PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia School Board has postponed Thursday night’s scheduled vote on closing 17 schools until next week.
City Council members got their wish. The school board said it will now consider the controversial facilities plan next Thursday, April 30, at 4 p.m.
Superintendent Tony Watlington revised his plan on Monday and took Ludlow Elementary in North Philadelphia off the closure list. That left 17 schools the district is proposing to close.
Watlington said the closures are meant to redirect limited resources and address underutilized and overcrowded schools. But on Wednesday, City Council members, including majority leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, called for a delay and said they wanted more time to understand the changes.
School Board President Reginald Streater, in a statement, said the one-week delay was in the spirit of partnership, and that the future of school facilities requires “the highest level of collaboration.”
Teachers Union President Art Steinberg said an extra week, though, isn’t enough.
“I’m glad to see they listened and put it off for a short period of time. In my opinion, that’s not going to be enough time to give people all of the information that they require.”
At Thursday night’s meeting, board members heard more than three hours of testimony from parents, teachers and students opposed to the plan, including Parkway Northwest teacher Rodrigo Fernandez.
“Didn’t you hear the families? Didn’t you hear the students? Didn’t you hear the teachers and City Council members? Nobody wants this plan!”
Mayor Cherelle Parker, in a statement, said she supported postponing the vote to allow for more feedback.
