Fewer Philadelphia district schools to close under updated facilities plan
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Philly school district brass tweaked its closely watched facilities plan Thursday, trimming its proposed school-closure list from 20 to 18.
Why it matters: This is the first major change to the $2.8 billion design for overhauling the district's real estate footprint amid declining enrollment and following significant pressure from community members and city legislators.
Driving the news: In a reversal, Russell Conwell Middle School and Motivation High School were taken off the closure list and will remain open.
- Plus: Lankenau High School will now merge with Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences rather than Roxborough High School.
What they're saying: The changes reflect community calls against closing schools and for investing in neighborhood high schools, Superintendent Tony Watlington said during a media briefing on Thursday.
- "Our community gave us some very direct and clear feedback," he said.
State of play: Watlington delivered his revised facilities plan to the board of education on Thursday. Much of the plan remains the same as the first draft unveiled last month:
- Transferring eight schools earmarked for closure to the Parker Administration, potentially for affordable housing or job creation programs
- Modernizing 159 schools
Worth noting: The district's plan still recommends transferring Lankenau High School to the city, despite questions over whether a decades-old deed restriction offers first dibs for buying the land to the nearby environmental center.
The intrigue: Revisions to the plan are still possible.
- "As circumstances change, we are certainly open to consider changes," Watlington said.
Zoom in: Other changes include:
- Conwell Middle School: Will accept students from Lewis Elkin Elementary School.
- Motivation High School: Will merge with Paul Robeson High School, the latter of which is still slated to close (and originally expected to merge with Sayre).
What's next: A future vote on the plan by the board of education, which ultimately has to sign off on the plan.
- A vote is expected before the spring.