The ongoing debate over charter schools in Philadelphia

Guests: Donna Cooper and Mark Gleason

Last year, when the Pennsylvania legislature approved Philadelphia’s cigarette tax to help fund City schools, lawmakers also required the Philadelphia School Reform Commission to open the charter school application process for the first time since 2007. As a result, in recent months, 39 organizations have applied to launch charter schools in the City and the Commission is in the process of reviewing those proposals. Currently roughly 30 percent of Philadelphia public school students attend charter schools and with the possibility of their expansion, the contentious debate over charter schools has been reignited. This morning on Radio Times, we’ll look at both sides of the issue. Our guests are DONNA COOPER executive director of Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), an education advocacy group which opposes opening new charter schools and MARK GLEASON, executive director of the Philadelphia School Partnership which advocates for charters.