Eyes on the SRC – November 15, 2016 – Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools

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by Karel Kilimnik
November 9, 2016

November’s meeting is the first to be chaired by Joyce Wilkerson, sworn in by Mayor Kenney on November 3 and appointed as Chair by Governor Wolf. Ms. Wilkerson was Chief of Staff for Mayor John Street and has extensive experience in government. She stated publicly that she favors or a return to local control.

The resolutions for November embody recurring themes, fully supported by the SRC, of Superintendent William Hite’s administration. One is the issue of the resolutions that have been appearing and disappearing since last April. Resolutions for renewals of Mastery Clymer, Mastery Shoemaker, and Mastery Gratz are posted—as they have been every month since April. The SRC has tabled, postponed or withdrawn these resolutions, without explanation, for seven months.

At September’s meeting, the SRC approved the reopening of Vaux High School, which had been closed in 2013, as a “contract school” to be operated by Big Picture Philadelphia. The proposed school would serve up to 500 students through 2022. Just before October’s meeting, the SRC withdrew Resolution B-10 which would have approved a six-year, $23 million contract with the education vendor to manage the school. That resolution also stipulated an option for a five-year renewal through 2017. There was never any staff presentation to explain what that program entailed or why it cost $23 million. Once again, we ask: What is happening behind the scenes that resulted in the resolution to be withdrawn? Where is this money to operate one small high school coming from?

On October 11, Dr. Hite announced that eleven schools have been designated “Priority Schools”. Details about the initiative have been sketchy. There is a list of five options for some type of turnaround, at least three of which would include major staff overhauls. One of the options is “restarting the schools”, which would imply that the school would be closed. Dr. Hite has repeatedly said that no schools would be closed this year. How do you restart a school if you haven’t closed it? In September, the SRC approved a $200,000 contract with “The Cambridge Team”, an education vendor based in Massachusetts, to conduct “school quality reviews” over a period of three weeks. Cambridge will hold three community meetings at each school and conduct two days of site visits. The contract resolution stated that part of the SQR process will be “to identify strengths at these schools which can be built upon, and will provide additional, on-the-ground data to inform which strategic investments would be most likely to drive sustained school improvement.” Of course, it is the teachers and principals who have been developing these strengths—in spite of lack of resources, teacher vacancies, the substitute debacle last year, and cutbacks in support staff. If the district observed good pedagogy, those teachers and principals would remain in these schools while the district replaced the services which have been cut by the Hite administration over the past four years. APPS has attended and written reports on many of these meeting.

Dr. Hite will announce his recommendation for all eleven schools in January 2017. Perhaps at the time he will also tell us how much the Priority School initiative will cost.

One set of Resolutions raises the issue of what happens to the buildings of shuttered schools. In 2013, there was a massive closing of 24 schools. Several of these properties are located in gentrifying neighborhoods. Bok High School, the only Philadelphia school building financed and constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1938, and included on the National Register of Historic Places, has gone from providing “a core academic curriculum where students have been able to study accounting, bookkeeping, carpentry, health/medical assisting services, commercial/advertising art, computer systems networking and communications, engineering technologies, and culinary arts” into a space filled with a private preschool program, a range of small non-profits, working space for artists and craftspeople, as well as a summer rooftop bar. These programs may fill a need, but so did Bok High School—as a vibrant educational institution that provided opportunities for our young people. There are many other vacant buildings that would provide space for non-profits and artists, such as the Budd building in Nicetown. The neighborhood surrounding Bok is gentrifying and the services lodged within the building reflect that reality. How many more shuttered buildings are part of this gentrification of our city? Our neighborhood schools have served generations of families who expected that their children and grandchildren would be able to continue that tradition. How many of these closed schools are slated to become mixed-use buildings with market-value residences replacing residents who can no afford the rent? The SEPTA strike has shown us the value of having a neighborhood school within walking distance. What happens to a community stripped of its school?

