Board of Education Action Meeting: June 18, 2026
by Lisa Haver
“It is with a heavy heart”, Board of Education President Reginald Streater said, that he cast his vote to initiate non-renewal proceedings for Global Leadership Academy at Huey. Non-renewal for Renaissance charters does not mean school closure. It reverts management of the school back to the district. Is Streater sad that GLA administrators will lose control of the school and its finances? Streater did not express any sadness when he voted to close 17 public schools in April. He had no words of comfort for the students who came to the board who tried in vain to explain how devastating the loss of their schools would be. The board’s decisions on charter renewals shows its consideration for the business interests of the administrators over the best interests of the children who attend those schools. Although the agenda contained 52 action items, most of the board’s deliberation at this meeting focused on a few charter schools. Streater gave no explanation for why the board last week moved the scheduled June 25 action meeting to June 18.
Global Leadership Academy at Huey
At this meeting, the board voted 8-0 (BM Whitney Jones abstained) to take the next step in the non-renewal of GLA Huey, a K-8 Renaissance charter in West Philadelphia, after years of substandard performance. GLA Huey rated “Does Not Meet” in all three domains in the most recent renewal evaluation, which cited several “egregious incidents” including: barriers to enrollment, failure to provide due process in disciplinary matters, personnel files lacking child abuse clearances, teachers without proper certification, and numerous questionable financial practices. Only 34% of the student body resides in the school’s catchment. When GLA lobbied in 2016 to take over Huey, they promised to turn the school around and raise test scores. But GLA failed to meet standards in its first renewal evaluation in 2021, and the school scored significantly below district schools in all tested subjects. Despite that, the board granted GLA Huey a 5-year renewal with conditions. The current renewal evaluation shows that GLA failed to meet the agreed upon conditions. Of the 22 speakers at this board meeting, 7 spoke on behalf of GLA. GLA administrators now argue that the school’s low test scores do not reflect the school’s performance. None of the speakers explained the salaries and compensation being paid to the GLA administrators who had failed to turn Huey around. Most recent IRS information shows GLA’s board paying CEO Naomi Johnson Booker annual salary/compensation of $510,000. GLA Huey CEO Tamika Evens was paid $387,653.
Philadelphia Montessori
This K-4 charter in Southwest Philadelphia has not met academic standards in renewal evaluations since 2018. In 2024, the board granted the school a 1-year renewal, giving the school a chance to improve performance before initiating non-renewal. Montessori rated only 49% in academics, with PSSA proficiency lower than district schools in both ELA and Math. The school rated Does Not Meet in Organization, failing in 8 of 10 categories, including Special Education, English Language and Health and Safety. The 2024 evaluation cited an “egregious incident” in the school’s non-compliant lottery process resulting in barriers to enrollment. In the 2026 renewal evaluation, Montessori again failed to meet academic standards with a 15% score, a decrease of 34 points; PSSA proficiency reached only 11%, lower than district schools in all tested subjects. The school again rated Does Not Meet in Organization for reasons including lack of certified Special Education teachers and having no school nurse for half of the year. The board took a preliminary vote last month to move forward with the non-renewal, as Montessori had not only failed to improve but was performing at an even lower level. Yet Montessori administrators sued. Last week, a Common Pleas court issued a temporary order blocking the board from taking a vote at this meeting to move forward with the non-renewal. Memphis St. argued that beginning non-renewal proceedings would cause “immediate and irreparable” harm. The Inquirer reported that the judge agreed with Montessori administrators; claims that the district used “shifting standards, inconsistent methodologies and procedures that do not provide fair notice or a neutral adjudicative structure.” Taxpayers foot the bill for all legal action brought by charters.
Memphis Street Academy at John Paul Jones
The School Reform Commission voted in 2012 to cede district control of John Paul Jones Middle School in Kensington to American Paradigm Schools as a Renaissance charter. American Paradigm promised to improve the school’s academic performance. That never happened. The 5-8 middle school performed so poorly that the district recommended non-renewal in its first 5-year renewal evaluation in 2017. PSSA proficiency rates had plummeted to single digits. Despite that, the newly reconvened Board of Education in 2018 approved a 5-year renewal with conditions. The school failed to meet those conditions, and its performance continued to decline. In 2022, Memphis St. signed a surrender clause that stipulated they would accept non-renewal if the school showed no improvement. Instead, school administrators sued, citing the unfairness of using standardized tests to evaluate the school, alleging that Black and Hispanic students historically underperform on those tests. In 2025, a judge ordered Memphis Street to surrender its charter. For some reason, the ruling stipulated that the district not return the school to the district as a former Renaissance charter. The district had to agree to vote to open a new 6-8 school called “Memphis Street Middle School”. The board finalized the Memphis Street action at this meeting.American Paradigm Schools (APS) operates 4 charters in Philadelphia: First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter (K-12) in Bridesburg, Tacony Academy Charter in the lower Northeast (K-12), Memphis Street Academy at Jones in Kensington (5-8), and Lindley Academy Charter in Logan (K-8). Lindley has performed so poorly in recent years that the district has recommended only a 1-year renewal with conditions, which often signals future non-renewal.
Voting
In the final minutes of the meeting, and without deliberation, the board voted on the remaining 50 agenda items totalling $86,612,573. in spending.
The meeting adjourned at 5:52 PM.
Next action meeting: Thursday, August 20 at 4 PM. (Because of recent board postponements and cancellations, APPS will be checking the calendar for any unscheduled meetings.)
Published: June 22, 2026
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 