by Lisa Haver
Board of Education Action Meeting, May 28, 2026
As a result of the Board of Education’s speaker suppression policies, over half of the 30 public speakers were representatives of charter schools, 6 from the same school. Several charter CEOs, who have daily access to the board’s Charter Schools Office, took speaker slots, including both Global Leadership Academy CEOs. Recent IRS information shows the GLA CEO making over $500,000 in annual salary/compensation/bonus; GLA Huey CEO made $378,000. Although APPS has raised these issues for years, the board says little about exorbitant administrative salaries, questionable financial practices, and failure to reach minimum academic ratings. In fact, the board exempted the entire charter sector from its $3 billion, ten-year Facilities Master Plan.
Board Passes $4.6 Budget
The board voted 8-0 to pass the administration’s combined $4.6 billion budget for FY 2026-27 in Item 12 (BM Wanda Novales was absent). The board passed Item 15 by a vote of 7-1, approving the Amended Capital Budget for FY 2025-26, adoption of a Capital Budget for FY 2026-27, and a Capital Program for 2027-32. BM ChauWing Lam voted No on Item 15, citing some “lingering questions”. The 5-year Capital Improvement Plan includes some projects proposed in the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) passed by the board last month. Lam questioned Deputy Superintendent of Operations Oz HIll about why the budget details as presented to the board did not include construction of the new high school in the Northeast that was proposed in the FMP. Hill responded that as yet there was no funding for the school. Actually that is true of most of the projects in the FMP. APPS’ analysis of the FMP shows that at least ⅔ of the funding would come from additional revenues from the state (even though the budget presented at this meeting shows lower revenue from the state) and from unnamed philanthropic sources. BM Whitney Jones, who voted No on the FMP, remarked that the administration’s “intentions are exceeding revenues” and asked how they would fulfill the specific promises of the FMP. He asked Board President Reginald Streater to allow for regular updates on those metrics. Superintendent Tony Watlington assured Jones that the district would have more middle school students studying Algebra and more schools with pre-K programs. CFO Mike Herbstman told Jones that he anticipated the district will have a balanced budget in FY 2030 and a surplus of $130 million by FY 2031. BM Joan Stern asked Herbstman how increases in inflation would affect the budget. Herbstman replied that his office would monitor the market and inform the board of any needed adjustments. BM Crystal Cubbage, also a No vote on the FMP, asked how the success of that plan would be measured. She also asked about how proposed bonds would cover the $1.5 billion Capital Improvement Plan. Herbstman answered that he expected $350 million in proceeds from the bond and that the bond would fully fund the first year of the capital budget but not the “back end”. Herbstman took the opportunity to congratulate Mayor Cherelle Parker on her “courage” in proposing a $1 rideshare tax. Watlington again claimed to be “agnostic” on how the city could raise more funds even though he appeared next to the mayor at her press conference. There were no questions on the budget from Streater, Joyce Wilkerson, Cheryl Harper, or Sarah-Ashley Andrews.
Board Moves to Renew More Substandard Charter Schools
CFO Herbstman testified that 37.8% of the district’s budget pays for charter schools. Charter costs go up every year. Yet the board’s oversight of the charter sector diminishes. At the board’s May 14 Goals and Guardrails Committee Meeting, the Charter Schools Office presented summaries on this year’s list of charter renewals. APPS estimated the cost of renewing all 11 schools in the cohort, over 5 years, at $1,067,985,572. The CSO has recommended renewals for 9 of the 11 in the cohort, most for 5 years. Only one of those schools rates a “Meets” in Academics. The CSO has recommended a 5-year renewal for Mastery Clymer despite its “Does Not Meet” in Academics with 44%. The board has indicated its intention to vote for those renewals. The CSO issued a Non-renewal recommendation for both Philadelphia Montessori and Global Leadership at Huey. GLA Huey has rated “Does Not Meet” in all 3 domains: Academic, Organizational, and Financial. In fact, GLA has failed to meet Academic standards at Huey since its takeover as a Renaissance charter. Neither of the GLA CEOs addressed the school’s failure to meet standards in their testimony. APPS’ Deborah Grill reported in her testimony that at one point there were 5 members of the CEO’s family on the payroll of West Philadelphia Achievement Charter; this year there are only 3. “I guess that’s progress,” Grill told the board.
Students, Parents, Teachers Continue Fight for Public Schools
Prior to the meeting, several members of City Council spoke outside district headquarters on the district’s plan to close schools. Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said, “We are asking them to come back to the table” because, he said, he was looking to reach a “happy compromise”. APPS members who have been fighting against the plan, attending meetings for almost 2 years, testifying at the board at City Council, and issuing analyses of the facilities plan have no idea who “them” is or which “table” Thomas is referring to. Parents, students, teachers, community members have been very clear about their demands: No school closings. No parent, student, or teacher at any public meeting has asked for any kind of compromise. Several Lankenau High students and teachers returned to fight against its closure. One student, after enumerating the school’s many achievements, reminded the board that the district’s admissions policy severely affected the school’s enrollment and asked why the school is now being punished for the administration’s mistake. She asked BM Andrews how, as an advocate for students’ mental health, she could ignore the distress of the students at her school and the other schools Andrews voted to close. Two students asked Andrews why she was blocking students on social media. Andrews did not respond. One Lankenau teacher echoed her students in asking the board, whose members often claim that they care about students’ mental health, why no one has reached out to them. Where is the “white glove treatment” Dr. Watlington promised? Several teachers from Olney High came to protest the district’s proposed cuts that would cut positions and make classes more crowded.
Board Approves Spending Agenda
The board voted to approve this month’s consent agenda items including spending of $175,473,556. Board members raised no questions about any of the items. The board voted 7-1 to approve a $650,000 settlement with parents who brought suit against the district after implementation of the new admissions procedures which they claimed was discriminatory on racial grounds. Lam dissented without explanation. The board unanimously approved an amendment request from Folk Arts Culture Treasures Charter School for a change in location. Streater remarked that he was “excited” to vote in favor of the amendment and praised FACTS for its achievement and “innovation”.
Next Board Meetings
June 4 Public Hearing: Marked “cancelled” on the board’s online calendar. Streater did not announce or explain the cancellation. No new date was announced.
June 11: Goals and Guardrails Committee, 4 PM.
June 25: Action Meeting, 4 PM.
The meeting adjourned at 8:57 PM
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 