Board of Education Action Meeting: December 5, 2024
by Lisa Haver
Do Not Obey in Advance.
Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny
Which side are you on?
Pete Seeger
Several APPS members, in their testimony, asked the members of the Board of Education, in essence: Which side are you on? They pointed out that the board sided with billionaire developers in October when they voted to extend their Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) tax abatements and again in November when they approved tax breaks for developers that paved the way for building an arena on Chinatown’s doorstep. Almost every month the board sides with charter investors and their highly paid CEOs when, in secret voting, and with no public hearing, they vote for 5-year extensions for substandard charter schools. Many Philadelpians are expressing real fears that under the next president, they and their loved ones may be deported, unfairly prosecuted, or targeted and profiled–some possibly removed from public schools by law enforcement and ICE. They have already asked Mayor Cherelle Parker to strengthen Philadelphia’s sanctuary city status. The next action will be held in the first month of the next Trump administration. What will the Board of Education do to protect students, families and educators?
The board gave its answer: they called in police to threaten silent protesters with arrest.
Two district teachers, holding student artwork, came to the podium to testify about the ongoing censorship of students and staff who speak about Palestine. Three people, including a district teacher, a community member and an APPS member, stood behind them, also holding student artwork. President Reginald Streater asked them to sit down and get out of the aisle even though they were blocking no one. One minute later, they found themselves surrounded by at least six school security staff. One minute after that, a uniformed Philadelphia police officer was sent to tell them that if they didn’t sit down they would be “removed”. They remained standing, and the meeting continued. Apparently, Streater realized the terrible optics of having cops drag out three women, two over the age of 65, for the crime of standing and holding artwork created by district students.
Over the decades that APPS members have attended meetings of the board and the School Reform Commission, students, parents, educators and community members have stood in solidarity behind speakers: those advocating for more pools, for school libraries, for an end to leveling, for safe and healthy schools. When the board recesses every month for 15 minutes, people congregate in the aisles. Occasionally, the board has a procession down the aisle for senior citizens being awarded diplomas. When did Streater and the board decide it was a problem? After the peaceful protest in October, after which they implemented a slew of new rules and security measures.
Streater cited “fire safety protocol” to justify his “no people in the aisles” rule, which is posted nowhere in the auditorium and nowhere in the board policies. Actually, the only threat to public safety is the board’s blocking one of only two fire exits. The door through which the board enters is behind the recently erected barrier. The nine board members and two student board members, the superintendent and technical support staff–about 15 people–have access to that exit. The approximately 200 members of the public on the other side of the barrier have access only to the rear exit. Blocking fire exits is against the law. The board is placing the public in a dangerous situation should there be a real emergency.
In her testimony, Lisa Haver urged the board to …”come out from behind your physical and political barriers and defend the interests of the people you took an oath to represent.” Americans have begun to educate and organize themselves on how to resist the threatened crackdown on our civil rights in an authoritarian administration. We will not wear ID badges to go to school board meetings. We will hold up signs. We will continue to stand in solidarity with those who advocate for better schools for the city’s children.
Board Gives Shout-out to Corporate Reformer
During the meeting, President Streater took a minute to welcome a visiting representative of the Chiefs for Change, a national organization whose mission is the privatization of public schools. The Chiefs are an offshoot of the Foundation for Educational Excellence founded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush that has allied itself with billionaire reformers including Betsey DeVos, the Walmarts, Bill and Melinda Gates and Jeffery Yass to enact “school choice” policies in states including Pennsylvania. Are Streater and the board endorsing the Chiefs’ campaign against public schools? Why is Streater interrupting a public meeting for shout-outs to “important people” while failing to respond to the members of school communities who come to be heard? APPS member Lynda Rubin testified: “You treat children, parents, district employees and adults with silence, waiting for them to finish. You treat our children–our students–with disrespect, cordoning yourselves off as if they are a danger to you.”
Board Bars Public from Charter Hearings
The board has scheduled hearings in December and January to hear presentations from four applicants for new charter schools. The PA Charter Law mandates public hearings, but the board has announced only one meeting in a zoom-only format. Why? The board can’t hold some meetings in person and others only virtually. The state’s Sunshine Act provides for public attendance and participation at all public meetings. The board cannot keep the public out of public meetings.
Board Approves $25 million Contract Extension without Comment
In less than one minute, with no deliberation, the board voted unanimously to approve new contracts and contract extensions totalling $28, 473, 034. (That is not including settlements in two civil suits brought against the district.) $25 million of that will go to Imagine Learning for an extension to its $20 million contract, for a total of $45 million over 5 years for a K-12 Math curriculum. Chalkbeat Philadelphia has reported that some teachers have had problems with the curriculum as already implemented; some say that they have had to buy some of the manipulatives that were not not included in their materials. None of the board members asked about this before voting 8-0 for the extension. Board member Crystal Cubbage was absent.
The meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM.
Board Public Hearing (no speaker limit): Thursday, December 12, 4 PM at 440 N. Broad Street.
Public hearing on new charter applications: Thursday, December 19 at 2 PM. Board has scheduled a zoom-only meeting. APPS is fighting to get an in-person public meeting.
January 2025 Action Meeting: Thursday, January 30 at 4 PM at 440 N. Broad Street.
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 