Resolution 110801

..Title Calling for the City Council Committee on Education to hold Hearings on the School District of Philadelphia Plan to Close Certain Schools Facilities and to Make Grade Changes in Others. ..Body WHEREAS, School District officials have recommended to the School Reform Commission that nine City schools be closed including, Levering, Harrison, Sheppard, Drew, E.M. Stanton, Pepper Middle School, FitzSimons High, Sheridan West Academy, and Philadelphia High School for Business-with most closing at the end of this school year; and WHEREAS, District officials have recommended to the Commission that grade changes be made at seventeen other City schools; and WHEREAS, The School Reform Commission intends to vote on the recommendations early next year; and WHEREAS, If implemented, this would be the single largest number of school-closings in the district since 1981; and WHEREAS, While the District argues that it has too many seats, neighborhood leaders in the affected communities question how much extra space the District actually has; and WHEREAS, Some have called the District's 70,000 excess-capacity figure "sketchy" saying, "it wrongly included gyms, science, language, music, and art rooms that could be used as regular classrooms; and WHEREAS, One concerned parent, who expressed a sentiment held by many, stated that, "[a]s it stands, this rightsizing plan for closing our kids' schools does not pass muster,"; now therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Philadelphia City Council Calls for the Committee on Education to hold Hearings on the School District of Philadelphia Plan to Close Certain Schools Facilities and to Make Grade Changes in Others. ..End