School board votes to close 17 Philly schools
The board approved a $3 billion school facilities plan via Zoom, shifting to a virtual format following disruptions and protests from City Council members.
The Philadelphia school board approved a $3 billion sweeping facilities plan that includes closing 17 schools.
City Council members showed up to disrupt the meeting, causing the board to pause the proceedings twice before moving to a virtual format and streaming their Zoom call into the auditorium.
Council successfully pressured the board to delay the vote last week. They have threatened further action, including blocking the reappointment of school board members who approved the plan.
Here's what to know about the facilities plan, which also includes $3 billion in upgrades for 169 school buildings over the next several years.
School board votes to close 17 schools
The Philadelphia school board Thursday night adopted a sweeping $3 billion facilities plan that would close 17 schools and renovate 169 over the next decade, reshaping the system for years to come.
The vote came amid intense opposition and over the objections of hundreds of students, parents, and teachers who begged the board to spare their schools. And it happened at an extraordinarily charged meeting that a majority of City Council shut down twice, exposing a schism between the district and one of its main funders.
With police and school security officers hemming them in, a majority of Council members stood as close to the board as they could, shouting their displeasure as board president Reginald Streater demanded order. Ultimately, the board took their vote remotely, in a locked room, as some audience members remained in the auditorium to see the meeting streamed via Zoom.
» READ MORE: Philadelphia school board votes to close 17 schools
How each school board member voted on the facilities plan
A look at changes coming to Philly schools under facilities plan
School board approves facilities plan
The facilities plan has now passed, with six yes votes to three no's. Casting ballots against the plan were Crystal Cubbage, Wanda Novales, and Whitney Jones.
"If we don't get it shut, it down," the audience began chanting as soon as school board president Reginald Streater adjourned the meeting.
A disheartened crowd shouted "shame" and slowly headed for the exits, looking defeated.
School board hears public comment ahead of vote
The board is now hearing from members of the public via Zoom before holding a vote on the school facilities plan.
Art Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, criticized the board for moving its meeting to a virtual format.
"All I have to say is, shame on you for having this vote. There has not been enough public engagement and transparency," Steinberg said. "Moving forward with this is a sign of disrespect to the entire community."
Wilkerson says plan is 'not perfect, but it's a start'
Board member Joyce Wilkerson, whose comments were interrupted with City Council protests earlier, said once the meeting resumed virtually that the facilities plan has been "years in the making."
"It's not perfect, but it's a start," Wilkerson said.
The district is spending millions in temporary mobile classrooms at some schools, and at others, schools with classes of nine children, Wilkerson said.
School board resumes meeting virtually after Council disruptions
After a second recess, the board resumed the meeting virtually, with each member appearing in a separate video screen.
The meeting is being streamed into the auditorium.
"The work must go on," board president Reginald Streater said.
Council members' protest shuts down meeting again
When Joyce Wilkerson speaks, saying she'll vote yes, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas booed and began to loudly disrupt the proceedings.
"You're not even a board member," he shouted at Wilkerson, referring to controversy surrounding her position on the board.
Police moved in and the meeting was put on hold again.
Another 'no' vote and another 'yes'
Board member Wanda Novales thanks Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. for his work but said she did not support the plan.
"Something has to be done - I fully agree with that. But I am not yet convinced that this plan as it stands provides a clear path forward," said Novales.
Board member Joan Stern said the plan is "imperfect" and "contains many recommendations with which I am not totally comfortable," but indicated she'd vote yes.
Board vice president adds her support for plan
Sarah-Ashley Andrews, the board vice president and a licensed therapist, said she knows how difficult the impact of the plan is.
But, she said, "as board members, we have the responsibility to address the challenges before us in a way that centers students, supports their well-being, and strengthens the system they depend on."
Schools with fewer than 200 students cost the district between $22,933 and $51,096 per student to operate, Andrews said.
Another board member voices support for the plan
Board member ChauWing Lam is now speaking.
"The building conditions at many of our schools are simply unacceptable," Lam said. As a public school student, she never had to worry about finding a working bathroom or a roof falling down.
Lam talked about what she's looking for during the transition year before schools begin closing. She noted the tension in the room. She's a board member now, she said, "but maybe not for long."
Three members say they'll vote 'no'
Three of four board members who have spoken so far are no votes: Crystal Cubbage, Cheryl Harper, and Whitney Jones.
