by Karel Kilimnik
APPS members continue to ask when the Board will institute real education reform. Rebuild District infrastructure. Stop hollowing out the central administration and diverting that work to outside vendors. Fund smaller class size and the restoration of school libraries. The Board needs to step up and provide leadership in righting the direction of this District. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience within this District–use it. Stop bringing in outsiders with no commitment to the community. Fill 440 with administrators who can answer our questions, respond to parents, students, school staff, and community members when concerns are raised and questions asked. It is time for the Board to step up and show us that they have the will and capacity to rebuild our District.
The current crisis of exposed asbestos in schools is a stark reminder of how this administration has failed to listen to the stakeholders who raised alarms about the toxic conditions in their children’s school buildings.
The Broad Academy-trained Superintendent William Hite was brought in by the SRC in 2012 to continue the privatization of the District. Hite has followed the corporate education agenda, not just in closing schools and growing the charter sector, but in hiring those faithful to the Broad ideology. The District has accepted grants from the Broad Academy to place Broad Fellows into the upper echelon of the District (Eyes on the Board August 2019, Items 16 and 17). The focus of the Broad enterprise, from the un-certified Broad Superintendents Academy to Broad Fellows, is not on education but on business. The goal: reduce public education to a portfolio model of education, one that has little connection to providing a rich education to all students. Dr Hite continues to turn over fundamental administrative responsibilities to corporate reform companies such as Attuned (Item 7).
Transparency has become another Board mantra, yet we have seen too few examples. While researching Item 16 ( Amendment of Contract with FLO Analytics – Enrollment and Demographic Projections ) we easily found this Portland Public Schools (PPS) contract with FLO Analytics PPS document. Why can’t the Philadelphia School Board post contracts as other elected school boards have chosen to do? Instead, the District forces people to go through a months-long Right to Know process.
https://www.pps.net/cms/lib/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/73/flo.pdf
Post the contract for Item 3 Acceptance of Grant from Community Behavioral Health ($6,000,000) so the public can better understand the details of this grant. Items 20 and 21 , Ratification of Occupancy Agreement with Sedgley Avenue Properties, LC for Temporary Building Space and Ratification of Occupancy Agreement with Congregation Rodeph Shalom for Temporary Building Space, again illustrate the District’s lack of true community engagement in dealing with parents and school staff as the crisis at Ben Franklin High School unfolded over the past two years.
Item 24:Ratification of Contract with KIPP Philadelphia ($323,750) & Ratification of Letter of Agreement with The Neubauer Family Foundation ($361,250), states that the start date was September 9. When the Board votes two months later, should we assume that the vote has been decided since the work has begun? And that the contract will then be renewed for future years?
The influence of the Non-Profit Industrial Complex expands as Philadelphia Academies (Item 30) nabs another contract. Instead of farming out contracts, the Board could direct the District to hire more staff, including counselors.
Item 32 -Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, Application for Charter Renewal (Added 11.13.19 – Pending), continues the District’s unexplained cancelling of previously mentioned Conditions when considering a charter school renewal. What were these Conditions and why have they vanished?
What if…..
…instead of contracting out services the Board told the Superintendent to build up central administration to handle administrative functions?
December Board of Education Action & Organization Meeting: Thursday December 12, 5 PM at 440 N. Broad Street. To register to speak: Call 215.400.5959 by 3 PM Wednesday December11, or fill out the form on the Board’s webpage.
