A grass-roots organization of parents, community members, and school staff, fighting to defend public education. We work together to provide analysis and demand accountability from the School District of Philadelphia to provide students with a high-quality education.
Author: appsphilly.net
The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools is a grass-roots organization of parents, community members, and school staff—including teachers, school nurses, librarians, counselors and safety staff—dedicated to the preservation of public schools. APPS is an independent organization with no political or union affiliation. We are entirely self-funded and do not take financial donations from outside sources. All members donate their time and receive no salary.
Legal Notice on page B2 in May 28,2025 Philadelphia Inquirer
In this era of authoritarianism, the will of the people is too often subverted to the will of the wealthy and powerful. Despite polls that show a majority of Americans do not support the privatization of public schools, and the overwhelming defeat of voucher proposal referenda in several states, politicians have found a way to overrule the voters and impose anti-public school measures. And despite the growing evidence that an increasing number of the city’s parents are rejecting charter schools, including under–enrollment at over half of the city’s charters, Philadelphia’s Board of Education voted to approve a new application, one they had previously voted to deny. Their convoluted and dishonest justifications served only to underscore how much they had betrayed their constituents for the benefit of the politically connected special interests. That reason, among others, is why APPS members called on Mayor Cherelle Parker to ask for the resignations of the members of the board.
Board of Education Budget Hearing, Board of Education Action Meeting: April 24, 2025
by Lisa Haver
Shawmont student advocates for keeping librarian at his school. (Photo: Lisa Haver )
“I am not just a statistic, and neither are my peers.” Academy at Palumbo student to Board of Education
Parents, students, educators and community members came before the board to testify on the many issues facing our children and our schools: mental health supports for struggling students, filthy bathrooms, outdated textbooks, restoring school librarians, the need for air filters in classrooms. President Reginald Streater assured speakers, as he does at every meeting, that the board is listening. As one APPS member said in her testimony, “Students will know you are listening when they see that their bathrooms are finally clean.”
Ilene Poses contributed to this report.
Board Meetings Must Be Fully Public Because APPS members have attended Board of Education meetings for years, we knew that the board would be holding two meetings on April 24: the monthly action meeting and the hearing on the next annual budget. But anyone who may have been attending or testifying for the first time would have seen only one meeting for 4 pm posted on the board’s website calendar. Two agendas were posted, but both gave 4 pm as the starting time. At the beginning of the meeting, President Streater said that the board would hold a 15-minute recess after the conclusion of the hearing…”perhaps”. But just after the final speaker on the budget was heard, Streater said “we are going into the action meeting” and began to narrate a slide presentation. It was unclear what was happening as the board did not vote to adjourn, nor did Streater declare the hearing adjourned. General Counsel Lynn Rauch, who serves as the board’s parliamentarian under the board’s by-laws, did not call the roll for the action meeting. When Streater took office, he promised that the board would be following Robert’s Rules of Order. After her testimony, Lisa Haver filed a formal objection to the board’s violation of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. The board did not give proper notification of the proceedings on the website or at the meeting itself. Haver pointed out that these are not legal technicalities, that the public has a right to know what the board is doing. People who are just leaving work or school often text APPS members to ask where the board is on the agenda and whether they can make it in time to testify. The board must honor the rule of law.
Ilene Poses testifies at March Board of Education Meeting (Photo: Lisa Haver)
As far as the Board of Education is concerned, there is no “good trouble”. In fact, anything that makes them… uncomfortable…seems to be bad trouble. Just standing in the aisle to show solidarity with public speakers–as people have done at board meetings for years–is verboten. Board President Reginald Streater repeated his erroneous statement that people standing in the aisle violate the fire code. Actually, it is the board’s making the aisle narrower, and its blocking one of the two fire exits, that compromise the safety of the people in the auditorium. APPS members distributed flyers reminding people of their first amendment rights: you don’t have to wear a badge to enter a public meeting and you can stand with signs. We showed people that when we fight we win: APPS members stood in the aisle in solidarity with students, educators, parents and community members who came to defend public education. We will stand at every board meeting.
Continue reading about March 27, 2025 action meeting here.
Board of Education Action Meeting: February 27, 2025
by Lisa Haver
Students, educators and community members demand safety for immigrant students. Photo: Lisa Haver
The Board of Education that implemented unprecedented speaker suppression policies, that now issues ID badges for admission to a public meeting, that forbids people to stand in solidarity behind their allies and has threatened those who do with arrest, that meets in secret with district vendors, that approves contracts worth tens of millions at every monthly meeting with no explanation or deliberation–that board now exhorts you to exercise your civil rights. They want you to speak to those who hold office in Washington, to demand that Congress stop cuts to education. But they expect you to sit in your seat and behave yourself if you have an issue with them. The board that conducts all charter business in secret, that remains silent about charter CEOs paying themselves hundreds of thousands annually–wants their constituents to stand up and speak out. The board that shuts the public out of meetings in which the closing of an indeterminate number of public schools is being discussed now wants your voice to be heard. Somewhere else.
Continue reading about February 2025 action meeting here.
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools