COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday, November 17, 2009 5:30 p.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL, CHAIR COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA COUNCILMAN BILL GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM GREENLEE COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILWOMAN MARIA QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO RESOLUTION 080596 - Resolution authorizing the Council Committee on Education to hold hearings to investigate the present state of Charter schools in Philadelphia, and to examine the oversight relationship between Charter schools, the Philadelphia School District, and the School Reform Commission. - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming to Council's Education Committee hearing on Resolution 080596 pertaining to charter schools. We're going to get started probably in the next five or ten minutes. We're just waiting for the arrival of Committee Chair Councilwoman Blackwell. Thank you all for coming, and, again, we'll get started shortly. Thank you. (Pause.)
Good evening. Let me thank you all for your patience in beginning our hearing with regard to this important issue, charter schools and education and how they affect the School Reform Commission. We will now call on the Clerk to read the title and number of the resolution.
Resolution 080596, authorizing the Council Committee on Education to hold hearings to investigate 3 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the present state of Charter schools in Philadelphia, and to examine the oversight relationship between Charter schools, the Philadelphia School District, and the School Reform Commission.
Thank you very much. Let me certainly welcome all of you. Thank you for being here. We would like to thank my colleague Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez for introducing Resolution 080596 that was adopted by City Council on June 19th, 2008. Let me note that we do have a quorum. To my right, Vice-Chair Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. To my left, the author of the resolution, Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez. To her left, Councilman Bill Greenlee; President, President Anna C. Verna. Thank you. And Councilman Frank Rizzo. So we do have a quorum. We thank them all for being here. 4 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 We thank all of you, certainly Dr. Ackerman, Mr. Ben Rayer, all the charter school providers and all those who are interested in charter schools and in education. We realize that we all have a mission of public education, and it is only by us all assuming the responsibility of educating our youth that we can be successful. Let me note for the record that we pulled out -- we even made copies. They're not shiny magazine copies that we print, but we pulled out some old charter school newsletters that we wrote back in '98 and '99 before the School District decided that they wanted to totally adopt them. So we had charter school books back, as the kids say, in the day. And on the first page, we raised commonly known issues, like what are charter schools, and answered them. They're public schools operated by non-profit organizations. 5 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Two, are they certified? Yes. They are approved by the School District and operate under state charter law. Three, how are they funded? They receive public funds to cover 80 percent of their operating costs. They fundraise for the other percent. 9 Four, why were they created? 10 Charter schools were created, quote, "to 11 provide parents and pupils with expanded 12 choices and the types of educational 13 opportunities available within the public 14 school system," end of quote. 15 Five, are charter teachers 16 certified? Answer, 75 percent or more 17 are certified. Charter schools may also 18 employ a small number of talented 19 individuals from the community. 20 So I leave you with those wonderful, exciting and scintillating remarks from way back in 1999, and I will call on Councilwoman Quinones if she has an opening statement. And while she comes forward, we invite Dr. Ackerman 6 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 forward to the witness table. See, we're late, but we move fast.
Yes, and I'm Latina, so I can speak fast. Thank you all for coming. I will be brief, other than to say thank you very much for your patience. I know that we've been asking for a public discussion for quite a while. We are extremely excited at the fact that the School District of Philadelphia between June 2008 and today engaged in what we thought was a pretty thorough review of charter schools, some recommendations and policy recommendations that came out. They subsequently held two public forums, which many of you got an opportunity to also provide some private -- to provide some public input. We are here today because those of us in Council, and particularly those of us who represent a large number of charter school operators, for me 7 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 personally as a founder of a charter school, believe that sometimes as we look to set up high standards -- and we're all for high standards -- sometimes it is important to have a public discussion in what we like to call a neutral space, but one where those of us in public office are extremely concerned about public education that we can also weigh in and hopefully provide a mechanism for us to get to the same end, which is providing the young people in Philadelphia a public education that they deserve. And sometimes in order to get there, as they often used to say, the adults have to get it. So we are here to have an adult discussion so that we can get it, because the children have demonstrated time and time again that they continue to rise to the occasion, and that is evidenced by the wonderful things we see at our charter schools as well as our public schools. So I personally also want to 8 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 thank Dr. Ackerman, her team and all of the operators who have come this evening to share in this public dialogue. Because of the great number of responses that we have, after our initial panel, we are going to ask folks if they have written testimony to please get it to us so that it can be submitted officially into the record. We may have to ask you to summarize some of your remarks, because we want to get through every single person that's here today, who is just as invested and an important stakeholder for us here in the City of Philadelphia. So I want to thank my Chairwoman for allowing us to have these hearings this evening. Thank you.
Thank you very much. And the Chair also notes that we have State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, who has also joined us at the witness table, and now we will call on 9 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 them to make their remarks. And, again, thank all of you. Each time as I look, I see more individuals. And certainly we want to thank Councilman Curtis Jones for being here as well. Thank you.
Thank you, and I'm going to yield my starting first to the Senator.
You want me to go first? Okay. Well, my name is Arlene Ackerman, Superintendent, CEO of Philadelphia public schools, and I'm pleased to be here. I want to reassure the Committee that this is an adult who gets it, that we are all here for children, for all of our children, and we are here to create a system of great schools so that all of our children and our families get a quality education or access to it and then can take advantage of it. I'd like to also -- I come 10 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 bearing gifts. We are starting a new campaign to cut our truancy, and eradicate it is our goal. " We have enlisted -- and you'll be hearing more about this initiative -- all of our graduates, all of our alumni. We're asking them to come back, have their pictures taken, and we're putting them on posters throughout the district so that our young people can see faces of graduates, alumni who have graduated from their schools and gone on to do extraordinary things or ordinary things, but make a contribution back to this community. So we're going to ask Ben to give each one of these to you. We're going to ask -- you'll see some faces that you recognize, friends, maybe relatives, maybe you'll see yourself. Thank you. Good evening. I'm going to start again. Madam Chair and members of the City Council Committee on 11 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Education, for the record, I am Arlene Ackerman, Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, and with me this evening from my staff is Ben Rayer, Chief of Charter, Partnerships and New Schools, and we are here to offer -- on the side of me is Senator Williams, and we are here to present testimony tonight on charter schools in Philadelphia, specifically in the context of the District's five-year strategic plan, Imagine 2014, and we are here again to reiterate our shared commitment to building a better system of great schools for all of our children. Before I begin, I'd like to thank you, Madam Chair Blackwell, on all that you've done to support public education. We do appreciate that, and I'm happy that we can give you an update on issues relative to Philadelphia's charter schools. As noted in our Imagine 2014 strategic plan, the School District of 12 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Philadelphia has a rich and proud history in providing school choice to students and families. We believe the students and families deserve quality choices, and that innovation and choice can lead to high-quality school options throughout the entire District. As such, Philadelphia continues to grow and strengthen its public charter school community. More evidence of our support of school choice can be found in our vibrant history -- and our Chairperson just reminded us of that -- and a vibrant history of working with external partners to provide additional options and build a portfolio of great instructional models for our students. Another sign of the administration's commitment to expanding high-quality choice and options for Philadelphia students is the opening of the Office of Charter, Partnership and New Schools in January of this year. This was in response to the Charter 13 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. " School administration and the School Reform Commission moved quickly to create the Office of Charter, Partnership and New Schools, and then we appointed Ben Rayer as Associate Superintendent with responsibility for all Philadelphia public charter, contract, partnership and new schools. Since then, Mr. Rayer has been promoted to Chief Officer. He reports directly to me and serves as a member of my executive cabinet. The Office of Charter, Partnership and New Schools oversees nearly all schools operated by external organizations within the City's boundaries. The Office must ensure that schools receive appropriate supports from the School District and that they meet accountability requirements set forth under federal, state and local laws.
The Office manages all efforts related to selecting, approving and renewing 14 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 contracts and/or charter agreements with existing and new schools, and assists the School Reform Commission in meeting all legislative obligations under Pennsylvania's 1997 Charter School Act, known as Act 22. Thus, the Office of Charter, Partnership and New Schools is responsible for designing and implementing the District's plan to provide Philadelphia with quality school choices. This includes leading all efforts to identify and monitor progress in high- and low-performing schools and target appropriate interventions to schools according to their academic and operational needs. Looking ahead, the School District of Philadelphia will continue to support school choice wherever it expands high-quality school options for students and their families and stimulates innovation in and among our schools. As I stated earlier, quality choices is one 15 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 of the five major goals in Imagine 2014. Our aim is to provide the children of Philadelphia with access to a diverse portfolio of schools, including traditional neighborhood schools, magnet schools, vanguard schools, empowerment schools, charter schools, contract schools, renaissance schools, and career, vocational and technical schools. Today, over 34,000 students, or percent of our total student 13 population, are enrolled in 14 Philadelphia's 67 public charter schools, 15 and each year the charter community 16 continues to grow. This count reflects 17 the closing, though, of two charter schools at the end of the 2008-2009 school year and then the opening of six charter schools in September 2009. 6 percent in 2009-10 due to this net increase -- I'm sorry; due to the net increase of four schools and the planned addition of new 16 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 grades to some existing charters. The per pupil reimbursement paid by the District in FY 2009-2010 totals $338,250,176. This reflects a substantial investment in school choice in general and public charter schools in particular. In a recent report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Philadelphia ranked third in the nation in charter school enrollment, right behind Detroit with 43,000 students and Los Angeles with 59,000. Madam Chair Blackwell and members of the Committee, I feel that the City and the School District of Philadelphia has reason to be proud of the role we have played in the charter school movement and proud that we have been a charter-friendly district ever since that movement began over 12 years ago. To give more perspective, over half of all charter schools approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education 17 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 are located in Philadelphia. In addition, Philadelphia's total number of 67 charters is more than five times the number of charter schools approved by any other Pennsylvania school district. If Philadelphia's charter schools were to stand alone as a district, it would be larger than Pittsburgh and the second largest district in the Commonwealth behind the School District of Philadelphia. Let there be no mistakes about the fact that the School District of Philadelphia supports charter schools that work. In the words of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, he said, I am an advocate of using whatever model works for children, and I want charter schools to join that work. As laboratories of innovation, successful charter schools have paved the way for promising reforms in public education. For example, high-performing charter schools are held strictly 18 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 accountable for results in student achievement, financial performance and adult professional behaviors, the Charter Policy amendment recently proposed by the Office of Charter, Partnership and New Schools. Recently, the School Reform Commission -- I'm going to skip over a part of my, if you don't mind, part of my testimony.
It's kind of long here. I'm getting tired of hearing myself speak. Okay. Recently, the School Reform Commission of Philadelphia issued a call for public comment on a draft amendment to its Charter School Policy. This amendment anticipates a process by which charter schools may apply to increase enrollment and/or alter existing grade configurations. All public comments and criticisms received our full consideration. We believe the community's engagement is essential to the success of all public and charter 19 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 schools. In fact, when Ben Rayer offers his testimony, he will include an update on the details concerning what, when and why we moved to amend the policy and proceed with a plan to engage the community. The District's process to gathering feedback on the original draft of the proposed amendment from individuals and organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area began in August. Currently, we are sorting through the public comments and concerns as we think how best to incorporate that feedback in a revised draft. We want to be fair in addressing the public's concerns about amending the existing Charter Policy without compromising the District's goals. In response to public discussions, we are looking closely at the following ideas as ways of incorporating public feedback: Adding a provision that permits 20 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 public charter schools to apply for changes under the policy during their third year of operation in any renewal period. This would be in addition to the option to apply for changes at renewal. Secondly, adding a "grace period" to allow charter schools that have previously requested consideration of changes to grades and/or enrollment increases, dating back to the 2007-2008 renewal cycle, to request those changes now, setting a minimum academic standard of School Improvement 1 or above. Third, making AYP status or meeting 80 percent of the targets on School Report Cards as the minimum academic standard that charters must maintain in order to be considered for enrollment increases going forward after the grace period has ended. And then finally, another option we are considering for future use as a standard is the school performance index, which would allow us to evaluate 21 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the performance of individual charters in comparison to other charter schools over time. To conclude, I would like to state once again that quality choices are a key component in the School District of Philadelphia's five-year plan. Let there be no mistake about our conviction that children come first and that all children deserve equal access to a system of great schools, including fiscally sound, well-managed, educationally innovative and academically successful charter schools. I want to extend again my thanks to Madam Chair Blackwell, members of the City Council's Education Committee, Mayor Michael Nutter, Dr. Lori Shorr and every Philadelphian for your ongoing and steadfast support of quality choices in education. It is only with a unified partnership of state, city and district that we will be able to dramatically 22 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 reform the quality of all of our schools and educational offerings aimed at greater results for all of our children and families. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Dr. Ackerman. We'll allow for, if it is okay with my colleagues, for all of you to testify before we raise any questions. Is that okay?
Thank you. Good evening, Chairwoman Blackwell and members of the City Council Committee on Education. My name is Ben Rayer and I am the Chief Charter, Partnership and New Schools Officer at the School District. Thank you for the opportunity to testify tonight. As the only charter school authorizer in the City of Philadelphia, the School Reform Commission and the 23 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 School District of Philadelphia are proud to support the 34,000 students currently educated in 67 charter schools in the City's boundaries. The Charter School Office at the School District is responsible for supporting the success of charter schools in Philadelphia by performing two primary functions. First, the Charter School Office must be an effective support to our customers, those 67 charter school operators and the students and parents they serve. When schools or families need help, we must be there to assist them. Second, the Charter School Office must fulfill its oversight function as required by the SRC of charter schools by ensuring their independence and autonomy while fulfilling obligations under federal, state and local laws as an authorizer of charter schools. The Charter School Office will 24 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 continue to focus on supporting charter schools as an important tool to provide quality public school options for Philadelphia's families. To accomplish this goal, we have and will continue to work to build relationships with charter operators and work in partnership with the charter school community. Our specific work in this regard will include working together with charter schools on implementing recommendations of prior Charter School Task Forces of the SRC and using our recently created Charter School Round Table, made up of charter school community representatives and District staff, to work collaboratively on important issues that include providing parents and students ways to compare performance of all public schools, whether they be charter or District; sharing promising practice among schools, charter and District; establishing a clear support role for charters in 25 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Philadelphia's school system, including our Intermediate Unit; and working together with charter operators to identify other projects of mutual interest that we can work on together. Dr. Ackerman has already testified today about a proposed amendment to the School Reform Commission's current Charter School Policy. This amendment was proposed based on a need of the Philadelphia charter school community to have a clear, transparent and consistent process which they could use to seek approval to educate additional students. The current policy as it stands today has resulted in ad hoc decision-making about enrollment increases or changes to grades in charters. As the Superintendent stated, the School District's plan, Imagine 2014, is focused on building a system of great schools that serve all children. We believe charter schools are a critical 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 component of this work, and we also believe that every child and family in Philadelphia has a right to a great school for their child. Those options should include charter schools. I'm going to skip ahead a little bit here. The School Reform Commission and the District believe that the future is bright for charter schools in Philadelphia. We at the District are committed to working as partners with charter schools. We will always work to provide greater opportunities for children to be well educated, and we believe there is a great role for charter schools in this work. In closing, I would like to thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell and the members of the City Council, for your time and your interest in the support of charter schools in Philadelphia. We thank you for the opportunity to be here this evening and to provide this 27 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 testimony.
Thank you very much. Senator Williams. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Thank you, Madam Chair. First, let me thank you for having the hearing and, second of all, to all the members of the Committee for allowing me to make comments tonight. First, I'll start with what allows me or brings me to this issue, and then I'll talk about why I'm sitting at the table next to the Superintendent. For those who don't know, charter schools have been in existence in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia County for over ten years now. But when we voted on that issue in Pennsylvania, it was not a popular issue, and, frankly, it was viewed as a partisan vote. Very few democrats supported the idea or the legislations related to charter schools. It was a very narrow vote, and I was one of very few democrats from Philadelphia 28 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 County who voted for it. So obviously I feel passionate about not only its existence, but its implementation and its effect and affect upon the population of children that it currently houses. The second part is, for those who don't know, for as long as charter schools have existed in Philadelphia County, I've either been a Board member or a Board President of a charter school. So I've seen the good and the bad in my own charter school, the challenges that charter school operators are faced with every day. That percent that sort of 16 slipped into the conversation tonight is 17 one of the challenges that charter 18 schools have to deal with every year. 19 It's 20 percent less than the traditional 20 public school that I'm sure you will hear about tonight. Some of the services that traditionally are housed around traditional neighborhood public schools to date charter schools don't currently 29 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 have. And despite my dear friend and colleague, Arlene Ackerman's, commentary, charter schools were not always welcomed in Philadelphia County, and that's to say it politely. But I will say in the last several years, nationally, statewide and locally, charters have been seen as a viable option of choice within communities across Philadelphia and across this country. And, frankly, I think we're trying to figure out how to do it right, how to support them and improve upon them. When you look at test scores within this District and when you look at test scores across Pennsylvania, it's no 18 accident that you looked at charter schools as one of the areas that are a beacon of light when it comes to academic excellence and progress. That said, we're clear we have to do more to support them. This issue that brings me here tonight is that over the years -- and I 30 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 speak, in effect, for myself and one other loud voice in this conversation, Representative Dwight Evans. We are constitutionally required as the Commonwealth to provide public education. Even though local citizens are taxed for such, it's our responsibility at the state. And I say that in the context that, frankly, a lot of time is spent at the state level by all public schools, including ours, dealing with the state, and sometimes a Councilmember is scratching their head as to why so much time is spent at the state and not enough time at the local level, especially when the schools are local schools. Simply because of how it's constructed and how we allow it to be constructed. But the intersection tonight is a wonderful one. We don't speak enough amongst ourselves. Forget the School District, but we as policymakers that have to implement these policies, have them executed and then measure them with 31 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the same measuring stick across several different communities. That's what's happening tonight. It's happening in a narrow band around charter schools, but, frankly, we need to expand that conversation. Philadelphia this year, this year was on the cutting block for millions of dollars, not only in charter schools but public school funding.
But we'll be back at it next year. And I want to assure you and everyone who will testify tonight that have difference of opinion about charter schools, they look at us as Philadelphians. They don't look at us as state officials, local officials, charter school operators, traditional neighborhood operators. They look at us as Philadelphians, and, frankly, whatever the issue is, it's our problem. They expect us to fix it, don't allow it to happen in Harrisburg. What drove me to this table tonight is a conversation that occurred 32 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 about a week and a half ago with Dr. Ackerman and her staff and a number of the charter school operators. When the conversation occurred and the policy that we're talking about tonight was first discussed, what occurred in Harrisburg was, frankly, a rush to judgment. The discussion, frankly, was around whether we were capping public schools and capping charter schools in Philadelphia County. I sit on the Education Committee with the ranking Chairman, who is a republican from Lancaster -- or Harrisburg County. I want to assure you, as often as we speak and as friendly as we are, we do not want to allow the fate of our charter schools to be implemented, executed, designed, drafted and legislated in that committee. So whatever it is that we decide in an agreeable consideration and compromise, we need to speak with one voice. And by the way, one voice in the political 33 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 surroundings -- and our school system is no different than that. One voice will not get everything it wants. It's called a compromise. So about a week and a half ago when I got an earful of phone calls from a number of the charter school operators in my district and, frankly, beyond my district concerned about whether we were capping charter schools, the first thing I did was get on the phone to the Superintendent. And I didn't get through to her. I got through to some other people and expressed not my diplomatic concern but my outrage that we would be capping those enrollments, especially since the legislation that we currently have or the law we currently have doesn't allow for that to occur. I was quickly educated on the fact that Philadelphia has not capped and is not capping the ability to open charter schools in Philadelphia County. What we are talking about tonight is how do we allow for 34 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 enrollments to increase between charter school renewals. And there's a lively debate about how to measure that, which ones to allow to participate, do we do it within one year, two years, three years or at the end of the charter school renewal. Those are legitimate discussions, but out of this I hope that we will come up with some consideration and some frank recommendations to the body in Harrisburg that, frankly, I don't want to be sitting on my committee getting five different opinions in front of me as I have to sit in front of a republican chairman, with all due respect to my dear friend Councilman Rizzo, and they're making a decision about what's going to happen in Philadelphia County and pick the one that is least palatable to all of us and say it came from your county. I don't think that's what we want to do. So about a week and a half ago, we sat around a table and had a lively 35 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 debate. It was framed in this: It was framed around the fact that most of us didn't feel it was fair for anyone to await for the enrollment to occur when the charter was completed, five year being the normal charter review. There's some which are three, but that's for other Act considerations, five year being too long. And, frankly, we came up with a compromise, three year being the number, allowing for to be able to measure the academic growth, performance of the schools, the environment, a litany of considerations. And, by the way, not just the state standardized test, but another consideration in that process.
Myself and Representative Evans -- and I want to tell you this. This was not the school system, and the charter school operators who were there can tell you this. Performance is central to excellence in schools. And with all due respect to everyone who wants to say they don't want to be 36 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 measured by that, that is our measuring stick. Our carrot is for charter schools to exist, we expect academic outcomes that show growth towards excellence, not proficiency. Towards excellence. So we said that in order for the enrollments to increase, before the charter school charter was over, what we would allow for is performance to be measured, fiscal stability to exist and, therefore, enrollment logically to occur. The other thing that we talked about, frankly -- and this is going to be a very tough one for those of you sitting in front of this room. We have to right-size the District. For everyone who will come here tonight to say we should be allowed to increase enrollment -- and I'm one of those who wants enrollment to increase, wherever a parent wants to increase the enrollment. There's a reality, too. We only have a certain amount of money. The city and the state were faced with that. I saw 37 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 some of your hearings. I saw some of your neighborhood meetings. Guess what? They're the same people that I have to go back to to talk about increasing taxes. I didn't see anyone saying, Let's rush to the front to increase taxes for anything, anything in this economy. So that means the Philadelphia school system that currently is having numbers of children go to these charter schools and if enrollment increases, you will have traditional neighborhood schools losing their enrollment. Philadelphia County was once a large district of about two hundred and, I guess, twenty, forty thousand students. It's down about 160,000 today as we speak. And I'm not saying it's trending down, but it is adjusting. It's adjusting because of charter schools. That money has to come from someplace. So if we decide to increase enrollment, understand we will be going to a neighborhood near someone in this 38 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 room, saying, We're probably going to close your school. And trust me, I've been in neighborhood meetings when it was a bad school. Councilwoman Blackwell and I just recently went through a closing and changing of a neighborhood school that was academically challenged, wasn't particularly safe, and there were parents who still were coming out of the woodwork to say, Don't close my school. Don't close my school. The reality is that if you want enrollment to increase, you have to cross the bridge of how you allow for enrollment to increase and how you pay for it. Those conversations and many more -- and the final part was, while we happen to be talking about this enrollment issue, Representative Evans and myself, and, frankly, the charter school operators, with Dr. Ackerman, it was the first time in the history of charter schools operating in Philadelphia County sitting at a roundtable 39 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 discussion -- by the way, not one on one being picked off, but sitting in a roundtable discussion with the Superintendent making specific commitments. We asked that the Charter School Office be designed by the charter school providers, that the supports that neighborhood schools currently receive, charter schools do not receive; that the finances that support the existence of a charter school building shouldn't be just about measuring got you and you didn't perform. It should be about best practices, how do you allow for growth to occur in one charter school and not allow for growth to occur in another charter school. We want that information to happen well before we get to charter school renewal to prove that a charter school should exist. Frankly, we need to make it better Day 1. So the Charter School Office has to support that.
Out of that meeting we came up 40 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 with some basic considerations - the three-year compromise, the fiscal stability consideration, the measuring stick, and I think there were two measuring sticks, and then redesign the Charter School Office to make it more user friendly. Those are the things that we left that room discussing that night. And subsequent to that, I've talked to a number of other charter school operators who recognize that we have a long way to go in this conversation. But I want to close with this: If we think this is simply our moment to get off our chest that someone didn't call us back soon enough or a charter school operator was persecuted or we weren't respected politically and that's the way we end this dialogue tonight in this hearing, I want to assure you within a few months when we review the charter school bill -- and we are reviewing the charter school bill, it sunshines this year -- we will not be in control of our 41 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 house. I would hope that, frankly between tonight and other such events, that we can come back. I would hope that the Chair would reconvene the state officials to say exactly what it is that we're doing in Harrisburg, exactly what the input and the things that you hear about in your traditional public schools and your neighborhood schools and your charter schools. When we review this bill, I would love for Philadelphia to be most prepared, to have the most input and the most coordinated and collaborated consideration of any government entity in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. That will only happen if state officials and local officials are sitting in the same room having a dialogue. And certainly we're not going to see the problems the same way, but we know at the end of this, there's not a person sitting here tonight, not a person, who doesn't know what I know. 42 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Philadelphia public schools has a long and distinguished history, but it's a bit rusty. We are graduating children or allowing them to drop out at a rate that will not allow the City of Philadelphia to survive. Philadelphia cannot be a poor city and prosper. It has to graduate students from Overbrook, Simon Gratz, Girls High and the whole list that are not only stars on a poster, but in fact are stars living in the row houses, the semi-twins, the townhouses and Center City and paying revenues that will allow us to have police, firemen, hospitals and a host of other services that currently we're struggling to provide. That's the mission. I truly believe that Dr. Ackerman gets it. One size does not fit all. Options have to be a part of this discussion, and choice is at the head of it, and charters are truly, truly, truly to be an equal partner. Thank you. 43 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596
Let me acknowledge that Councilman Bill Green is here and also Joe Dworetzky, with whom many of us work, a member of the SRC. We'll allow time for a few questions, and certainly we heard your remarks, Senator, and we acknowledge the discussion issues that Dr. Ackerman brought up, but they raise questions. It seems to us that at the core of all of these questions is one of fact, that our charter school providers are people who are visionaries who love public education so much, they were superintendents, professors, leaders across our city, that they wanted to create their schools. So they're not strangers to our city or to education, and these individuals wanted to open their own specific charters because they knew they had something special to bring. 44 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Having said that, the core of the problem seems to be that charter schools are held to a different standard, whether we talk about AYP, whether we talk about -- I'm not sure we understand what this grace period means, Dr. Ackerman, or how this grace period sets into School Improvement 1 or above and even the three-year issue. Instead of doing five years, three years. But if a person gets a grace period and if you deal with a one year, does one year mean one year for your improvements or does one year mean you can put in for improvements that go on for several years but you place it at one time? So there are a lot of questions, and at the core of it really is parity. Charter school providers tell me that they feel they have to meet standards that public schools don't. And even the tone of it is that we don't have money and so the charter schools that parents love so much and who have 45 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 successful models as well as failing models, but that they're being targeted, that whenever there's a cut, they're being targeted, when they still have to come up with percent of their own 7 dollars. That's what I hear and that's 8 what I bring to you. 9
Well, I know 10 that's not true, that charter schools 11 have been cut this year. 12
I 13 mean, they have to pay part of their 14 money always. They say they can borrow 15 $8, $11 million and not pay what you pay 16 for new schools, but that still they're 17 funded at the 80 percent level. That's 18 fine. They have to raise 20 percent. 19 But that whenever there is talk of the 20 shortfalls in the state and the city, that they're the ones who are targeted, when they're already paying part of their fees.
Well, the only thing I can say is that I am committed to 46 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 working with charter schools. When the state budget came in, it came in $198 million less for the entire District and we had to make our cuts. So we're all feeling the pain of the last fiscal -- I mean, the last budget. There is history here that I don't have anything to do with. I'm trying to move forward, and all I can say is, I'm committed to the kinds of changes that we talked about several weeks ago, that I've talked about with charter leaders when they've talked to me, and all I can do is to say, let's work together. I can't change the past. There are feelings of mistreatment on both sides of this issue, and, you know, I get it from the School District, I get it from the charter schools. I'm trying to say, let's work together. These are all of our children. I can't repair what happened in the past. I can only move forward with all of the schools -- with all of us thinking about 47 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 creating this system of great schools for all of our children. I don't see charter school children, to tell you the truth, and I don't see public school children. I see Philadelphia's children, many of them who have been waiting for a long time to get a quality education, and that's where I guess I want to start.
Thank you. Well, can you specifically explain further what a grace period means and how that affects AYP and this point too, quote, "setting a minimum academic standard of School improvement 1 or above"? SENATOR WILLIAMS: Madam Chair, before she responds to that, I think that you started right where I hoped we would start. So she's going to explain the grace period, but I want to give comment to that. The 20 percent -- the difference -- the 80 percent versus 100 48 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 percent is one that charter schools such as mine and others are still debating today, but I want to tell you, I would not sit next to any other Superintendent having this conversation. There are going to be honest disagreements about fiscal considerations. That said, operators were absolutely positively correct with their level of paranoia a few years ago. There's no doubt about that. But as absolute as I was then, it's going to take time for them to get to where I am. I mean, I'm blessed enough to have a two-cent title, so I get to talk to the Superintendent a little bit more than everybody else who may be an operator in this room does. But I will tell you that the part that we have existed in the past, that people making commitments and not backing them up, not supporting them, cutting the legs out from under people, those days are done. They're done for a 49 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 few reasons, and one is, myself and Representative Evans are committed to rebuilding the office. There is no doubt that operators have felt left out there by themselves, fending for themselves. And there's no doubt that the Superintendent has walked into a school or two where the person said, who is an operator, Get out, we're our own school district, you don't help us anyway, leave. That said, it is my belief that if we actually get to the business of giving the support to the charter schools, then some of that paranoia, appropriate paranoia, and skepticism will be relieved. There's never going to be a hundred percent trust, because guess what? And I guess Councilwoman Blackwell, the Chairperson, can understand this better because she was a teacher. When she was a teacher, when the District showed up, there wasn't even 50 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 trust when you were part of the District. So there's always going to be a healthy skepticism when a person comes from downtown, but it should be on an equal playing field.
The grace period is -- what we did when we were looking at this, we were looking -- the grace period actually covers those schools that applied for either enrollment increases or grade reconfigurations since 2007-2008 school year and moving forward. Those are the schools that are covered in the grace period. This was a way -- you know, there were all kinds -- I mean to tell you, I've heard there were all kinds of promises that were made, handshakes. We are going on what we have in writing, those schools that submitted in writing requests for either enrollment increases and grade reconfigurations, and those go back to 2007-2008. Those schools we're sort of -- really it's a grandfathering 51 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 those schools in. And then moving forward, we are looking at two different options for looking at growth and achievement. AYP, which is the law, and we're all under that. There is no difference in how charter schools are treated or traditional public schools are treated. AYP, it's part of the law. And we also, though, have another measurement that we look at that we think is broader. It's a School Report Card. Every school has one, and our schools have to make 80 percent of their targets. So what we tried to do is be fair and transparent here in expanding the option so that it's not just AYP, because we see the flaws with AYP, but a charter school could look at and use the measurement of a School Report Card. The third option that we haven't completely completed in terms of -- it's a school performance index, where you can actually look at -- rate 52 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 charter schools, as we would rate District schools, and then look at them by similar school measurements. So that's what -- I hope that's helpful in answering this question about why. I mean, we have to, to me, hold all of our schools accountable. There are some schools that we're closing. There are some schools that will become renaissance schools in the next year because -- in the next few years because they aren't achieving. And so having some measure of accountability and then some choice in what that measurement looks like is one of those compromises that I think was absolutely fair.
Thank you, Dr. Ackerman. I will call on Councilwoman Quinones and then Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. Okay. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown and then Councilman Quinones and then Councilman Jones and Councilman Green. Okay? Thank 53 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening, everyone. The brief editorial comment I will make is that at the end of the day, the lowest common denominator is what is discussed in great detail in your report, Dr. Ackerman, and, that is, quality choices, which equals Senator Anthony Hardy Williams' statement, performance is central. Not progress towards excellence, but -- not progress or towards proficiency, but moving towards excellence. Is that the correct quote? SENATOR WILLIAMS: Yes.
So we can talk about choices, but that means nothing to me if we're not saying quality choices. That's the only way we're going to ever move this needle, if all of our children are going to represent us in a way that we feel okay about 10, 15, 20 years from now. 54 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 The one factor we always hang over our students' heads is what are their grades, and the U.S. Department of Education stated that Pennsylvania received a grade of B for policies around charter schools. Could you speak to -- and further stated that out of 41 9 states received that positive mark. 10 So, Dr. Ackerman, could you 11 speak to that? 12 And before you do, Senator, you 13 mentioned that this year this bill 14 sunshines? SENATOR WILLIAMS: Yes.
So with that in mind, is there going to be some type of assessment, evaluation where the information is captured and really becomes a blueprint and informs what happens going forward? SENATOR WILLIAMS: You'd like to think that politics is a logical process, but given who we are -- it took us 101 days to pass a budget, which 55 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 didn't look much different than the one that was in June. So I can't guarantee you that, but what I can guarantee you is this: If Philadelphia County has its house in order, its indexes and all the measurements in order, we're going to get what we want in terms of that process. That means the design of what charter schools look like, how the Charter School Office is laid out, the measurements. All those kinds of things will happen. We just have to have our program type. But the specifics behind those hearings will be quite extensive statewide. They're going to have a variety of -- we're going to run out of data and statistics in terms of that process. So rest assured, that will occur, but it is some wage stuff we're getting ready to face.
And so the sunshine law window is for charter schools statewide. It does not speak to 56 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 specific districts having the option -- SENATOR WILLIAMS: Exactly.
-- to close or not? SENATOR WILLIAMS: Right. Exactly.
All right, then. Dr. Ackerman, could you speak to the grade that the Philadelphia charter schools received, the grade being B?
Good evening, Councilwoman. I believe what you're referring to is the Department of Education's grading of state laws regarding charter school receptivity and openness to having charter schools, and in that case, Pennsylvania received a grade of B. So in comparison to the other 41 states that have charter school laws, opening charter schools, our law in 57 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Pennsylvania was graded as better than average. So that I think is done around sort of the receptiveness to charter schools, the way charter schools are supported in the law. And I think one of the primary issues is whether or not states have caps around charter schools.
Dr. Ackerman, given the, some might call it, concern, others will say interest around charter schools, speak to how you engage the community about the decision that the School Reform Commission ultimately rendered around charter schools.
Well, in terms of this policy, we engaged the community in the same way we've engaged the community in any new initiative or big policy. We took it to the community. We had community meetings. They were interrupted last week by -- or two weeks ago by the SEPTA strike, and so there is a meeting being held tonight, because we 58 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 wanted people who didn't get a chance to come out to those hearings because they didn't have transportation. And there's another meeting on Thursday, I believe -- Wednesday, tomorrow night, at Ben Franklin. So we've scheduled two additional meetings, because we were concerned that community members didn't get a chance to get out or were hampered because of the transportation issue. The way we approach any initiative in this District since I've been Superintendent is to take it to the community, whether it is the -- was the strategic plan where more than 3,000 people gave input or whether it's the Charter School Policy, the budget. We do community hearings. We invite the community to give us their input. We take it back for consideration, which is what we did here, and then we try to find a win-win. And a win-win, as the Senator just said, it doesn't mean that everybody gets what they want, but we want people 59 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 to feel that we've heard them and that we've considered their input and that it's reflected in the final version of whatever policy we're taking forward. I think that's what we've done here.
My only follow-up -- and I'll let this be my final question on this matter so that other members of the Committee can speak -- when you say you report back to the community, what does that look like? Is there a report that is sent to all those persons who signed in at the door? Just tell us what that looks like so that we know what was at the end of the road.
There are a couple of things that happen. I'll let Ben talk about what happened specifically here, but all of the -- there are minutes kept. They're put on the website. They're available to anybody that wants them. We send them out if you want them. But they're always put on the website, the responses and the concerns and the 60 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 input. I mean, the suggestions for how to strengthen whatever the initiative is that we're putting in front of the community before we take back a final draft to the SRC, who ultimately has responsibility then for voting on initiatives, a policy up or down.
Thank you very much. Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you. I wanted to publicly thank Senator Williams for your leadership in Harrisburg as it relates to this. I remember getting a call from Dwight Evans before the legislation passed challenging me to start a charter school. So I'm in this mess partly because of your leadership up there. But through him, we were able to do what we were doing at 61 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 ASPIRA and at Hostos. So I have to publicly thank both of you for opening those opportunities for us. One of the biggest contentions around any policy is the current law and the way it is stipulated, and what I'd like to know both from the Senator and from Dr. Ackerman is, do we have a legal opinion about whether the SRC has the authority to implement such a policy in its restrictions, and, if so, can that be shared with us? SENATOR WILLIAMS: Are you speaking about charter schools specifically?
Around capping enrollments or the reconfiguration. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Well, the law speaks specifically to capping charter schools.
The current law? SENATOR WILLIAMS: The current 62 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 law. It does not speak to the issue of how enrollment -- the increasing enrollment is to be managed, and that is one we have spent a lot of time discussing in Harrisburg and why I initially got involved in this. Of course, I ran to all of our lawyers, and people ran down here to all their lawyers. The great thing about having a lawyer is -- I have a bunch of them in my family and --
You can get ten opinions. SENATOR WILLIAMS: There you go. Exactly right. Ten opinions with eight lawyers. So there is no clarity, which is part of the reason why tonight is a good thing, because what we want to have is clarity when we actually have to -- not just so much of this policy, but when we have to close loopholes as we proceed in terms of this legislation. So, frankly, there is a void in terms of 63 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 understanding. That's why we are having this dialogue tonight, I guess.
That's exactly what we were told, that there is clarity on the capping part. It's silent on this issue, but it does -- so we are trying to move forward again, because we believe that planning is important with the District and with charter schools, and we're hoping that those plans can come together strategically to benefit our children.
Thank you. Could somebody please explain the distinction between capping and increasing enrollment, because I don't see the distinction there.