Board president Reginald Streater has signaled he'll vote yes.
"Two more no's" people in the overflow room started to chant after Jones shared his position.
More school board members say they oppose the plan
Board member Cheryl Harper signals she's in agreement with Cubbage and will vote against the plan.
"I don't see this plan really helping our children," Harper said. "We do need to close some schools. There are some communities that will not be happy about it."
A few people in the overflow room wearing Lankenau T-shirts nodded and wore triumphant expressions when Harper started speaking and seemed to align with Cubbage's opposition to the plan.
One board member vows to vote 'no'
Board member Crystal Cubbage said the plan needs to be bold, but "this plan does not serve such a vision." Cubbage said there was no clear vision from the mayor or City Council. "We're operating in silos." She said she will vote no on the plan.
The audience erupted in cheers.
Cubbage said the plan "is not financially viable" and it doesn't get the district to 90% utilization. It is rebranding maintenance as modernization, she said.
Streater says meeting will go virtual if disruption continues
“You called the cops on us,” a man in the overflow room shouted as board president Reginald Streater encouraged the meeting attendees to stay involved as the facilities process continues over the coming years.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas shouted that he will call for the resignation of anyone who votes yes to the plan.
Streater said he would recess the meeting and continue it virtually if disruptions continue. Thomas called for the audience to quiet, and Streater said he didn't need help.
Meeting resumes with board member comments
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. concluded his presentation on the facilities plan as the meeting resumed, outlining changes he's recommended since January.
Next come statements from school board members.
"Students outcomes don't and won't change until adult behaviors change," board president Reginald Streater said. To improve student outcomes, "we must be willing to disrupt the status quo."
School board returns to auditorium
The school board is now returning to the auditorium. There's a great deal of restless energy in the room.
The audience is chanting.
"Where's the mayor?" and "Hey hey! Ho ho! If you vote yes, you've got to go," they're shouting.
Council members speak to audience during school board recess
The school board is missing, but the Constance E. Clayton Education Center auditorium is still abuzz. City Council members are giving impromptu speeches to community members and reporters still in the room.
A slide projected onto a screen in the auditorium says the school board meeting "will reconvene in no less than 15 minutes." But it's unclear whether the meeting will resume tonight — online or in person.
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who has made a strong stand against the closure of Paul Robeson High, said the Council members who disrupted the school board meeting will remain and oppose a closure vote as long as they need to.
School board recesses meeting
Less than 15 minutes into the meeting, the school board called for a 15-minute recess as disruptions and protests grew louder.
City Council members lead disruptions of meeting
Some audience members are sounding whistles and booing as Watlington details the facilities presentation. City Council members have moved as close to the board as they can.
City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. is shouting. "Always trying to fix what is not broken," he said.
City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas shouted, "call the cops! Call the police. Every single member who votes for this, we're calling for your resignation. Vote for it, and it's your last vote."
Protests and disruptions from the crowd as facilities plan is presented
As Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. began to present the facilities master plan to the board, some audience members began to shout.
"If we're not heard, you won't vote," people shouted. Watlington continued to read, and Streater sounded his gavel. Those shouting quieted down after a few moments.
Meeting begins as some audience members refuse to take their seats
The meeting has started. All board members are present, though no student members are at the table.
"Once again, I ask for your respect and partnership so that we can facilitate an orderly meeting," school board president Reginald Streater told the standing-room-only audience. More people are gathered in an overflow room.
Many members of the public will not take their seats.
School board arrives to begin high-stakes meeting
Board members began filing into the second-floor auditorium, crowded with students, parents, community members, district employees, reporters, and photographers, just before 4 p.m.
Students and others begin arriving to protest school board vote
About 40 teens wearing “Don’t Sell Lankenau Environmental” T-shirts chanted “Save Our Schools” and “Just Vote No” on the steps outside the school district headquarters on North Broad Street around 3:15 p.m. Thursday.
Lankenau, the city's environmental magnet school, is one of 17 schools slated for closure in the school district's master plan. It's also one of the schools City Council members are working to save.
One student was dressed in a felt tree costume while another held a pot of sunflowers. Some held posters with red letters reading “Save Lankenau Environmental Science High School As Is/Where It Is. Stop the land grab.”
Mayor Parker declines to comment on impending vote
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker declined to comment on the impending vote Thursday afternoon while she was at the South Philadelphia stadium complex hosting members of the Democratic National Committee.
