PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Board of Education is preparing to take a hard look at how the school district's aging buildings are used. As a result, some schools could be closed or consolidated.
Should a resolution on Thursday's school board meeting agenda be approved, the superintendent would be directed to draw up a plan to make a comprehensive review of its school buildings.
The plan would consider evolving enrollment patterns, and it would include input from parents and the community. Reginald Streater, school board president, told reporters on Tuesday that the goal is to use the resources available to maximize student achievement.
"But I'm not going to gaslight the community. The board doesn't want to gaslight the community and the district doesn't want to gaslight the community," said Streater.
"This process could — or will likely — lead to some closures, but it won't be in a way where that is the only outcome. Because this isn't just about buildings. It's about students. And doing it in a way that is helpful for students."
The district in 2013 closed 24 schools during a budget crisis, but school board President Reginald Streater said this process will be different.
"This will not be like 2013, and that is not what the intent is. It's to engage the community and create a process where there's public-private intergovernmental conversations."
The district plans to hire a firm to help gather community input, and Streater says Mayor Cherelle Parker will be part of the process.
"This isn't the board alone, but where we are working in partnership and collaboration with our mayor."
Streater couldn't give a timeline for when the plan was expected to be presented to the board, and he couldn't say how long the review process would take.