PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — How would the candidates for Philadelphia mayor address environmental concerns in the city’s aging school buildings?
The recent asbestos-related closings of Building 21 and Simon Gratz Mastery Charter High School illustrated the issue facing the city’s next mayor. The average age of buildings in the School District of Philadelphia is 73 years old, and in a 2017 report, the district estimated it had a backlog of $4.5 billion worth of deferred maintenance.
Here’s what the candidates said they’d do, when asked about the state of school facilities.
Warren Bloom
The Rev. Warren Bloom failed to offer a specific plan, when questioned during a mayoral forum in March.
“It’s unacceptable. And under my administration I’m going to make sure that our children are safe and have a safe environment to work and learn in,” he said.
Amen Brown
State Rep. Amen Brown, speaking at the same forum, said he’d start by examining the condition of school buildings.
“We’re going to evaluate each and every school within the first 100 days to see what needs to be done. Whether it needs to be knocked down and rebuilt — or, if it’s a historical building we’ll keep the building and relocate the school in that same area.”
Jeff Brown
In a statement to KYW Newsradio, Supermarket owner Jeff Brown said, “The recent court decision on school funding gives us an opportunity to secure funding from the state to address urgent/emergency matters, and we should make every effort to access those resources to address our immediate needs. But we also need to develop a strategy for funding and implementing ongoing, preventative maintenance. That’s consistent with sound management practices and something our city has largely neglected.”
Allan Domb
Former City Councilmember Allan Domb said the city missed an opportunity to find additional money for school maintenance.
“I think it was a mistake that the city didn’t refinance as much of its debt as possible, while rates were low, to rehabilitate our schools. But until low rates return, I would use the federal funds we have received to make rebuilding our schools a priority — or, at a minimum, have proper heating and air conditioning,” Domb wrote in response to an SEIU 32BJ questionnaire.
"It’s unacceptable we have to close schools because it’s too hot and that all schools won’t have HVAC until 2027."
Derek Green
Former City Councilmember Derek Green said the first order of business should be to resolve a lawsuit the district filed against the city, challenging a law giving the city the power to determine whether school buildings are environmentally safe to open.
“First of all, we need to resolve this asbestos litigation that’s currently going on regarding my legislation to remove asbestos from our schools. We need to mediate that issue,” Green said.
Helen Gym
Former City Councilmember Helen Gym said she would lead a citywide program to upgrade schools.
“My mission as mayor is to lead a school modernization plan for every neighborhood and every community — to be clear and transparent what the repairs are that are needed so that no family member, no child and no teachers has to be scared of what their school building is,” Gym said at a March forum.
David Oh
Former City Councilmember David Oh, who’s running unopposed in the Republican mayoral primary, said he would seek an examination of funding sources to pay for remediation. Oh would “request the school district to conduct a review of COVID and other federal and state funding available or unused to help improve infrastructure and conduct remedial activities,” according to a statement on his campaign website.
Cherelle Parker
Former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker said at many school buildings, it’s not enough to just repair outstanding issues.
“Environmental remediation for some is not acceptable to me. Some need to be demolished and rebuilt. Five billion dollars to do it. Let’s come up with a six- to 10-year-plan and make it happen,” Parker told a forum sponsored by the Board of Education.
Maria Quiñones Sánchez
Former City Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez has promoted establishing a separate board to oversee repairs and construction in city schools, freeing up the superintendent and Board of Education to concentrate on student achievement.
“I’m a great believer in putting together a school building authority. I am tired of listening to school hearings where 90% of the discussion is around buildings,” Sánchez said at a forum last month.
Rebecca Rhynhart
Former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart said teachers and parents deserve to know of hazards in their school buildings, while the district works to fix them: “$5 billion, we need to do it. It’s not okay that we have our teachers and our students in school buildings that are asbestos and lead-filled.”
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