Philadelphia School District facilities and closings process
City Council hears about school closings - sort of
This story is the product of a reporting partnership on the facilities master plan between the Notebook and PlanPhilly. The best proof yet that the School District of Philadelphia’s modest school…
District takes its school closing recommendations to the community
By Benjamin Heroldfor the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorks After recommending earlier this month that nine schools be closed, District officials stressed that they wanted feedback from the public.…
Facilities master plan will shed 14,000 'empty seats'
By Benjamin HeroldFor the Public School Notebook After months of speculation that dozens of schools across the city could be shut down, District officials have recommended to the School Reform…
Facilities Master Plan coming later today
The School Reform Commission will release its facilities master plan with recommendations for school closings, consolidations, and other actions Wednesday. "The release of the plan and its recommendations will trigger a new…
University City feeling the impact school closings and consolidation threat cast
This story is the product of a reporting partnership on the facilities master plan between the Notebook and PlanPhilly. They were only 142 words, comprising just one proposal among 84 others…
Union leaders turn out to support Jobs Act
By Benjamin HeroldFor the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorks Representatives of the School District of Philadelphia, its five labor unions, and the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) gathered with U.S. Rep. Bob Brady…
At Furness High, a tough choice looms
By Benjamin HeroldFor the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorksBecause it is located in an ancient facility that has become a fiscal albatross for the cash-strapped School District, the school could soon be shuttered…
School facilities and closings landing page
This page is the place to keep up with the facilities master planning process. The School District is compiling a comprehensive facilities master plan designed to "right-size" its physical plant. The…
City Council members perturbed by facilities closures that are detailed in leaked School District document
The already dysfunctional relationship between City Hall and the School District of Philadelphia was further complicated this week when the Public School Notebook published a leaked draft version of the district's…
Confidential document lists dozens of possible closings, consolidations
by thenotebook on Jun 25 2011 Posted in Latest news by Benjamin Herold and Dale Mezzacappa District officials have identified more than 20 schools as prime targets for closure next year,…
Revised facilities policies approved
Submitted by Benjamin Herold Monday night, the School Reform Commission (SRC) unanimously approved new "Adaptive Reuse " and "Rightsizing " policies without comment. Taken together, the policies will guide the…
District budget crisis focuses pols on school closings
For the past year, City Hall has regarded the looming closure of up to 50 public school buildings as a headache on the horizon: an issue that was sure to…
Northeast schools: 'Bursting at the seams'
Submitted by Benjamin Herold Packed shoulder to shoulder, up to eight children sit in plastic chairs and hold their books and papers in their laps. Rogers stands almost directly on top of…
After schools are closed, who decides their fate?
Benjamin Herold for PSN Cecelia Thompson wants neighborhood residents to have a meaningful say in what happens to closed school buildings in their communities. Take the shuttered Beeber-Wynnefield Annex, just three blocks…
District takes first steps toward facilities overhaul
by Benjamin HeroldThe School District has announced its first steps to "rightsize" the District's physical plant, setting in motion a new facilities master plan that is expected to close as…
'Rightsizing' Philadelphia's high schools
Submitted by Benjamin Herold District officials set off alarm bells across the city last month when they announced as part of their facilities master planning process that the new recommended…
Expect politics aplenty as School District of Philadelphia moves to close schools
It is not yet entirely clear how the School District of Philadelphia will handle the biggest downsizing in its history. As many as 50 facilities are slated to be sold off…
Facilities policies vote postponed till June
Submitted by Benjamin Herold In an unusual, instantaneous response to public testimony, the SRC voted Wednesday to table until June decisions about the District’s new proposedAdaptive Reuse and Rightsizing policies…
After revisions, proposed facilities policy will result in less transparency
Submitted by Benjamin Herold The School District has revised its proposed policy governing the sale of shuttered District buildings so that it can offer discounts to some prospective buyers, but…
This landing page is the place to keep up with the Philadelphia School District's facilities master planning process. The School District is compiling a comprehensive facilities master plan designed to "right-size" its physical plant. The goal is to maximize educational availability, quality, and equity, which will involve closing, consolidating, and selling schools. Decisions on how to manage this process call for wide community dialogue and close collaboration between the School District and city government. The The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is partnering with PlanPhilly to cover this process and inform and help foster that dialogue. This coverage is supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