Action Items of Note
The full Action Item List can be found at: https://www.philasd.org/schoolboard/meetingmaterials/
Show Us the Contracts
Action Item 3: Acceptance of Grant from Community Behavioral Health ($6,000,000)
Student Support Services – Grants/Donations
Board of Education Meeting Date: 11/21/2019
Action under consideration: The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to accept a Grant as follows:
From: Community Behavioral Health
Purpose: To extend funding for the Support Team for Education Partnership, a behavioral health strategy
Grant Start Date: 1/1/2020 Grant End Date: 9/30/2020
Amount up to: $6,000,000.00
Location: Cassidy, Lewis C. Academics Plus School; Cramp, William School; Edmonds, Franklin S. School; Elkin, Lewis School; Frankford High School; Gideon, Edward School; Logan, James School; Meade, General George G. School; Penrose School; Sheridan, Philip H. School; South Philadelphia High School; Southwark School; Stearne, Allen M. School; Steel, Edward T. School; Tilden, William T. Middle School
Description: Challenges with behavior and behavioral health can be a barrier to learning. Support Team for Educational Partnership (STEP) is a partnership between Community Behavioral Health (Medicaid), the Mayor’s office, and the School District of Philadelphia. STEP was created as a way to provide both individual and school wide trauma informed behavioral health support to students in the school setting. In addition to individual supports like therapy and case management, STEP can also provide school wide interventions through professional development and coaching. The goal is for STEP clinicians to transfer their knowledge of trauma and behavioral health supports to teachers and other school staff in order to increase the number of adults in a school building who can support students through a trauma informed lens. This funding will continue to pay for STEP staff who have been hired in the designated 15 schools, over the last two years, that were selected in conjunction with Community Behavior Health.
Related resolution(s)/approval(s):
August 17, 2017; Item # A-40
February 15, 2018; Item # A-13
December 13, 2018; Item #30
Office Originating Request: Student Support Services
APPS Analysis: Philadelphians are besieged by trauma as we witness the shooting and killing of more and more young children. How do we know this program is helping our students when there is no report posted on the District website? A report would share information such as metrics and standards used to assess, anecdotal stories of success, problems and solutions. The initial SRC Resolution for this multi-million dollar grant actually provided a more robust description of services being provided. Again, if a copy of the $6 million contract were posted, the public could view the actual services provided. Once the funding for this grant ends, how will these services and resources be funded? The District started the System of Great Schools Focus and Priority Schools promising targeted schools more resources but failed to mention that when this extra funding ends it will be the individual school’s responsibility to find its own financial backing for these services.
Action Item 7: Amendment of Contract with Attuned Education Partners – Action Plan Support ($76,000)
Superintendent – Amended Contracts
Board of Education Meeting Date: 11/21/2019
Action under consideration: The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute and perform an amendment of a contract, subject to funding, as follows:
With: Attuned Education Partners, LLC
Purpose: To serve as an external design partner for refining the District’s PK-3 Literacy Framework
Original Start Date: 10/1/2019 Original End Date: 3/31/2020
Currently Authorized Compensation: $142,000
Additional Compensation: $76,000
Total New Compensation: $218,000
Location: Administrative Offices
Description: Attuned Education Partners, LLC is currently supporting the District’s efforts to update its Action Plan. In the course of this work, the District identified a critical need to refine its PK-3 Literacy Framework in advance of the 2020-2021 school year. Therefore, the District is seeking to amend the scope of services being provided by Attuned Education Partners to include support for refining its PK-3 Literacy Framework.
The District is seeking an external partner because it does not have internal resources with both the required expertise and available capacity to devote to this short-term, but heavy effort project. The proposed literacy lead from Attuned Education Partners, Lindsey Smith, has deep PK-12 literacy expertise and a track record of success. While Ms. Smith served as literacy director for Denver Public Schools, that district implemented new standards-aligned literacy curriculum in grades K-12, restructured professional development, and achieved record-setting literacy gains on state assessments. Ms. Smith has also supported aspects of the current Action Plan update project. These attributes will minimize the ramp up time for Attuned Education Partners and will allow the District to advance the PK-3 Literacy work quickly and effectively. In executing this work, Attuned Education Partners will also engage and solicit input from the District’s academic leaders and internal experts on literacy education.
APPS Analysis: In light of the onset of the Comprehensive School Planning Review (CSPR) the banner on Attuned’s website (“We are a team of nationally respected practitioners with a proven record of guiding schools and school systems to excellence. We’re here to listen, learn, and help”) is particularly jarring. The District under the Board of Education still has a long way to go in listening to school communities such as Ben Franklin HS and Peirce Elementary as they seek resolution to asbestos in their respective buildings. Why is the District paying a vendor to do what it should be doing? How much more money is the Board going to approve for this service? Their proposed literacy lead from Attuned Education Partners, Lindsey Smith, started her career with Teach for America, served as an Adjunct Instructor at Relay Graduate School of Education, and is a graduate of the School Systems Leader Fellowship. Is there no one within the entire School District of Philadelphia better suited to take on this responsibility than a graduate and employee of the corporate education world? Here’s a no-cost idea–what if the District allowed teachers to teach, rather than forking over money to a business to continually change Frameworks?
