School advocates make last stand before the SRC
The panel votes March 29 on which city schools to close. Supporters even made musical pleas.
They walked in wearing matching T-shirts, banged on drums, and waved posters and flags as though cheering a home team.
They were, in a way. They were celebrating the virtues of the schools they love in a plea to save them.
That was the message Saturday as scores of students, faculty, parents, and community members attended a daylong hearing of the School Reform Commission.
It was the last chance for supporters to make their case for schools the School District of Philadelphia has targeted for closing.
The district has recommended closing nine schools and realigning grades at 17 others to cope with declining enrollment, aging facilities, and a dire financial situation.
Schools recommended for closing are Levering, Harrison, Sheppard, Drew, and E.M. Stanton Elementaries, Pepper Middle School, and FitzSimons High, Sheridan West Academy, and Philadelphia High School for Business.
The SRC is to vote at its regular meeting March 29.
The advocates were given an hour to speak to the commission at hearings that began at 8:30 a.m. and that were set to run through 7 p.m.
Democratic State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, who represents neighborhoods in North Philadelphia where several schools could be closed, argued that the area would be disproportionately affected.
He said parents were considering filing a federal lawsuit against the district, claiming "there is unequal access to a quality education because of a pattern of school closings and the absence of a plan that will ensure that the students who are relocated will receive at least the same education, if not a better one."
Earlier in the day, supporters of E.M. Stanton in South Philadelphia wore matching T-shirts urging the SRC to "Save Our Stanton." Some students made their case in music and rap.
"School is my second home. Without it, I'm all alone. The arts are the love of my life, and I think it's right to fight for what we love," sang Zafir Fuller, 11, a sixth grader.
Advocates emphasized the school's extensive cultural arts program and academic achievement. At the hearing, one group of students played drums for SRC members and another performed "We Shall Overcome" on violins.
Stanton has organized some of the most vociferous and sustained opposition. Supporters have submitted their own proposal to the SRC, suggesting ways to keep the school open. More than 100 Stanton boosters attended Saturday's meeting.
About 75 supporters of Sheppard Elementary in North Philadelphia traveled to the hearing via school bus and were joined in the second-floor auditorium by at least 35 others.
"We have made AYP [adequate yearly progress] for two straight years," said Colleen Lutz, a literacy teacher at the school. "They are taking children away from their safe little neighborhood school."
The district announced its plan in November; it would be the largest round of school closings since 1981.
Since the fall, the SRC has held 17 meetings to discuss the proposals with students, parents, faculty, and community members.
The recommended closings of FitzSimons and Pepper Middle School and changes proposed at E.W. Rhodes would end the district's most recent experiment with single-sex education.
The district has proposed closing the all-male FitzSimons school, and all-female Rhodes would revert to a middle school. Older students would attend nearby Strawberry Mansion High School.
Parents of special-education students at FitzSimons and Rhodes argued that their children had found a welcoming environment and were excelling in their studies, which hadn't happened at other schools.
Throughout the day, students told the SRC about what they described as their invaluable schools and dedicated teachers.
Thomas said teachers at Harrison were educating students in a school with a leaky roof and falling plaster.
Supporters of Pepper Middle School presented a six-minute video to promote their school. Sharon Moore Pollard talked about how nine of her 10 children had attended Pepper. She wants her youngest, 10, to go there, too.
Student Rasheea James told the SRC how pupils would feel if Stanton were no more: "Closing the school would be like closing many students' hearts."