n

But time is running out. The district plans to solicit feedback on a draft facilities plan beginning in October, which it will then present to the Board of Education in November.<\/p>\n

At a session at Thomas K. Finletter School, several teachers and school leaders affiliated with Feltonville Arts & Sciences expressed concerns about the school capacity numbers the district shared at the meetings. <\/p>\n

If the district doesn\u2019t have accurate information on its buildings, the educators said, they have serious reservations about the validity of the process overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t make it neat on paper,\u201d said Malcolm Cooper, a music teacher at Feltonville Arts & Sciences, at the risk of making things \u201cmessy in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

District\u2019s scores for schools spur confusion, concern<\/p>\n

Throughout July, district officials hosted more than a dozen engagement sessions to explain the facilities planning process, solicit feedback, and share printouts of school data. Chalkbeat attended half of these sessions, speaking with parents, educators, community members, and district officials in attendance.<\/p>\n

The data printouts included enrollment and capacity numbers, as well as color-coded designations for each school based on building quality, neighborhood vulnerability, and program alignment. <\/p>\n

District officials said that school building scores were based largely on a 2024 building audit.<\/p>\n

Program alignment scores reflected whether a school\u2019s space adequately serves its programming needs, like having a gym or space for prekindergarten programs. <\/p>\n

Neighborhood vulnerability scores combined two factors. One is the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s social vulnerability index data<\/a> for a school\u2019s neighborhood that considers poverty and housing density. The other is whether a neighborhood has experienced a district school closure in the past.<\/p>\n

For example, a school with more students enrolled than its building capacity allows may be marked \u201cred\u201d for overcrowding, but have a program alignment of \u201cgood,\u201d and a neighborhood vulnerability score of \u201cmoderate risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the community meetings, district officials have said their decisions will primarily consider the neighborhood vulnerability score, then a school\u2019s capacity, utilization, and building\u2019s structural condition, and then the further \u201cnuance\u201d of a school community, including where students could be moved and what special programs schools offer.<\/p>\n

But the officials did not make a direct connection between how schools were ranked on these different factors and how likely it is that the district would decide to close, colocate, or modernize them.<\/p>\n

But at every session Chalkbeat attended, at least one person asked for more clarity about how the district arrived at the summary scores for each school and raised concerns about their accuracy.<\/p>\n

Luisa Velasquez, co-director of the Friends of Vare-Washington nonprofit that raises money to support the elementary school, said she believed the \u201cmoderate risk\u201d vulnerability designation assigned to the school didn\u2019t reflect the school\u2019s real needs.<\/p>\n

Velasquez noted that though more wealthy families have moved to South Philadelphia, many have chosen to send their kids to private schools, charter schools, or selective admissions schools. As a result, the demographics of Vare-Washington Elementary\u2019s neighborhood don\u2019t necessarily reflect the school\u2019s demographics, she said, \u201cbecause we have kids from all over the city coming to us to get a decent education.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a similar vein, others have noted that the data doesn\u2019t capture the location of charter schools. <\/p>\n

Velasquez told Chalkbeat she left the community meeting skeptical of how the district will use its data for decisions about schools. <\/p>\n

School data reflects limited timeline and scope<\/p>\n

Deputy Superintendent Oz Hill said the engagement sessions so far have been eye-opening. He urged families to attend more meetings, which district officials have said will continue throughout the fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single engagement [session], I learn things about these schools and the communities that I didn\u2019t know before,\u201d Hill told Chalkbeat at one such meeting on Monday. <\/p>\n

Some attendees also worried that the capacity data was too rigid. In Northeast Philadelphia, for example, school leaders said a growing immigrant population means a school\u2019s enrollment can fluctuate throughout the year. If Feltonville Intermediate School filled its classrooms to 100% capacity on the first day of school, educators asked what would happen after winter break when a handful of new students want to enroll. <\/p>\n

\"\"A community engagement session about school closures, colocations, and modernizations at Philadelphia’s Andrew Hamilton Public School on July 17. (Carly Sitrin \/ Chalkbeat) <\/p>\n

Sabrina Scott-Feggins, principal of General Philip Kearny Elementary who attended a session at the district\u2019s headquarters, said she still has questions about the district\u2019s process and calculations.<\/p>\n

For example, since COVID, her school decided to take two underused classrooms and turn them into a makeshift library because the school didn\u2019t have one. Though on paper those rooms may count as empty, she noted that they are in use and provide a vital resource.<\/p>\n

But she said she was heartened by the opportunity to provide feedback directly to district officials. And as a principal, she can get on board with a decision that benefits students \u2014 even if it means closing schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel hopeful,\u201d said Scott-Feggins. \u201cI feel like this is the beginning of being heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that impact students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia\u2019s free newsletter to keep up with news on the city\u2019s public school system.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":89934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,59926,38612,1448,2830,1311,18823,59927,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-89933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-andrew-hamilton-public-school","10":"tag-meeting","11":"tag-pa","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-philadelphia","14":"tag-philly","15":"tag-public-forum","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114910924107327746","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}