January 2, 2024
The following commentary was written by APPS co-founder Lisa Haver and published in The Philadelphia Hall Monitor on January 2, 2024
The most striking feature of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Sub-Committee on Education is its dearth of educators. Her selections raise questions about who will have more influence on education spending and policies in her administration. The list contains just one public teacher and one principal, and no one is identified as a parent or student. There are numerous representatives from businesses and nonprofits but none from grass-roots community groups. In contrast, there are several charter administrators and investors. One of the four vice chairs, Dawn Chavous, is a charter school lobbyist and consultant. Some representation from the charter sector is expected, but Parker’s selection of those whose schools have performed so poorly that they face non-renewal is puzzling, especially those cited for questionable financial practices and sexual harassment.
Candidate Parker, more than once, railed against unnamed persons who would pit district schools against charters. Still, she didn’t address the need for more accountability for the city’s charter schools, many of which have been renewed despite continually failing to meet academic and other standards. A number have been cited for placing barriers to enrollment, failing to provide due process to students in disciplinary proceedings, and neglecting to submit legally required child protection clearances.
Parker has chosen two representatives from the Aspira organization, including CEO Alfred Calderon. After a lengthy investigation, Philadelphia’s Board of Education voted in 2019 to reclaim control of two schools Aspira had taken over as part of the district’s Renaissance program. The district cited, among other issues, failing academic scores and questionable use of taxpayer funds. In 2016, Aspira paid a $350,000 settlement to a former employee who brought a sexual harassment complaint against Calderon. Mayor Jim Kenney subsequently removed Calderon from his position on the city’s Human Relations Commission.
Sub-committee member Jason Corosanite, Chief Information Officer of String Theory Charters, has no degree or experience in education. Yet, he’s among the highest-paid administrators in the city’s charter sector. String Theory took control of Edmunds Elementary in 2012, promising to turn around the school’s academic performance. Yearly evaluations show that never happened. The Board of Education denied String Theory’s 2019 application for a new charter, citing not only the weakness of the application but its failure to meet standards at Edmunds. String Theory’s expansion plans, circular real estate deals, and risky financial dealings have been scrutinized by the district and the media.
Sub-committee member Penny Nixon’s term as Universal Companies’ CEO has been marred by financial and organizational upheaval. Of the six neighborhood schools Universal took over in the past ten years, four have performed so poorly that the district moved to take them back after less than five years. Last year, Universal walked away from two schools, Daroff and Bluford in West Philadelphia, without any public apology or explanation. Universal Audenried’s 2022 evaluation shows that the school expelled 37 students in one 4-year term–approximately the same number expelled in all district schools–while failing to provide students due process in almost every case.
Sub-committee member Ashley Redfearn is currently the CEO of American Paradigm Schools. This education management organization has significantly profited by investing in charter expansion and collecting management and consulting fees. American Paradigm took control of John Paul Jones School in 2012, renaming it Memphis Street Academy. After failing to meet academic and other standards in its first 5-year evaluation, the Board of Education voted for its non-renewal and return to district control.
Unfortunately, Parker is not the only politician giving special interests a larger platform. Wealthy school-choice proponents, including Jeffery Yass’s Commonwealth Foundation, won with Governor Josh Shapiro’s full-throated support for school vouchers.
Shapiro rails against homophobia but wants to fund schools that discriminate against LGBT students. Local democrats who swore they would fight to protect public schools have caved.
Philadelphia’s defenders of public education who thought we were safe when the state-controlled School Reform Commission was abolished need to wake up. Educators, parents, students, and community members must get organized if we want to have a say in the future of the city’s public schools, and we must not let special interests drown out our voices.
Lisa Haver is a former Philadelphia middle school teacher. She is a co-founder and coordinator for the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools.
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 