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Philadelphia City Council members questioned school leaders during a Tuesday hearing about several longstanding issues, like decisions to send non-renewal notices to two charter schools and fiscal concerns.
But they deferred asking questions about one pressing issue: the district’s facilities plan, which officials have said will lead to closing schools.
District officials were initially scheduled to release recommendations of which schools to close, colocate, modernize, and repurpose earlier this month. But they delayed the announcement to conduct a community survey.
Superintendent Tony Watlington told the City Council on Tuesday that the district is “committed to bringing recommendations this winter.”
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who chairs the council’s education committee, said the council will hold a hearing in January to focus on facilities once the draft plan is public. He urged council members to hold their questions about the plan until then.
With that issue essentially off the table, council members questioned school officials about other simmering concerns. Here’s a breakdown.
Council presses district on overdue principals union contract
District principals have been urging the school district for months to agree on a contract with their union, the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, or CASA. The union has been without a contract since its last one expired in August.
Thomas questioned Watlington about why negotiations have stretched on so long.
Watlington said he could not share details while contract negotiations are ongoing, but that he is “optimistic” about reaching a contract deal in the “near term.” When asked by Thomas for a deadline, Watlington said it would not be appropriate to set one.
Several school district principals attended the hearing, wearing T-shirts branded with the CASA logo.
“We’re here in support of our district,” said CASA President Robin Cooper during a break from the hearing. “But also to be clear that we need a speedy resolution to our contract.”
Cooper also declined to share details about how negotiations are going.
Thomas asks about fate of 2 charter schools
Thomas also pressed board members about steps they’ve taken to not renew the charter agreements of KIPP North Philadelphia Academy and People for People Charter School.
“We’re still here today with the possibility of Black-led institutions being closed while their white counterparts are allowed to stay open,” said Thomas, who has previously criticized district leaders for closing other Black-led charter schools.
Thomas said he was concerned about the board’s decisions because “it’s not clear cut that the Black-led institutions were doing a worse job than their white counterparts.”
Board of Education President Reginald Streater said the board has tried to be more transparent about its non-renewal decisions by hosting several public meetings about charter renewals. During those meetings, board members said they were concerned about both schools’ low academic performance.
Streater also clarified that the board has not made final decisions not to renew both schools. Instead, he said, the board has triggered a non-renewal process mandated by state law to review the schools. He did not say when the board will make the final decisions.
People for People Charter School sued the school board in September following the board’s move towards not renewing its charter. The lawsuit focuses on the role of board member Joyce Wilkerson, who the school alleges is an “unlawfully seated member” of the board.
District leaders commit to eliminating budget deficit by 2030
The district’s budget presentation to the council showed it is expecting a $341 million deficit in fiscal year 2026, and will need to use around half its reserve funds to cover that cost.
During recent years, federal COVID relief funds helped fill such funding gaps, said the district’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Herbstman. But since that funding ended last year, the district has “a deficit in our budget that looks very similar to where we were before” it got those dollars, Herbstman said.
This year’s delayed state budget has added to the district’s financial difficulties. The district received additional $193 million in the 2025-26 state budget, which passed last week. But it had to take out around $700 million in loans during the four-month-long budget standoff, Herbstman said.
Herbstman said he estimated interest on the loans will cost the district around $7.5 million, which it must pay by April 1.
Superintendent Tony Watlington said one of the district’s priorities is eliminating its budget deficit by 2030, which will mean cutting some spending.
“We have to take some austerity measures over the next several years,” Watlington said. “We’ve got to balance our budget, and we’ve got to get our house in order.”
Mayor cautions against ‘political fights’ over school closures
Although City Council members held off on pressing Watlington and other officials about school closures, Mayor Cherelle Parker said she supports the district’s approach to the issue.
“I know that change is hard,” Parker said at Tuesday’s hearing. “I want every parent to know that I want what every parent wants: our children to have something better than what we had.”
Parker said she hopes to turn some underutilized school buildings into housing to help achieve the goals she has laid out in her housing plan, which some City Council members oppose.
When the district last closed schools more than a decade ago, the city council passed a nonbinding moratorium on school closures.
Parker said she would not stand for anyone trying to “manipulate” the process. “I support Dr. Watlington and President Streater enough that I’m going to fight tooth and nail to make sure no one attempts to bring them into any political fights,” Parker said.
Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
