District Management

Due to asbestos concerns, Kensington High students and staff have been relocated to a building 7 miles away.

The process has sparked confusion and frustration, and could accelerate teacher turnover in the district. Yet experts say there’s no easy way to reassign staff.

A new audit found the district owes $2.8 million in delayed termination payments to former employees.

Philadelphia charter schools keep turning to the courts to fight district nonrenewal decisions. The legal fights have sucked up resources and escalated tensions.

It’s the second time the district has closed schools due to high temperatures in less than a month.

The district’s dropout rate has declined steadily in recent years. School leaders say providing more in-school support is key, along with an online alternative for those who don’t want to return to their current school.

The district’s Intensive Learning Support program was meant to boost students who are significantly academically behind their peers. But the district says it didn’t work very well.

The move comes after weeks of explosive fights between members of the City Council and the school board over the district’s school closure plan.

Isaiah Thomas, chair of the council’s Education Committee, said officials were prepared to shut down Thursday’s scheduled Board of Education vote on 17 school closures.

Board officials say they will now meet on April 30 to consider the resolution that would shut down 17 schools.

The School District of Philadelphia released its initial school closure proposal in January. Members of the City Council and other officials have criticized it ever since.

The Board of Education is slated to decide whether to close over a dozen schools on April 23.

Schools are preparing to lose math teachers, climate staff, art classes, Advanced Placement courses, athletics, and extracurriculars.

The plan has been adjusted to remove an additional school from the closure list.

Mayor Cherelle Parker says if her rideshare tax passes, the school district would no longer need to cut school-based positions next year.

Philadelphia school leaders want to eliminate more than 500 school-based positions next year.

School Board President Reginald Streater acknowledged that budget cuts could be painful. But he said something must be done to address the district’s $300 million structural deficit.

Experts say schools should begin preparations to help students who might eventually relocate from closed schools feel safe at their new ones.

The state projects the district’s enrollment will decline by roughly 10% over the next decade.