Board Must Not Bar Parents, Students, Educators from Public Meetings

Board of Education Action Meeting: May 30, 2024

by Lisa Haver

Philadelphia’s unelected Board of Education demonstrated how little it is accountable to the public at this May action meeting. Before and during the meeting, both district security and Philadelphia police blocked parents, students, educators and community members from entering the building and the auditorium. As social media was documenting in real time the violation of the rights of the people outside the doors to exercise their First and Fourth Amendment rights, as people were calling out to the board to do something, not one member of the board spoke up for their constituents. At least two reporters who showed press credentials were blocked from entering the building by 440 security and Philadelphia police; another reporter had to intercede twice before they were allowed inside. 

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APPS advocates for providing the students in the Philadelphia School District with the resources they need to learn: fully staffed and resourced healthy school buildings with teachers, nurses, counselors, school libraries staffed by school librarians and more. Please join us to discuss what parents and communities want for their public schools and what they can do to support them.

Board Consistently Renews Charters that Fail to Meet Standards

by Lisa Haver

In its recent report on alleged bias against some charter school operators, the law firm of Ballard Spahr recommended that the Philadelphia Board of Education make the renewal process more transparent, with more opportunities for public input.  APPS has been calling for public renewal hearings for over ten years. It seemed strange that the charter operators themselves were not making the same demand, as it would give them a chance to present evidence that they were outperforming district schools. Charter operators could list the charter schools that were fully enrolled or over overenrolled, thus verifying their assertion that there is a waiting list of 40,000 students waiting for admission to the city’s charter schools. When you consider, though, the fact that district schools outperform charters in every category, that charter schools in every area of the city are actually significantly under-enrolled, and that charter administrators are collecting exorbitant salary and compensation packages, the failure of charter operators to call for public hearings starts to make sense.  

During the expansion of charter schools, enabled by the state takeover of the district and the installation of the School Reform Commission in 2001, charters sold themselves by promising to outperform public schools and provide children with better education. Every year, however, the data shows that has not happened.

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Parents and Educators Return in Hopes of Getting Answers

Board of Education Action Meeting:  April 25, 2024

by Lisa Haver

Attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center testifies at City Council hearing on the Board of Education nominees. (Photo: Lisa Haver)

Without explanation or notice, the board suspended its speaker policy so that over fifteen unregistered and unidentified people could testify, untimed, in favor of passing one item on the agenda. Item One proposed naming school district headquarters at 440 North Broad Street after the late Constance Clayton, district superintendent in the 80s and 90s. The board then violated the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act by voting on Item One before public testimony was taken from the registered speakers. The ceremony, which was not listed on the agenda, took over an hour. People who came to testify on other matters had no idea when it would end. 

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