Contract Expansion [bold added]
Action Item 16: Amendment of Contract with FLO Analytics – Enrollment and Demographic Projections ($280,000)
Operations – Capital Programs – Amended Contracts
Board of Education Meeting Date: 11/21/2019
Action under consideration: The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute and perform an amendment of a contract, subject to funding, as follows:
With: FLO Analytics
Purpose: Additional services as part of the Comprehensive School Planning Review
Original Start Date: 6/28/2019 Original End Date: 6/30/2021
Currently Authorized Compensation: $750,000
Additional Compensation: $280,000
Total New Compensation: $1,030,000
Location: All Schools
Renewal Options: Yes Number of Options: 1 Duration of each option to extend: Years: 1
Description: The School District has commissioned FLO Analytics to prepare a comprehensive review of, and provide a set of recommendations for, the schools assigned to the Study Areas of Cycles 1 and 2, for the purpose of enrollment and demographic projections as part of the Comprehensive School Planning Review (CSPR). FLO Analytics began working with the CSPR Team in July 2019, to collect, analyze and present demographic data to District staff and members of the Planning Committees. At the onset it was established that input from appropriate stakeholders is critical to the success of this process. The District has revised the project plan to more effectively engage the community during this process, to include a total of 49 Planning Committee meetings and 14 Community Forums. This amounts to an additional thirty-five (35) Planning Committee meetings and seven (7) additional Community Forums and is all-inclusive for the full range of services for FLO Analytics and its subcontractor Bloom Planning. Given the importance and impact of this work, the District is seeking to amend the FLO Analytics contract by adding $280,000 to ensure robust community engagement and input prior to submitting a recommendation to the Superintendent and Board of Education for approval.
APPS Analysis: This process has barely begun and already there is a substantial funding increase. Why? Over the projected two years of the Comprehensive School Planning Review how much more will FLO collect? According to their website this out-of-state vendor has never dealt with a large school district. It’s notable just how little community engagement was planned originally. While we have been advocating for more engagement and are glad to see that the District has more than doubled the planned meetings, at least some of the work that this contractor is being brought in to do should be done in-house . There are some concerns about the quality and fit of this contractor, given that their team on their website is seriously lacking in diversity, they are not local to this area, and they have had reportedly mixed results in other areas. https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2019/02/portland-school-board-members-tense-as-school-boundary-redraws-begin.html
Action Item 24. Ratification of Contract with KIPP Philadelphia ($323,750) & Ratification of Letter of Agreement with The Neubauer Family Foundation ($361,250)
Student Support Services – Other
Action under consideration:The Administration recommends that the Board of Education (i) ratify the execution and performance of a contract by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, subject to funding, and (ii) ratify the execution and performance of a Letter of Agreement by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, as follows:
Letter of Agreement With:The Neubauer Family Foundation
Purpose: To provide a Director of College & Career to implement college and career programming for students
Start Date: 9/3/2019 End Date: 6/30/2023
Contract Compensation not to exceed: $323,750
Value of No-Cost Services not to exceed: $361,250
Location(s): All High Schools
Description:The School District of Philadelphia is partnering with KIPP Philadelphia and the Neubauer Family Foundation to get more students to and through college. This multi-phase project will allow the Neubauer Family Foundation, KIPP and the School District to focus on improving college match practices using KIPP’s evidence-based College Match Strategies Framework. The first year of implementation will occur at Ben Franklin High School. If successful, the School District will scale up to all District high schools, by training existing District school counselors and the District’s professional school college and career staff to increase the number of students who are prepared for college, matriculating to college, and graduating from college. The College Match Strategies Framework operates on the notion that not all colleges are equal when it comes to graduation rates for students from low-income communities. The model uses the College Match Framework while counseling students and families through the college decision-making process. Students who match well are more likely to graduate within 4-6 years. While the College Match Framework outlines, in detail, the steps that high school juniors and seniors should follow, the four steps below are critical for all students as they prepare for the match process: 1. Getting an early start and applying ahead of admission deadlines giving students access to the largest pool of financial aid and, in some cases, increasing their odds for acceptance through Early Decision or Early Action options; 2. Exploring the student’s passion, purpose, plan and fit priorities, reflecting on what the student wants out of a college education, including college experience, learning environment, location, area of study, and career opportunities; 3. Preparing for the cost of college to understand their options, to help them increase eligibility for aid, and to avoid excess debt; and 4. Knowing their numbers such as academic profiles, including their GPA, ACT, and SAT, that affect which schools they can attend.
