PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As City Council members question the Philadelphia School District’s plan to close 20 schools, the district is laying out how much it would spend on modernizing schools in each council district.
During district sessions this month at schools to be closed under the facilities plan, City Council members, including Cindy Bass, Quetcy Lozada and Isaiah Thomas, have spoken out against shuttering schools.
Ahead of City Council’s Tuesday hearing on the 10-year, $2.8 billion plan to close 20 schools, the district released an outline of how much money would be spent to improve schools in each of the 10 council districts.
For example, the plan includes $55 million in upgrades to John Bartram High in Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s district, and $57 million to modernize career and technical education areas at South Philadelphia High School, in Mark Squilla’s council district.
The expenditures also include $56 million in Councilmember Mike Driscoll’s 6th District and $443 million in the 9th District, represented by Anthony Phillips. Individual citywide projects include $43 million to upgrade Martin Luther King High and $50 million to modernize Overbrook High.
In addition to more public meetings at the 20 affected schools, three citywide town halls are scheduled before Superintendent Tony Watlington makes his facilities recommendations to the school board on Feb. 26.