Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools
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.
At a March 16th public meeting, the Education Nominating Panel approved eighteen additional nominees for the new school board to replace the SRC on July 1. Mayor Kenney will consider these, along with the initial twenty-seven approved two weeks ago, to come up with a nine-person board. He is expected to announce his final selection by April 5.
Lisa Haver and Deborah Grill
by Diane Payne
March 21, 2018
This was a regularly scheduled action meeting, and all four of the remaining commissioners were present. Commissioner Farah Jimenez resigned unexpectedly after last month’s meeting. In her resignation letter to Governor Wolf, which gave no reason for her resignation, Jimenez said that “..it has been a gift to be in service to the students of Philadelphia.”
Ms. Jimenez secured the position of President and CEO of the Philadelphia Education Fund (PEF) in 2016. Prior to Jimenez’s appointment, PEF meetings were open to the public. However, slightly more than a year after assuming this role, Ms. Jimenez barred three regular attenders of PEF Compact meetings, including a public school parent, even though they had tickets (which were not required prior to Jimenez’s appointment). Admittance to these meeting are now guaranteed only to regular financial contributors of PEF, even though their purpose is to discuss public education; others can take their chances on a waiting list. APPS has questioned, as have members of City Council, the potential conflict of interest in serving as an SRC Commissioner while leading PEF.
Jimenez has been a consistent and vocal supporter of charter schools. No matter the drain of resources it caused to existing public schools, no matter the harm to remaining public school students, and no matter the lack of demonstrable success of charter schools. Charter expansion at any cost is a big part of the legacy of Commissioner Jimenez.
Ten members of APPS were present for this meeting; four members and others testified on behalf of public education.
As promised, APPS researchers have completed the independent profiles of the first round of nominees chosen by the Education Nominating Panel. Mayor Kenney, in response to community protests about the possible conflicts of the nominees, and the dearth of educators on the first list, reconvened the Panel on Friday, March 16. APPS members Barbara Dowdall, Lynda Rubin and Lisa Haver testified, again decrying the lack of public deliberations and the ongoing violations of the PA Sunshine Act. The Panel voted to send eighteen more nominees to the Mayor. The Mayor has twenty days to choose nine of the forty-five submitted as his final choices.
We will be releasing our extended profiles on the additional candidates later this week.
Please review our first report, as important updates and links have been added.
Lisa Haver and Deb Grill
Click here to see the second installment of biographies
and APPS analysis of School Board nominees.
Click on the picture above to view all videos of supporters of public education speaking before the SRC meeting of March 15, 2018.
Move slider to timestamps to view individual speakers.
Northeast High Schools students 0:00
Shavya Subba, Furness student 5:25
Tiffany Lorch, teacher, Furness 9:14
Dwayne Ming, Parent, Family Involvement 12:40
Nancy Anderson, former librarian libraries and librarians 17:23
Lisa Haver, APPS member 20:38
Lynda Rubin, APPS memer 23:25
Barbara Dowdall, APPS member 26:40
Cheri Micheau, APPS member 30:14
SRC resolutions vote 33:30
The video concludes with the SRC discussion and vote on resolutions.
Note: The SRC places media on row 2 in the auditorium which allowed only filming speakers from the side and frequent visual interruption from the audience. We have protested these filming conditions to no avail.
These are transcripts of some of the testimony to the SRC. Transcripts are listed in the order they were given at the SRC meeting.
Click the picture to read the transcript of Shavya Subba’s testimony. To watch her testimony move the slider 5:25.
Click the picture to read the transcript of Tiffany Lorch’s testimony. To watch her testimony move the slider to 9:14.
Click the picture to read the transcript of Lisa Haver’s testimony. To watch her testimony move the slider to 20:38.
Click the picture to read the transcript of Lynda Rubin’s testimony. To watch her testimony move the slider to 23:25.
Click the picture to read the transcript of Barbara Dowdall’s testimony. To watch her testimony move the slider to 26:40.
Click the picture to read the transcript of Cheryl Micheau’s testimony. To watch her testimony move the slider to 30:14.
Click here to return to transcripts from the March 15, 2018 SRC meeting.
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