No radical overhaul for W. Phila HS next year

West Philadelphia High School will not be radically overhauled in September, the Philadelphia School District said today.

West's fate as a "Renaissance school" was supposed to be sealed at a School Reform Commission meeting last week, but the commission deferred its decision on picking a provider for West after allegations concerning a potential conflict of interest were raised.

Thirteen other district schools will go forward as Renaissance schools. West's Renaissance status was "deferred" for one year, according to the district.

"Over the course of the coming school year, the District will work with West Philadelphia High School to advance academic achievement. The district will also work with the school community to complete an open and transparent process for selecting a new turnaround team to operate the school next year," Ben Rayer, the district official who oversees the Renaissance process, said in a statement.

Most of the school's 70 teachers have already committed to other jobs, teachers have said. It's unclear how this decision will affect those teachers.