Protestors rally against school closings, but board presses on

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia school board voted Thursday to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to begin additions and improvements to four “priority” schools. The move is an important step in the controversial facilities plan that would close 17 schools.

“It is the first down payment on the facilities master plan, Accelerating Opportunity, to the tune of $200 million,” said board president Reginald Streater, calling the move a milestone.

Outside school headquarters, City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas led a rally of elected officials, students and labor leaders against the part of the plan that includes the 17 closures.

Cries of “save our schools” rang out as protestors marched and carried signs joined by a drumline. Speaking at the rally, city councilmember Isaiah Thomas appealed to negotiate a more acceptable solution.

“Mayor Parker, we need you to get involved,” Thomas said. “The school board has shown us that they’re willing to ignore us.”

Thursday’s resolution would begin renovations at the Bache-Martin, Joseph W. Catherine, John M. Patterson and Franklin S. Edmonds Schools.

Board member Whitney Jones, who voted against the facilities plan in April, asked what made those schools a priority. Superintendent Tony Watlington replied that a district process team had identified those schools as four of several that were most in need of improvement.

“Our needs are so great that if we picked a different four, somebody could challenge those too,” Watlington said.

The District is contracting with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development to pick a developer for the projects, which Watlington says will add 700 seats across the four schools.

Streater said if any change is to be made to the plan, it would have to be done publicly.

“If there is a shift,” Streater said, “I trust our superintendent to work with the village through the process that the board has affirmed that we will have—not a back-room conversation.”