PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A coalition of charter school operators says the School District of Philadelphia Board of Education has unfairly closed Black-led and Black-founded charters. That board is arranging for an outside investigator.
Members of the African American Charter Coalition want a moratorium on the closures of Black-led charters. During a Zoom rally Tuesday, the group claimed the school board, which authorizes charters, was biased.
Leigh Purnell, the chief academic officer at Southwest Leadership Academy Charter, said Black charters account for 19% of Philadelphia’s charter schools, but 87% of the closures and non-renewals.
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“Despite having high quality academic programs, there are inequities that exist between white and Black-led schools," said Purnell.
Last month, the board voted not to renew charters for two schools run by the Universal Companies, founded by record mogul Kenny Gamble.
School board member Julia Danzy, at City Council’s hearing on the school district budget Tuesday, said charters have been granted autonomy in exchange for accountability.
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Board president Joyce Wilkerson, also at the hearing, said the board was arranging for an independent evaluation of the allegations of bias.
“We intend to identify an outside person to undertake an investigation of all the data," she said.
Wilkerson said the board is prepared to examine emails to investigate allegations the board disrespects Black charters.