City Council is pushing the Philly school board to come back to the negotiating table on school closings
Council members have particularly strenuous objections to the closures of Lankenau High, Paul Robeson High in West Philadelphia and Overbrook Elementary.
City Council on Tuesday renewed its call for officials to amend their plan to shut 17 Philadelphia schools, saying it had been more than a month since talks broke down over removing schools from the closing list.
“We’re here to basically beg the school board to come back to the negotiating table, and let’s come up with a plan that we can work with,” City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said at a news conference at City Hall.
He was joined by six other Council members — Anthony Phillips, Jamie Gauthier, Curtis Jones Jr., Quetcy Lozada, Nina Ahmed, and Mark Squilla.
Wholesale changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with the school board passing a $3 billion facilties plan that aims to close 17 schools permanently, and renovate 169.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. presented the plan to the school board Feb. 26 and it immediately faced strong opposition. After some amendments, the board passed the plan April 30. Here's what we do and don't know about it.
And to see the proposed list school closures and check how your school could be impacted, use our interactive charts.
Each of the schools proposed for closure has its own story. Find them all here.
The board voted April 30 on a $3 billion blueprint that would close 17 schools and modernize 169. The plan — which is $2 billion short of being fully funded — was largely unpopular with the public, but is necessary, district officials said, to accelerate achievement and solve for 70,000 empty seats, a vast stable of aging buildings, and a chronically underfunded system.
Council technically has no say in the plan — the school board is the sole decider. But Council controls roughly half of the district’s budget, and some members have expressed frustration that they have not had more input on major decisions like closings.
Council members, led by Thomas, had attempted to body-block the plan, shutting down the meeting at which the school board voted it through. A large contingent of Council vowed to vote against the reappointment of any school board member who supported the closings. Some also said they think it is time to explore changing how school board members are appointed.
Jones said Tuesday that “we have tools in our tool belt that we will use” if the board does not budge on school closings.
Jones said he wanted Council to move forward with legislation to bring in an authority like the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Agency, an independent body that provides oversight of the city’s finances, to supervise the district.
Vincent Thompson, a spokesperson for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, said that Johnson was “still in discussions about this issue” and that he would have more information in the coming days.
Thomas also said lawsuits over the facilities plan are possible, though he suggested advocacy organizations, not Council, could bring the suits.
Delise Williams, a Democratic committeeperson who has been active in the fight to keep Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Justice open, has already filed a lawsuit, saying she has concerns about student safety.
At one point toward the end of the school year, the board was negotiating making changes to the closing list with Council, said Thomas and Phillips, the chair and vice chair of Council’s Education Committee. Those talks broke off abruptly, Thomas said.
Council members have voiced particularly strenuous objections to the closure of Lankenau High in Roxborough, the city’s environmental sciences magnet, plus Paul Robeson High in West Philadelphia and Overbrook Elementary.
Reginald Streater, the school board president, suggested in a statement Tuesday that negotiations with Council were a nonstarter.
“For transparency and fairness to impacted school communities, any conversations regarding the board’s April 30th resolution on the Facilities Master Plan’s implementation must occur through the formal transition planning process,” Streater said in the statement. “The board values City Council’s partnership and remains committed to engaging stakeholders throughout the plan’s implementation. As the process moves forward, the board will continue reviewing community feedback and the district’s recommendations when making any decisions.”
» READ MORE: Philly will close 17 schools and modernize 169. Meet the educator leading the transition.
Monique Braxton, a school district spokesperson, emphasized the modernization projects planned and the academic advancements projected.
“We understand the passion surrounding this matter, and we look forward to being collaborative partners in this process,” Braxton said. “As we begin the transition planning process, we will continue to work closely with students, families, staff, elected officials, community members, and the board of education to ensure every transition is thoughtful, transparent, and centered on student success.”
Technically, the board’s April vote does not actually close schools; rather, it was a vote to begin the closure process, which officials said could change as circumstances change.
Pennsylvania public school code requires formal closure hearings to be held at least three months before any closures. The first closures are scheduled to happen in 2027; the 2026-27 year has been designated a planning year for transitions.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. named Shakeera Warthen-Canty, a veteran district administrator, to lead the transition office.
