PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers is questioning the data the School District of Philadelphia used to develop its plan to close 17 schools — and has recommendations of its own.
Standing outside Overbrook Elementary School — one of the schools slated to close — PFT President Art Steinberg said the facts don’t add up. “This school, Overbrook Elementary, is probably one of the poster [children] for what is wrong with this process.”
The district, in drawing up its facilities plan, looked at the condition of school buildings and compared enrollment to a school’s capacity. Steinberg said the district hasn’t shown the union detailed information about how decisions were made.
“Show your work,” Steinberg said. “They have not been able to show the members of this community or any other that’s affected by this closure program why they are closing your school.”
PFT environmental scientist Jerry Roseman said he was on the facilities planning team, and even he didn’t get all of the information. “The plan the district came up with is inherently a flawed plan,” he said. “It’s kind of a half-plan at best.”
Steinberg urged the district to pause and use the coming year to share all of the data with school communities. Asked whether he felt any schools should close, he replied, “Do not close schools. Fix them.”
The PFT has released its own analysis of the data it had, evaluating the building conditions and enrollment at the schools on the district’s closure list.
In a statement, the Philadelphia Board of Education defended its plan, saying it will allow them to invest more deeply in the schools and provide modern, high-quality environments to support both teaching and learning.