This month, we see the continued use of non-profits to replace school staff. Partners are invaluable but should be supplemental, not primary. Volunteers are wonderful, generous people, but our students need educated and experienced staff who at the school every day. Our students need school librarians, counselors, nurses, reading specialists, art and music teachers. They deserve the best, and we should do everything we can to ensure that they receive it. Rather than close or charterize or turnaround our schools, the Hite administration needs to institute real reforms, beginning with putting back so many of the resources which have been taken out:

A full time school nurse to help in assessing any health issues (such as vision and auditory screenings)
Classroom aides to provide support in the classroom
Reduced class size that enables classroom teachers to support every child
Reading Specialists who can diagnose and remediate reading issues
Reading Recovery teachers in elementary schools
A flourishing ESOL program to support our English Language Learners
Small class size and supports for Special Needs students

Please note that November’s SRC Action Meeting is Tuesday (not Thursday) November 15^th at 4:30 PM.

Click here for the full list of Resolutions for the November 15th meeting.

Selected Resolutions of Note

SRC-1  Application for Charter Renewal – Mastery Charter School Clymer Elementary.

Consideration of the Application for Charter Renewal by the School Reform Commission would be a quasi-judicial action. Please refer to the Charter Schools Office Evaluation Report available on the Charter Schools Office website.

SRC-2 Application for Charter Renewal – Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus

SRC-3  Application for Charter Renewal—Mastery Charter School Simon Gratz Campus

APPS ANALYSIS: These resolutions first appeared, with full text, on the April 28, 2016 Resolution List: SRC-8 (Pending) Application for Charter Renewal – Mastery Charter School Clymer Elementary; SRC-9 (Pending Application for Charter Renewal – Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus; SRC-10 (Pending) Application for Charter Renewal – Mastery Charter School Simon Gratz Campus. They did not appear on the May, June, or July resolution lists. They were posted for the August and September meetings but were withdrawn at the last minute. What is going on behind closed doors with these charter renewal negotiations?

The 2015 Annual Reviews for these schools are not included on the Charter School Office website.

As we noted last month, the links under the titles of these resolution are useless; they send you to the Charter School Office home page, but give no specific information on the charter renewals. These same resolutions were withdrawn just prior to the October meeting. Renewal resolutions for Aspira Olney and Aspira Stetson have also come and gone since April; they are not posted in November’s resolutions. There has been no report from the district or the SRC what their status is. The SRC’s Charter School Office recommended non-renewal for all four of the Universal and Aspira charters. They seem to have gone down the rabbit hole, and the SRC feels no obligation to explain this to the public.

In addition, the SRC is now using a new designation of “quasi-judicial action” as justification for posting resolutions with no text. The public has a right to view the agreement between Mastery Charter Schools and the District. These are contracts for use of public tax dollars and should be posted as public documents. The SRC is a governmental body which oversees a $2.6 billion budget. There is no reason why the public should not be able to view these documents. This is a clear violation of the PA Sunshine which says the public must have a “reasonable opportunity to comment. How can anyone comment on a blank resolution?

SRC-5 (Updated 10.28.16)  Adoption of Policies; Adoption of Amendment to Policies

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby adopts the following SRC Policies, in the forms attached, effective November 16, 2016 Policy 200, Enrollment of Students;

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby adopts amendments to the following SRC Policies, in the forms attached, effective November 16, 2016 Policy 201, Admission of Student  Policy 203, Immunizations and Communicable Diseases Policy 249, Bullying/Cyberbullying Policy 918, Title 1 Parent Involvement.

Description: The School Reform Commission establishes general parameters in which the daily operations of the School District are to be governed. As such, the policies (listed above and attached) have been revised and updated to align with current local, state and federal law.

These amendments to policies were developed with the support of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), pursuant to a contract entered into with PSBA pursuant to Resolution SRC-5, approved by the SRC on May 19, 2016. PSBA offers a comprehensive Policy Development Service that updates the SRC’s Policy Manual. The policy development process consists of an in-depth analysis of the existing adopted policies maintained by the School District in relation to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations; the impact of court and arbitration decisions and recommendations based on governance, liability and educational issues.

APPS ANALYSIS: Why are there no links to the revised policies? The description states that the policies are “listed above and attached” but there are no attachments.

A-2  Categorical/Grant Fund: $1,116,500 Acceptance of a Grant from Philadelphia School Partnership to Support Roxborough High School

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee: (i) to accept with appreciation a grant from the Philadelphia School Partnership for an amount up to $550,000 in direct funding and $566,500 in donated goods and services to support the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model at Roxborough High School for the period commencing December 1, 2016 through June 30, 2019; and (ii) to execute, deliver, and perform an annual grant agreement with the Philadelphia School Partnership to further the intent of this Resolution; and it be

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform a Memorandum of Understanding with Steel Dynamics to provide educational consulting services, valued at $60,000, at no cost to the School District in support of the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model at Roxborough High School for the period commencing December 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017; and it be

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform a Memorandum of Understanding with American Alliance for Innovative Systems to provide educational consulting services, valued at $58,000, at no cost to the School District in support of the implementation of the wall- to-wall academies model at Roxborough High School for the period commencing December 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017; and it be

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform a Memorandum of Understanding with Buck Institute for Education to provide educational consulting services, valued at $16,000 at no cost to the School District in support of the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model at Roxborough High School for the period commencing December 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.

Description: Beginning in school year 2015 – 2016, the School District of Philadelphia has worked with the Philadelphia School Partnership to plan and implement the wall-to-wall academies model at Roxborough High School.

In school year 2016 – 2017, the Philadelphia School Partnership has generously agreed to provide a grant from its Great Schools Fund of $550,000 in direct funding and $566,500 in donated goods and services over a three-year period to support the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model.

In school year 2016 – 2017, the Philadelphia School Partnership will provide: (i) up to $216,000 in funding directly to the School District of Philadelphia to support professional development, salaries and benefits for staff positions, and teacher stipends and (ii) donated services at a total value of $375,000, including educational consulting services through Steel Consulting at no cost to the School District, classroom technology and furniture, school marketing materials, admission costs for educational conferences, and professional development through American Alliance for Innovative Systems and Buck Institute at no cost to the School District to support the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model.

In school year 2017 – 2018, the Philadelphia School Partnership will provide: (i) up to $250,000 in funding directly to the School District of Philadelphia and (ii) donated services at a projected total value of $113,000 to support the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model.

In school year 2016 – 2017, the Philadelphia School Partnership has generously agreed to provide a grant from its Great Schools Fund and donate goods and services with a total value of $1,100,000 to over a three-year period to support the implementation of the wall-to-wall academies model at Roxborough High School.

APPS ANALYSIS: The Philadelphia School Partnership, a private non-profit, has endowed a number of schools, chosen by its board, over the past five years. PSP has become very influential in crafting school district policy and deciding which schools will receive funds, whether the mission and curriculum of those schools should be changed to STEM or other programs, and whether the school must force most of its faculty out. The School District of Philadelphia is not a charity. We need a high-quality district, not a few high-quality schools dependent on the largesse of non-profits to underwrite programs and resources.

A-8  Authorization of Lease Agreement with the Police Athletic League; Acceptance of Leasehold Improvements – LP Hill Middle School Gymnasium

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes the School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, or his designee, to execute deliver and perform a lease agreement with the Police Athletic League, for use of approximately 6,000 square feet of space in the gymnasium area at the former LP Hill Middle School located at 3133 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121, as recreation and classroom space for the Police Athletic League, at an annual rate of approximately $20,000 to be paid monthly, for a term of one year commencing January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017, with options for two one-year renewals. Police Athletic League shall be responsible for paying for any costs related to utilities and overtime for the Building Engineer. Police Athletic League will provide custodial services, minor building maintenance and security. The terms of the lease agreement must be acceptable to the School District’s Office of General Counsel, Capital Programs and the Office of Risk Management; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that Police Athletic League will partner with Building Owners Management Association to make improvements to the gymnasium area, valued at approximately $250,000. Upon becoming property of The School District of Philadelphia, and Police Athletic League and the Building Owners Managers Association shall not be reimbursed for the remaining value of their investment in the leasehold improvements.

Description: Approximately three years ago, the LP Hill Middle School located at 3133 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, was closed and the building was declared unused and unnecessary.

The Police Athletic League of Philadelphia is a federal, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization registered in Pennsylvania and has been carrying out its mission of Cops Helping Kids since 1947. Through PAL, Philadelphia police officers supported by civilians and volunteers offer sports, educational and cultural programs to youth in some of the city’s highest crime and lowest income neighborhoods. PAL centers are safe havens, offering a variety of programs and events to attract, engage, and mentor more than 18,000 Philadelphia youth annually. All programs are offered to youth free-of-charge.

PAL centers provide athletic, educational and character development programs for youth ages 6 to 18. Many youth are initially drawn to PAL because of our athletic offerings, with basketball being the most popular sport, followed by flag football. To promote youth engagement and healthy competition, sport seasons culminate in citywide tournaments; however, PAL is more than simply a place to participate in sports.

PAL also provides youth with academic support and character-building programs. All PAL centers provide daily homework help, and computer education clubs. To support character-building, PAL runs gender-specific mentoring programs designed to boost positive self-image and provide a safe space for developmental conversations with a trusted adult. PAL Officers oversee and participate in these sessions, which are run by a combination of volunteers and part-time/seasonal staff.

Along with the daily programs in centers, PAL holds special events that expose youth to new experiences in the broader Philadelphia community. Examples of these events include PAL Nights at the Phillies and Sixers, PAL Day at City Hall, PAL Night at the Arts, and ice skating at the University of Pennsylvania, among others.

Beyond keeping youth safe, PAL’s programming also connects youth to future education and career opportunities. To help our most active youth succeed, the PAL Scholarship Foundation annually provides approximately 200 scholarships (of $1,000 to $1,500 each) to apply toward college or an accredited trade school.

The relationship with BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) dates back more than a decade and across four different PAL Center renovation projects: Ford and Harrowgate PAL Centers {city-owned Recreation Centers} and the Rizzo and Paley PAL Centers {PAL-owned}, with improvements exceeding $750,000 in total.

Renovations planned for the LP Hill gymnasium would include: construction of bathrooms, painting (walls, ductwork, etc.), lighting upgrades, refinishing of the gymnasium floor, construction of classroom space to accommodate computer and homework clubs, game room, etc.

A-9  Amendment to Lease Agreement with the Northeast Treatment Center at the LP Hill School

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform an amendment of the Lease Agreement with Northeast Treatment Center, or its affiliate, originally authorized pursuant to Resolution A-18, approved by the School Reform Commission, by increasing the leased space at L.P. Hill Elementary School building (“LP Hill School building”), 3133 Ridge Avenue, by an additional approximately 3,000 square feet, from the 22,000 square feet approved by Resolution A-18, to a total of approximately 25,000 square feet, at an annual rental of $200,000 ($8.00 per square foot), payable monthly commencing on December 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017. The terms of the amendment must be acceptable to the School District’s Office of General Counsel, the Office of Real Property Management and the Office of Risk Management.

Description: The LP Hill School was closed by the School District as of August, 2013 and in September, 2014, the SRC authorized Northeast Treatment Center (NET) to take occupancy at LP Hill School to offer its services to the Strawberry Mansion community. NET is the Community Umbrella Agency (CUA) for the City’s 22nd Police District. CUAs are funded through the City’s Department of Human Services and are responsible for the provision of direct case management services to families in their designated region. CUAs ensure that local solutions and resources are accessible to children and families, and develop connections to formal and informal neighborhood networks that can strengthen and stabilize families and will be responsible for recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive parents in the neighborhoods where children live.

NET currently leases the second floor of LP Hill as office and meeting space to provide a range of child welfare and prevention services. The expansion of 3,000 square feet, including two connected classrooms on the third floor will enable it to expand its services.

The rental rate of $8.00 per square foot reflects use of the LP Hill School during established operating hours. (Use during extended or weekend hours will be approved and billed separately through the use of the School District of Philadelphia’s EH-45 Use of Facilities process.) This cost includes electrical utilities, custodial services, and security. The School District shall provide the following services: building engineer services, initial capital repairs, basic building maintenance, custodial services, dumpster service, sidewalk snow removal, and oil, natural gas, water, and stormwater utilities. The School District will retain the right to cancel this contract at any time, and NET will be able to cancel the contract if their contract with the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services for Improving Outcomes for Children as the Community Umbrella Agency for the 22nd District is not renewed.

APPS Analysis: In 2013, twenty-four schools, including L.P. Hill, were closed. These closings were aligned with the Broad Foundation’s Handbook for School Closures (last edit 2009). Billionaire Eli Broad is part of the triumvirate of venture philanthropists (along with Bill Gates and the Walton family) which consider “schools as a “private consumable service” and promoting “ business remedies, reforms, and assumptions with regard to public schooling”. Dr. Hite, a graduate of the non-accredited Broad Superintendents Academy, follows this plan scrupulously.

Since he arrived in 2012, many schools have been closed, turned over to charter operators, or merged with another school. Despite claiming to close poorly performing schools, there has never been an accounting of whether students forced out have actually gone to higher performing schools. There has never been a total given for both the costs and savings of making these changes.

It benefits the neighborhood to have both PAL and the Northeast Treatment Center occupying an abandoned school building, but keeping it open and providing these resources would have benefited so many students and families in Strawberry Mansion.

A-12  Declaration of Unused and Unnecessary Land & Buildings; Sale of former George Pepper Middle School and Communications Technology High School to First Baptist Church of Paschall

[This resolution was withdrawn by the SRC on November 7 without explanation. Given the SRC’s practice of withdrawing and reposting resolutions, it may reappear in the near future.]

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission declares (i) that certain approximately 7.36 acre parcel of ground, including a three-story building containing approximately 66,937 square feet, located at 8110 Lyons Avenue, known as the former Communications Tech High School; (ii) that certain approximately 17 acre parcel of ground, including a three story building containing approximately 200,000 square feet, located at 2901 S. 84th Street, known as the former George Pepper Middle School (collectively, the “Property”), to be unused and unnecessary to the present and future needs of The School District of Philadelphia, within the meaning of Section 707 of the Public School Code; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to accept the recommendation of The Flynn Co., made pursuant to its contract for the marketing and sale of 9 surplus properties, and after receipt and review of this offer for this property, to accept the offer of First Baptist Church of Pachall to purchase the Property; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, as Seller, through the Superintendent or his designee, to:

Execute, deliver and perform an Agreement of Sale (the “Agreement”) for the sale of the Property on an “AS IS” basis to First Baptist Church of Paschall or its affiliate for consideration of $2,150,000, by cash to be wired at closing and under certain terms and conditions which may be negotiated between the parties, subject to the requirements of Pennsylvania law and the further provisions of this Resolution;
Hold a closing in which the School District will convey clear fee simple title via a special warranty deed to be executed at closing, require the Buyer to pay for certain expenses incurred in connection with the transaction, including, but not limited to, the payment of all state and local real estate transfer taxes, if applicable, and to execute such other documents as may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing, it being conclusively presumed from any action thereby that is authorized on behalf of the School Reform Commission.

Description: The School District owns the properties known as the former Communications Technology High School and George Pepper Middle School which were closed in June, 2013 and are currently vacant.

The Buyer has offered to purchase the Property for $2,150,000. The Buyer has agreed to buy the Property on an “AS IS” basis. The Buyer has proposed a 30-day due diligence period and a 30 -day closing period. Buyer will deposit $107,500 upon signing the Purchase & Sale Agreement and will deposit an additional $215,000 after the expiration of the 60-day due diligence period; total deposit therefore will be $322,500.

The Buyer must confirm in writing that they will agree to participate in the City of Philadelphia’s review/master plan.

APPS Analysis: This 24-acre property located near the airport and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge includes two buildings and has been listed for a selling price of just over $2 million. Is this another case of abandoned school buildings being sold significantly below market value? The First Baptist Church of Paschall has another property with a charter school, Southwest Leadership Academy. Again, the Broad Handbook for School Closures recommends turning shuttered public schools over to private charter companies. Former Mayor Wilson Good is listed as a member of the staff of Paschall.

The resolution states that the buyer will have to agree to “participate in the City of Philadelphia’s review/master plan”. What does this mean? There should be a link.

A-13  Declaration of Unused and Unnecessary Land & Buildings; Sale of former Thomas FitzSimons School to Martin Keaton 

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission declares that certain approximately 2.5 acre parcel of ground, including a four-story building containing approximately 133,000 square feet, located at 2601-31 West Cumberland Street, 19132, known as the former Thomas FitzSimons School (the “Property”), to be unused and unnecessary to the present and future needs of The School District of Philadelphia within meaning of Section 707 of the Public School Code; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to accept the recommendation of The Flynn Co. made pursuant to its contract for the marketing and sale of 9 surplus properties, and after receipt and review of this offer for this property, to accept the offer of Martin Keaton to purchase the Property for $550,000; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, as Seller, through the Superintendent or his designee, to:

Execute, deliver and perform an Agreement of Sale (the “Agreement”) for the sale of the Property on an “AS IS” basis to Martin Keaton or his affiliate, for consideration of $550,000, by cash to be wired at closing and under certain terms and conditions which may be negotiated between the parties, subject to the requirements of Pennsylvania law and the further provisions of this Resolution, and after approval of the sale by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County; and
Hold a closing in which the School District will convey clear fee simple title via a special warranty deed to be executed at closing, require the Buyer to pay for certain expenses incurred in connection with the transaction, including, but not limited to, the payment of all state and local real estate transfer taxes, if applicable, and to execute such other documents as may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing, it being conclusively presumed from any action thereby that is authorized on behalf of the School Reform Commission.

Description: The School District owns the property known as the former Thomas FitzSimons School which was closed in June, 2013 and is currently vacant.

The Buyer has offered to purchase the Property for $550,000. The Buyer has agreed to to buy the Property on an “As Is” basis. The Buyer has proposed a 65-day due diligence period and a 30-day closing period. Buyer will deposit $25,000 upon signing the Purchase & Sale Agreement and will deposit an additional $30,000 after the expiration of the 65-day due diligence period; total deposit therefore will be $55,000. The Zoning of this building is RM1 – Residential/Residential Mixed use. The project would most likely require a zoning change but the deal is not contingent on that zoning change.

APPS ANALYSIS: Who is Martin Keaton? What financial or community interests does he represent? Is $550,000 a reasonable price for this enormous property that is zoned mixed Residential/Residential Mixed use? Mixed use “may also be used more specifically to refer to a mixed-use real estate development project—a building, complex of buildings, or district of a town or city that is developed for mixed-use by a private developer, (quasi-) governmental agency, or a combination thereof”. This sounds very much like the redevelopment of Bok. Is this the future of schools in Philadelphia—close them after making them compete with nearby charters, then sell them at below market rates before turning them into housing and retail space? We need to be aware that Strawberry Mansion (FitzSimons) and Sharswood (Vaux) are neighborhoods undergoing extensive redevelopment and that these shuttered schools are critical parcels of real estate. When looking at schools already closed, or in the midst of some type of change, we need to ask: Who profits? Is it the community? Have they been consulted in a meaningful way before these changes are implemented?

A-26  General Fund: $15,741,334 Contract with Temco Building Maintenance, Inc. – Janitorial and Custodial Services at 18 High Schools

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform a contract with Temco Building Maintenance, Inc. for janitorial and custodial services at eighteen high schools for an amount not to exceed $15,741,334 for the period commencing January 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019, with option for one-year renewal commencing July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020, for a total aggregate amount not to exceed $22,140,710.

Description: The District contracts out the custodial services at 18 high schools to an outside vendor. The decision was codified in a memorandum of understanding that currently exists with the relevant bargaining unit. We are going to continue this arrangement given the size of the buildings and our facility needs. Under this contract the professional cleaning services company is responsible for providing all manpower, cleaning supplies, and equipment as directed by the School District.

On 07/28/16, RFP – 498 was issued to solicit respondents to provide these services under an initial two and half year contract with one year renewal option. The bid was downloaded 47 times by vendors. The vendors who submitted their proposals are GCA Services (incumbent), Pritchard Industries, Temco Building Maintenance, TK Keystone Construction, and Team Clean.

All the five vendors were invited for oral presentations.

APPS ANALYSIS: Wait—what happened to the district taking care of its “labor partners”? In 2012, 32BJ SEIU negotiated a contract to “preserve the jobs of the majority of the nearly 2700 members of the bargaining unit representing the School District’s blue-collar workers. The contract does provide for layoffs “as the district proceeds with plans to close under-utilized school buildings over the course of the coming year, and the transportation department will reduce its workforce by 50 workers in 2014 and 25 more in 2015.” The union, which represents some of the lowest paid district employees, was forced to make concessions or lose their jobs; the district threatened to outsource all jobs done by 32BJ. City Council members including Jannie Blackwell urged the district to negotiate rather fire 2700 workers. The union represents more than 2,000 bus drivers, bus attendants, maintenance workers, cleaners and building engineers whose wages range from $12 to $20 an hour. The SRC, in particular Bill Green, often cites 32BJ “stepping up” to make sacrifices when he chastises the PFT for not accepting deep concessions. Why does the outsourcing of these jobs continue?

B-7  Categorical/Grant Fund: $1,500,000 Ratification of Acceptance of Innovative Approaches to Literacy Grant from U.S. Department of Education; Contract with Free Library of Philadelphia

RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the acceptance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, of an Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, for an amount not to exceed $1,500,000, to provide literacy-related professional development, materials/equipment, and family engagement activities in 10 of the District’s elementary schools, for the period commencing October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2018; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the execution, delivery and performance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, of a contract with the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP), for an amount not to exceed $322,565, to coordinate and manage book distribution, on-line support from local librarians, and community-based family literacy activities, for the period commencing October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2018.

Description: The ratification component of this resolution is being requested in accordance with SRC Policy 820, Subsection 8, regarding acceptance and utilization of grant funding. The School District received notice on September 28, 2016 from the U.S. Department of Education that a new Innovative Approaches to Literacy grant was being awarded, with a start date of October 1, 2016. In an effort to respond quickly and decisively to ensure that the proposed activities would have impact this school year, the District began working immediately with the identified schools and the Free Library, thereby necessitating the current ratification request.

In pursuit of the District’s Anchor Goal #2, ensuring that every child is reading on grade level no later than age 8, the School District of Philadelphia and the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) worked together to create and submit another funding proposal in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s recent Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) competition. The project is designed to continue the improvement of early literacy instruction at 10 elementary schools– Add B. Anderson, John Barry, William C. Bryant, Lewis Elkin, Delaplaine McDaniel, John B. Kelly, James R. Ludlow, Gen. George C. Meade, Robert Morris, and James J. Sullivan– that had participated in the District’s first round of IAL funding through the following series of planned activities:

Providing additional professional development and training to elementary school teachers in evidenced- based early literacy instruction;
Updating and enhancing age- and grade-appropriate reading materials and other literacy resources, and enhancing digital resources available for students through computerized tablets connected to FLP’s digital content, including thousands of high-quality titles suitable for the early elementary level;
Providing student participants with on-going access to certified children’s librarians through the performance of regular trips to their neighborhood FLP branch;
  Providing early literacy activities in the classroom that are jointly developed and delivered by teachers and certified FLP librarians;
Engaging families by providing them with a sequenced early literacy training program at FLP and regular structured reading sessions hosted by their respective schools and neighborhood public libraries.

APPS ANALYSIS: Read the fine print: “Providing student participants with on-going access to certified children’s librarians through the performance of regular trips to their neighborhood FLP branch . School libraries staffed by certified school librarians seem to be absent from any literacy planning by this administration. They have taken school libraries out of the picture and inserted this partnership with the Free Library. Schools used to have vibrant libraries, the heart of learning within a school community. Students could borrow books weekly, or more often as needed, workshops were held for parents, and some schools even participated in the Library Power Program, freeing librarians from the rigors of prep coverage and allowing research to surge in their buildings. What students really need is a full-time certified librarian who can provide support for students during school hours in the school’s library.

Why didn’t the District apply for this grant independently of the Free Library? Partners are needed to provide supplemental help, not replace trained and skilled staff. Suburban schools have school libraries with certified school librarians and so should we! Our students need a functioning school library with a certified school librarian who knows each student and who can fulfill the literacy and informational needs of all of every school’s students on a daily basis. Former principal and recently retired SRC Chair Marge Neff told the Inquirer, after Masterman’s library was closed, that the library was “the heart of our instructional program.”

The fact that there are only six certified librarians left in the district is another example of the questionable priorities of the Hite administration and the SRC.

Click here for the full list of Resolutions for the November 15th meeting.

Selected Resolutions of Note

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