The School District, with the support of KIPP and the Neubauer Family Foundation, has received funding from the Neubauer Foundation to support the position of Director of College & Career working at Ben Franklin High School. The Neubauer Family Foundation is prepared to make a grant of $361,250 to KIPP Philadelphia to fund the first three years of this pilot program, with a step-down in financial commitment for each year of the project. Ben Franklin was selected because of the opportunity to improve its college going culture and because its principal is a Neubauer Fellow, who is greatly supported by the Neubauer Foundation, and because the District wants Ben Franklin students, during this year of transition, to know we are making important investments in their futures.
The Director of College and Career began working with students, the principal, and the school counselor at the start of the school year because year one involves no financial obligation by the School District and because the pilot relies significantly on starting when students return to school. Ratification is requested based on this earlier start date and because funding requirements for the program were not finalized until October 2019.
APPS Analysis: Last month APPS wrote in the Eyes, and presented testimony to Board Committee and Action meetings, about why this Item should not be approved. Nothing has changed. KIPP Philadelphia has zero track record of implementing this product outside of their own narrow and highly scripted No Excuses program. The Board needs to keep in mind that KIPP has admitted to expelling students for minor offenses, without due process, so the students graduating have already survived a built-in whittling process. The Board should deny this grant from the Neubauer Foundation. If the District is committed to providing more support for students, begin with hiring more counselors. This starts as a three-year grant but steps down the amount each year. Who picks up the tab then? There is no mention of assessing the program and proceeding based on that data. For an institution that relies heavily on data, why is there no mention if it in this grant?
Lack of Community Engagement Has Emotional and Financial Costs
Action Item 20: Ratification of Occupancy Agreement with Sedgley Avenue Properties, LC for Temporary Building Space ($578,226)
Board of Education Meeting Date: 11/21/2019
Action under consideration: The Administration recommends that the Board of Education ratify the execution and performance of an Occupancy Agreement, through the Superintendent or his designee, for the use of a building and grounds, as follows:
With:1000-1018 W. Sedgley Avenue, LLC, or its affiliates
Purpose:To enter into an occupancy agreement for a school building and a parking lot for the students and staff of Benjamin Franklin High School
Start Date: 10/10/2019 End Date: 1/31/2020
Location:900-926 Sedgley Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19140
Rent: $300,000 at $75,000 per month; Security Deposit: $150,000; and utilities and maintenance costs
Description:In response to an urgent need to relocate 425 students of Benjamin Franklin High School due to construction and environmental concerns at the school, the School District, based on recommendations from the SLA-Benjamin Franklin Task Force, determined to relocate the students to 900-926 W. Sedgley Avenue (the “Property”). The School District has moved students from Benjamin Franklin High School to the Property until construction is completed. The School District will pay for all cleaning, janitorial services, trash, snow and ice removal, landscaping, lawn care, security services, elevator maintenance and HVAC maintenance for the Property during the term of the occupancy agreement. Ratification is requested because of the immediate need to relocate Benjamin Franklin High School to the Property, and, based on this immediate need, the School District has negotiated and executed the occupancy agreement.
