Philadelphia School Closures

“We need the classroom teaching to change in Philadelphia,” Superintendent Tony Watlington said.

District officials say their focus this school year is on improving academics.

The committees will be set up for the nine schools closing this academic year, schools receiving students from a closing school in 2027-28, and any school phasing out at the end of school year 2026-27.

The Board of Education has already approved the district’s plan to close 17 schools beginning next year. Members of Philadelphia’s City Council want to stop that from happening.

Renaissance charter schools are supposed to serve students in the surrounding neighborhood. But as student enrollment shrinks citywide, many fill their seats with students from elsewhere.

Voters' views of Philadelphia schools have worsened over the past year, according to a new survey conducted after a turbulent year for the district.

The Philadelphia Board of Education, which is appointed by the mayor, approved a plan to close 17 schools. That’s led to calls for the board to be elected instead.

The district budget includes some $225 million in cuts that will mean schools will lose climate staff, teachers, counselors, and substitutes.

The centerpiece of a Pennsylvania lawmaker’s congressional campaign is a $500 billion proposal to fund school construction and maintenance. It’ll be a tough sell.

The Yass Prize — an organization founded by Yass and his wife Janine — announced new ‘Opportunity Knocks’ scholarships. Critics say they represent a attempt to lure students away from public schools.

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.

The district’s $3 billion facilities plan would close 17 schools and upgrade nearly 170 others. But how much will philanthropic groups and government entities help pay the bill?

The closures would begin in 2027. But the proposal could still change.

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.

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

Philadelphia students as young as 6 are pushing for their voices to be heard by the adults making decisions about their schools.

Jeffery Young Jr. wants to restrict the zoning of property currently used by schools that could close. Jamie Gauthier introduced similar legislation last week.

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