Category: APPS Reports on the Board of Ed

Board Must Protect Constitutional Rights of Public School Educators

Board of Education Action Meeting: December 4, 2025

by Lisa Haver

APPS members support Stand Up for Public Schools speakers.
(Photo: Lisa Haver)

The Board of Education says little of consequence. They create the illusion of deliberation, but most of what they say is directed not to members of the public but to the administration–not to question Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. but to thank him and his staff for doing their jobs. At this action meeting, Board President Reginald Streater called on every board member for questions or comments after Watlington’s announcement of the new contract with members of the principals’ union (CASA). Except for Board Member Chou Wing-Lam, who asked one question, the rest simply echoed each others’ thanks to Watlington and his negotiating team. That took eleven minutes.  But real deliberation? Almost none. Prior to every action meeting, the board members agree to move most items into a “consent agenda” (likely a Sunshine Act violation), then take one vote–whether it’s for ten items or ninety–without any deliberation. At most action meetings, the entire process takes less than one minute. Streater calls this “efficiency. Parents, students, educators and community members who come to be heard and to get answers have never demanded “efficiency”. They ask the board and the administration to answer them and to take the time to address issues and solve problems that affect their children. The board is the governing body of the School District of Philadelphia. Their constituents include every person in the city–who deserve answers from board members. 

Continue reading here for December 4, 2025 action meeting.

Board Must Be Honest with Constituents

November 20, 2025: Board Action Meeting

by Lisa Haver

APPS member Deborah Grill testifies at November board meeting. (Photo: Lisa Haver)

The members of the Board of Education, as the governing body of the School District of Philadelphia, must be honest with their constituents. They must direct security staff at 440 not to let some people into the auditorium before others, then lie about whether they are going to bar people who are not on the speaker list. Board President Reginald Streater must stop announcing that people “blocking” the center aisle are in violation of the fire code. APPS challenged him months ago to cite the relevant provision in the city fire code; he could not,  because there is none. The board should replace the almost 100 seats they removed from the auditorium, then they could no longer have their security claim that the room is “at capacity”. The board should stop holding long recesses during the meeting and   “tech” issues. Most important: don’t promise the public for over a year that the facilities plan will be released in November, then go back on it when that time comes. Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. should not write in district presentations in 2024 that closing schools is not because of budget issues, then the next year imply that long-term underfunding of the district is the reason. The stakeholders of the district deserve the truth.

Continue reading here about November 20, 2025 Board of Education Meeting.

Board of Education Stonewalls Community on School Closings

by Lisa Haver

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Distract staff preset data packets for community members at Bluford Elementary. (Photo: Lisa Haver)

At its September 2024 Action Meeting, the Board of Education, by unanimous vote, approved contracts with two consulting companies totaling $4,880,918. The board approved a one-year  $430,000 contract with Brownstone PR and Insight Education Group, LLC for “Community Engagement and Facilitation Support”. Purpose: “For support in community engagement and the facilitation of advisory groups and a working group related to the Facilities Planning Process”. They also hired DLR Group Inc. for “Facilities Planning Services” for $4,450,918; one-year contract for “development of a comprehensive Facilities  including Facility Condition Assessments, Educational Suitability Assessments, updated enrollment projections, and stakeholder engagement. 

One year later, at its August 2025 Action Meeting, the board unanimously ratified a $404,626 contract extension with Aramark, Inc. for “Facilities Assessment for Phase III”. According to meeting agenda attachments: “The facilities planning data warehouse has been completed and is currently hosted by Aramark.” 

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Board Postpones Votes on Tax Abatements for Developers

Board of Education Action Meeting: August 21, 2025

by Lisa Haver

Photo: Lisa Haver

In his remarks at the August action meeting, Superintendent Tony Watlington warned of the impending SEPTA service cuts that are scheduled to go into effect on Monday, the first day of school for students. He promised that schools would not mark students late, at least for the first week or so. Yet Watlington presented no plan for getting to school the 52,000 district students who use SEPTA if the transit system goes through with eliminating over thirty of the city’s bus routes; no member of the board asked Watlington for any plan. He encouraged parents to carpool and to make use of the district’s $300.00 allotment for driving their children to school, but he provided no details on that program. Nor did he provide any guidance for parents and guardians who do not own cars. Many parents will walk their children to bus stops at which they will see a notice that no bus will be coming–that day or ever. Is the administration coordinating in any way with SEPTA to direct students and parents to a working bus route? Is the district planning to email parents and guardians–many of whom may not be aware of the service cuts? What’s the plan? Where is the leadership?

Ilene Poses contributed to this report.

Board Hears Only One Side on KOZ Abatements
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