Renewal Options: Yes Number of Options: 5
Duration of each option to extend: Years: Months: 1
Maximum compensation authorized per option period: $75,000
Office Originating Request: Operations – Facilities
Board of Education Meeting Date: 11/21/2019
Action under consideration: The Administration recommends that the Board of Education ratify the execution and performance of an Occupancy Agreement, through the Superintendent or his designee, for the use of a building and grounds, as follows:
With:1000-1018 W. Sedgley Avenue, LLC, or its affiliates
Purpose: To enter into an occupancy agreement for a school building and a parking lot for the students and staff of Benjamin Franklin High School
Start Date: 10/10/2019 End Date: 1/31/2020
Location: 900-926 Sedgley Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19140
Rent: $300,000 at $75,000 per month; Security Deposit: $150,000; and utilities and maintenance costs
Description: In response to an urgent need to relocate 425 students of Benjamin Franklin High School due to construction and environmental concerns at the school, the School District, based on recommendations from the SLA-Benjamin Franklin Task Force, determined to relocate the students to 900-926 W. Sedgley Avenue (the “Property”). The School District has moved students from Benjamin Franklin High School to the Property until construction is completed. The School District will pay for all cleaning, janitorial services, trash, snow and ice removal, landscaping, lawn care, security services, elevator maintenance and HVAC maintenance for the Property during the term of the occupancy agreement. Ratification is requested because of the immediate need to relocate Benjamin Franklin High School to the Property, and, based on this immediate need, the School District has negotiated and executed the occupancy agreement.
Anchor Goal(s) Supported: Other – Provide 100% of students with a learning environment that is safe, healthy, and welcoming
Renewal Options: Yes
Number of Options: 5
Duration of each option to extend: Years: Months: 1
Maximum compensation authorized per option period: $75,000
Office Originating Request: Operations – Facilities
Action Item 21: Ratification of Occupancy Agreement with Congregation Rodeph Shalom for Temporary Building Space ($210,000)
Action under consideration: The Administration recommends that the Board of Education ratify the execution and performance of an Occupancy Agreement, through the Superintendent or his designee, for the use of a building and grounds, as follows:
With: Congregation Rodeph Shalom
Purpose: To enter into an occupancy agreement for portions of a building for the students and staff of Science Leadership Academy
Start Date: 10/17/2019 End Date: 12/31/2020
Location: 615 N. Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19123
Description: In response to an urgent need to relocate the students of Science Leadership Academy due to construction and environmental concerns at the school, the School District, based on recommendations from the SLA-Benjamin Franklin Task Force, determined to relocate the students to the site of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad Street. The School District has moved students from Science Leadership Academy to Congregation Rodeph Shalom until construction is completed. The School District has relocated 125 SLA students to occupy four spaces on the basement level of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, including three classrooms and an auditorium (the “Premises”). The School District will pay for all cleaning supplies, janitorial and custodial services, trash, snow and ice removal, landscaping, lawn care, IT services, and security services for the Premises during the term of the occupancy agreement. Ratification is requested because of the immediate need to relocate Science Leadership Academy to the Premises, and, based on this immediate need, the School District has negotiated and executed the occupancy agreement.
Anchor Goal(s) Supported: Other – Provide 100% of students with a learning environment that is safe, healthy, and welcoming
Renewal Options: Yes
Number of Options: 2
Duration of each option to extend: Years: Months: 1
Maximum compensation authorized per option period: $31,110
Office Originating Request: Operations – Facilities
APPS Analysis: If the District had actually listened to, and acted on, contractor warnings and parent concerns, and developed a contingency plan in case construction at the Ben Franklin High School location did not proceed on schedule, there would be no need for these two Items whose descriptions begin with …”In response to an urgent need to relocate students”. These two Items characterize this Administration’s attitude towards parent involvement. If there was a genuine working relationship where stakeholder voices were actually listened to and acted upon, we would not be faced with both the emotional toll taken on students, parents, and school staff as well as the looming financial costs produced by this tone deaf decision. Money is being spent on rent for physical space but what funds have been allocated to deal with the emotional toll? (Update: Dr. Hite told the Finance and Facilities Committee on Thursday, November 14 that the projected re-occupation date of January 2 will not be possible. Expect these contracts to be renewed in coming months.)
Updates from the Non-profit Industrial complex
Action Item 30: Contract with Philadelphia Academies, Inc. – Career-Connected Learning ($42,000)
Academic Support – Contracts
Action under consideration:The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute and perform a contract, subject to funding, as follows:
With: Philadelphia Academics, Inc.
