Philadelphia school board approves facility plan, district to close 17 schools

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Despite protests, meeting disruptions and threats from most of Philadelphia City Council to block the vote, the city’s Board of Education approved the district’s controversial plan to close 17 schools.

Board members voted 6 to 3 in favor of Superintendent Tony Watlington’s $3 billion plan to close 17 schools and modernize 169 others during a contentious meeting Thursday that was interrupted several times by protests led by council members.

Board president Reginald Streater, vice president Sarah-Ashley Andrews and members Joan Stern, Cheryl Harper, Joyce Wilkerson and ChauWing Lam voted for the plan. Members Crystal Cubbage, Whitney Jones and Wanda Novalés voted against the plan.

“I believe this plan is a necessary step to address the long-standing challenges the district has faced while ensuring every student has equitable access to high-quality opportunities,” Streater said following the vote’s tally after the meeting went virtual.

Many of the virtual speakers did “not appear to be present” after the meeting was abruptly moved from in-person to online, a board representative said during the meeting. Many of them signed up to speak in the original meeting on April 23, which was delayed after requests from city leaders for more time. Scheduled speakers included state Sen. Sharif Street and Councilmembers Curtis Jones Jr., Nina Ahmad and state Rep. Morgan Cephas.

Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, was one of two public commenters who spoke to the board virtually. He spoke from the original meeting room and told board members they should be conducting the meeting there.

“Shame on you for having this vote when there has not been enough public engagement and transparency to answer all their questions,” Steinberg said. “Going forward with this is a sign of disrespect to the entire community.”

During the in-person portion of the meeting at district headquarters, Cubbage called it a “flawed first draft.” She said the proposal was not financially viable and criticized the lack of coordination between the board and the city government.

“The district is making a $3 billion decision in a vacuum when we should be building together,” Cubbage said. “Where is the integrated plan for economic development, housing, transit and education?

Multiple council members protested during the board meeting. Earlier that day, the legislators threatened to sue the board and block the reappointment of those who voted in favor of the plan.

“Understand what your vote will come with,” Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, chair of Council’s education committee, said Thursday morning. “We will do everything in our legal power to put us in a position to sue you based on this decision and other issues that we know exist.”

In a statement, Thomas called for the resignation of Streater, Andrews, Lam, Harper and Stern, the five board members confirmed by Council.

“Today’s vote is an injustice to children across the City of Philadelphia,” Thomas wrote. “What we witnessed tonight told children, families, and educators that the Board does not value their input nor acknowledge the pain this proposal has caused. I want to thank board members Cubbage, Jones, and Novalés for having the courage to vote no on a plan we know is not complete. This fight is not over.”

Watlington’s plan faced several revisions, with it initially calling for the closure of 20 schools. Critics argued that the plan would disproportionately impact Black students and move hundreds of students to lower-performing schools.

“What we have seen over the past few weeks is this board, which is appointed by the mayor, is not responsive to city council and not accountable to our communities,” Councilmember Kendra Brooks said.

The following schools are set for closure, with changes expected to take effect beginning in the 2027–2028 school year.

Pre-K-8 schools

• Robert Morris Elementary
• Samuel Pennypacker School
• John Welsh Elementary School
• Laura W. Waring School
• Overbrook Elementary School
• Rudolph Blankenburg School
• Fitler Academics Plus

Middle schools

• General Louis Wagner Middle School
• Stetson Middle School
• Warren G. Harding Middle School
• William T. Tilden Middle School
• Academy for the Middle Years, or AMY, at Northwest

High schools

• Lankenau High School
• Paul Robeson High School
• Parkway Northwest High School
• Parkway West High School
• Penn Treaty High School

Last month, Mayor Cherelle Parker proposed a $1 rideshare tax to generate money for the school district, which is facing a $300 million budget deficit. In response, Uber launched a six-figure advertising campaign calling on Philadelphians to voice opposition to the tax. If approved, the tax would go into effect Jan. 1, 2027, and could generate $48 million annually by 2028.

The school district has also proposed $225 million in budget cuts to go into effect next school year. This would eliminate 220 building substitute positions and reassign 340 school-based roles. Parker said this would cause an increase in overall class sizes.

WHYY’s Sophia Schmidt and Kimberly Paynter contributed to this article.