Parker has largely been in lockstep with the district and has proposed a controversial tax on rideshares in the city to help plug a structural deficit. But that money would not go toward capital needs, such as new facilities or upgrades at existing ones.
Last week, she gave a lengthy speech urging City Council members to step up and support the district.
» READ MORE: Mayor Parker appeals to City Council to step up to stave off Philly classroom cuts, makes a case for school closings
The story behind each of the 17 Philly schools slated for closure
The Inquirer talked to teachers, students, and community members at the 17 schools slated for closure. Read each school's story here:
» READ MORE: The story behind each of the 17 Philly schools slated for closure
Council members say they're willing to 'get locked up for the kids' while disrupting school board meeting
City Council members said Thursday afternoon they intend to go through with their plans to disrupt a Philadelphia school board meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. in an act of civil disobedience to prevent the board from approving the district’s facilities plan, which would close 17 schools and renovate 169 others.
“I got my bail money,” Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. said during a speech at the end of Council’s weekly meeting.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson then nodded approvingly.
School board president suggests vote will still happen Thursday
School board president Reginald Streater signaled a vote on Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s school facilities plan would still happen Thursday, even as a majority of City Council members threaten to shut the meeting down.
“For years, this board has sounded the alarm about long-standing underfunding and structural budget challenges. We remain firmly grounded in our core principles and our shared mission to educate all students. We will continue to make decisions centered on protecting, strengthening, and expanding educational opportunities and meaningful outcomes,” Streater said in a statement.
Earlier Thursday, 10 City Council members threatened action ranging from lawsuits and injunctions to blocking the reappointment of any school board member who votes for Watlington’s plan, which would close 17 schools and renovate 169.
Council increases pressure with resolution that would explore adding financial oversight for school district
City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. on Thursday introduced legislation that would allow lawmakers to hold hearings about the creation of an “independent fiscal oversight agency” that would annually audit the Philadelphia School District budget.
The proposal marks yet another escalation in the fight over the Philadelphia school board’s facilities plan, which would close 17 school buildings and renovate 169 more. Council members in recent weeks have urged the board to delay a vote on the plan, currently scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m., and to modify it to save certain schools favored by lawmakers.
If approved, Jones’ proposed resolution would not directly lead to the creation of a new oversight agency. Instead, it would merely allow the Committee of the Whole, which includes all 17 Council members, to hold hearings exploring that possibility. Council members often hold informational hearings to kick the tires on new ideas or to build support for proposals that don’t have yet have majority support.
School district tightens security ahead of contentious vote
Philadelphia school officials tightened security measures at the Constance E. Clayton Education Center, its North Broad Street headquarters, ahead of a vote on a $3 billion school facilities plan.
New security screening stations will be set up outside the second-floor auditorium where the meeting is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., Craig Johnson, the district’s school-safety chief, said in an email sent to employees who work at headquarters. Anyone who enters the auditorium — including district employees — will be required to go through security screening.
Access to the area around the auditorium will also be restricted for part of the day.
City Council tells community members to use 'civil disobedience' to shut down school board vote
A majority of Philadelphia City Council threatened to shut down Thursday’s scheduled school board vote to close 17 schools, encouraging civil disobedience if changes aren’t made to Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s facilities plan.
In an extraordinary muscle flex, 10 City Council members threatened a broad range of actions at a morning news conference outside Paul Robeson High School — from lawsuits and injunctions to vowing to block the reappointment of any school board member who votes for the plan.
“If you take the vote today, you’re not voting for a facilities plan, because we’re telling you it ain’t gonna happen,” said City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, chair of Council’s education committee. “All you’re doing is voting against children. We dare you to vote against children in the city of Philadelphia, and watch what we do. This is a legacy moment.”
Council members said they were negotiating ‘around-the-clock’ to save some schools from closure
The school board on Thursday is scheduled to cast the most consequential vote it’s taken since the Philadelphia School District returned to local control in 2018.
It will consider Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s $3 billion facilities plan to close 17 schools, co-locate six, and modernize 169.
The stakes are incredibly high: Some city and state lawmakers are still negotiating to save some schools from closure, saying the plan disproportionately hurts Black communities. And they’re threatening to hold up funding if certain schools — including Lankenau and Robeson — don’t come off the closure list.