Purpose: Middle-Years career-connected learning
Start date: 11/22/2019 End date: 6/30/2020
Compensation not to exceed: $42,000
Location: Longstreth, William C. School
Renewal Options: No
Description: The Philadelphia Academies, Inc. (PAI), working in tandem with school administrators and staff, will design, launch and assess a Career-Connected Learning (CCL) strategy for grades 6-8, focused on fostering career readiness, facilitating successful transitions to high school and laying the groundwork for increased secondary and post-secondary success for students. This work is also intended to enhance the capacity of Longstreth to meet state standards, including career-connected student outcomes mandated in 2018 via Pennsylvania’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated Plan.
Career-Connected Learning (CCL) prepares students to succeed in a rapidly changing economy and moves beyond the traditional educational model to one that combines classroom instruction with relevant, real-world experiences. CCL has been demonstrated to provide experiences that open the door to postsecondary degrees, credentials and certifications. The result is an improvement in student outcomes both in the short term (heightened school engagement, increased graduation rates) and long term (enhanced employability, increased earnings). Moreover, educators, employers, and workforce development experts have long cited work experience, or simply exposure to the work world, as key to students’ development of 21st-century employability skills.
The pilot program proposed by The Philadelphia Academies Inc, supports the development of a CCL system which is directly connected to the goals set forth in “Get Ready, Leave Ready,” the District’s strategic plan to ensure all students graduate with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to succeed in college, work and life. To achieve the vision set forth in “Get Ready, Leave Ready,” every student must: achieve mastery in a core set of skills required for employability and success in credit-bearing general education coursework at a college, university, or training program; and identify a career interest, articulating the skills, processes and credentials required to enter the career, and advance along a career pathway. In addition, the pilot intends to improve the HS school selection process for enrolled students and enhance supports to ensure students are prepared to meet the graduation requirements upon completion from HS. Given the efforts already underway at the school in tandem with a demonstrated commitment among school leadership to ensuring that programming is implemented with fidelity, Longstreth is an ideal school to pilot this work. This programming will enhance the school’s ability to achieve its own strategic vision and plan to incorporate career-connected learning within the context of the District’s vision. Philadelphia Academies h
This work aligns to the High School Plan and Anchor Goal 1, by including career awareness and career exposure in earlier grades.
APPS Analysis: This District is filled with experienced Middle School Teachers and Counselors able to “design, launch and assess a Career-Connected Learning (CCL) strategy for grades 6-8”. If the District believes there is a gap in services, then it should hire a counselor to become a permanent Longstreth School staff member instead of outsourcing to a non-profit.
More Secrecy in Charter Decisions
Action Item 32: Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School – Application for Charter Renewal (Added 11.13.19 – Pending)
Action under consideration
Renewal Term: July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022
Amendment: None
Description: Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School applied for renewal of its charter in the 2016-17 school year. A renewal evaluation of this charter school was completed by the Charter Schools Office in 2017 and the latest Annual Charter Evaluation for the charter school was completed in 2019 (Renewal Report and ACE). The CSO has recommended a five-year renewal, effective July 1, 2017. The renewal does not include any school-specific conditions or any amendments. The Board of Education will consider this application for charter renewal.
Office Originating Request: Board of Education
[NOTE that this is the only Item with no cost posted]
APPS Analysis: In Spring 2017, when the renewal of Boys’ Latin was on the SRC agenda, then-CEO David Hardy testified that he would not sign the proposed renewal because it included conditions he objected to. That was surprising to some observers since the Charter Schools Office recommended “Renewal with Conditions” despite the fact that Boys’ Latin failed to meet standards in academic, financial, and organization; in fact, the school received a “DOES NOT MEET” for high school academics. The school was also cited for violations in several categories including barriers to enrollment, expelling students for minor offenses without due process, possible ethics violations, and Sunshine Act violations. But the District has continued to fund the school. Two years later, the Charter School Office informed the Board at its November 14 Student Achievement and Support Committee that Boys’ Latin is now ready to sign a renewal agreement. And just as in the case of the September Mastery renewals and the October Math, Civics, Science Charter renewal, the conditions have disappeared. Not that anyone other than Boys’ Latin ever knew what they were. So the Board will approve a secret agreement negotiated and signed in private negotiations with the Charter operators. The District paid out $10, 010, 849 to Boys’ Latin this year. This 5-year renewal represents, approximately, a $50 million dollar cost to the District via the city’s taxpayers.
https://philasd.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=1822&MeetingID=96
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 