PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia's superintendent has revised his facilities closure plan, sparing two schools from probable shutdowns.
Last month, Superintendent Tony Watlington announced 20 schools would close under the district's proposed master plan. On Thursday, Watlington removed two schools from the list: Conwell Middle and Motivation High.
Instead, Elkin Elementary would become a Conwell feeder to boost enrollment. Motivation would merge with Robeson High, operating at the Motivation site.
"We think we can put both of those school campuses at the Motivation campus because the building is good enough, pretty decent building ratings," he explained.
Lankenau Environmental High would still close, but it would merge with Saul Agricultural High instead of joining with Roxborough.
Mike DeNardo/KYW Newsradio
During a month of public feedback, City Council Education Committee chair Isaiah Thomas pushed to keep Conwell open and state House Speaker Joanna McClinton advocated for Motivation, but Watlington said their voices didn't carry any extra weight.
"We took all of that feedback together, and in tandem we landed on these recommended changes, not reflecting any one voice or sector more than the others," he said.
Watlington, in a briefing with reporters, said the "Accelerating Opportunity" plan is designed to increase access to high-quality programs, and he didn't want to make perfect the enemy of the good.
"The fact that we can't make all the changes that people across this great city recommended should never mean that we don't make some of the changes," he said.
The cost of the 10-year, $2.8 billion facilities plan would remain the same under the revisions.
Public roundly condemns plan at marathon school board meeting
Despite two schools being removed from the list, the plan received tons of angry blowback from students, teachers and public officials.
Students and staff from Stetson Middle School, one of the schools proposed to be closed, rallied outside district headquarters.
"The more we heard about the decision and the more they tried to explain the decision, it turned more and more into anger," said Stetson music teacher Alexis Gitman.
Watlington presented the 600-page plan to the school board on Thursday night, but it turned into a marathon session with eight hours of public outcry from more than 90 public speakers.
"The district's plan sucks resources out of West and Southwest Philly, significantly disadvantages my constituents and Black and Brown students across the city," said City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
"In an ideal world, I never believe in closing schools," Watlington said as the overflow crowd jeered at his presentation. He said the goal is a more equitable use of the district's resources. "We will transfer the resources so the kids who need more get more, not less."
School board member Wanda Novales said she didn't see a compelling picture of safety and investment.
"I see the plan that includes data, but I'm struggling to see the heart," she said.
The school board has scheduled a March 12 town hall to collect more feedback.