There is one. SENATOR WILLIAMS: There's a major distinction. When you open a 64 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 charter school, it's a whole other level of consideration. I mean, it's a much more extensive review. I'm speaking not as a legislator. I'm speaking as a charter school operator. Adding ten students to enrollment in my building is a lot different than the day when I decided to say -- and Councilman Quinones can speak to this. It's a lot different than when you get reviewed for certificational teachers, credentials, background checks, et cetera. All that is already done. The question is whether your building and your school can handle the capacity for additional students, either academically or physically. And then the other part of this conversation obviously means what does your school district -- how does it affect your school district in terms of bringing in new students from other buildings in the surrounding community, how does it affect them physically. 65 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596
I'm sorry. I still don't understand the distinction. I mean, you're talking about -- really what we're talking about, are you allowed to limit charter schools? SENATOR WILLIAMS: You are -- again, no, you're not allowed to cap the consideration of opening a charter school.
Right. So how are you allowed to cap the expansion of a charter school or the creation of additional charter schools? SENATOR WILLIAMS: It's not necessarily a cap. The question is how much are you allowed to increase enrollment.
Well, okay. But, I mean, as a practical matter, aren't you saying that a charter school could submit through a different entity a new application to open a charter school every year even if those entities were affiliated, but you can't expand an 66 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 existing charter school? So really all you're doing is creating a policy where if someone wants to open a new charter school, they'll form a new entity, file a new application and do it rather than doing it through an existing, working, performing organization. I mean, this is silliness. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Well, let me suggest to you that one who has sort of been involved in this for a long time --
Frankly, I would like Dr. Ackerman to answer that question.
I don't want to argue with you about this. I've said to you our lawyers say -- SENATOR WILLIAMS: Well, I'm still going to finish my sentence.
Okay. Sorry. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Dr. Ackerman can speak for herself, but I'm speaking from the standpoint of an operator and a state legislator who knows what the law 67 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 is. She's going to speak from the District perspective. I'm speaking from you asked a question, and I'm going to answer your question. And, frankly, it's not silly. It's very serious, and you and I will make decisions based upon finances in your School District. This year I saw public hearings specifically around not raising taxes and not raising property taxes in Philadelphia County. If you decide to say, We willy-nilly open and increase enrollment, guess what you're going to be doing? Paying more money. So if you don't understand anything else, then understand --
Senator, what you're really saying is this is a monetary issue, not an issue of whether or not charter schools are performing or should be expanded and whether or not charter schools are keeping people in the City of Philadelphia who pay those taxes. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Actually, 68 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying to you is that when you said it was silly, I was just trying to draw you to understand the significance of what you would be left with the responsibility of. Trust me, I can leave and go back to Harrisburg tomorrow. Now --
The distinction is silly, is what I said. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Okay. So the second part of this is the difference --
My colleagues here, excuse me. I was in the middle of a question. I can be polite too, but... Go ahead.
Point of information on the point of 69 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 information. Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I've heard enough of the Merrill debate of 2016, but I'd like to ask a relevant question today, which is, on the issue of charter schools, are there different sizes and different strokes when it comes to that? There is, as I understand -- and help me if I'm saying this incorrectly. There's a corporate brand of charter school that is more, I would say, analogous to franchises versus the mom-and-pop type of schools, and is there a different result based on that or are they pretty much the same?
No. There are at least a couple of our charter schools that are sort of larger franchises under a franchise name, but we've seen great charter school results with a diverse -- all types of charter schools.
It ranges, absolutely. In fact, two-thirds of our charter schools, I believe, consistently make AYP and they are -- I don't know. I've heard people say mop-and-pop. I don't know. They're schools to me.
All right. And finally, Madam, and I'm going to yield --
This is your point of information on a point of information.
Yeah. This 71 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 is my real point of information, and this is a declarative statement of a point of information.
You guys were next, but we won't have to call on you next. We won't have to call on you next. We can finish Maria and then go to the next panel.
My point here is, out of all of the schools that I've been asked to help get students in, it is the charter schools that I have the highest demand for. Whether you talk about Global Discovery, Harambee, I'm getting more requests -- that's my litmus test -- about can I get my child in a charter school that even -- and I'm an alumnus of Overbrook. I wasn't on the chart, but I am an alumnus.
We got more coming. You're on the next one. 72 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596
I sent all my children to public school. But I get more requests about the charter schools than any other, and that tells me all I need to know.
Thank you. Your point of information has been met, Councilman?
Thank you. Then we are back to Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez.
I apologize for my freshmen colleagues over here. We still haven't learned protocol in Council sometimes. I do want to go to Bill's point, which is the SRC has to authorize 73 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 a charter, and therein lies the capping, because they make a decision around which new charters are going to open. The spirit of the law and the law specifically says they can't cap enrollment, and therein lies some of the tension that currently exists. There are over a thousand students at charter schools that charter schools don't get reimbursed for because of this tension between what the District will authorize and what the charters. And that's why this policy is so important, and as Senator Williams noted to, any change in the state law has to look at that, because that has created some of the tension that we will hear about this evening. So that's where you cap. You can cap the number of schools that can start, because ultimately if the SRC doesn't approve it, but technically the law says they can't cap their enrollment. But they have, because they've made a 74 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 choice. If I've chartered you for 120 students, you get reimbursed for 120 students even if you enroll 150. Okay? Is that clearer for my colleagues here? Okay. Thank you very much. I will let my colleagues continue to ask. I don't know if President Verna and -- Madam Chair.
Thank you. I think, Councilman Bill Green, you had a question, and Councilman Curtis Jones is okay. Then after this, we hope you can remain at least for a panel or two. Next after Councilman Green is finished, then we'll begin our first panel, and I will announce them after his questions. Councilman.
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Dr. Ackerman, you said during your testimony or a comment in response 75 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 to a question that there are bad feelings both between the School District and the charter schools and the charter schools and the School District. Could you describe how a charter school causes bad feelings in the District?
I didn't say that charter schools caused bad feelings. I hear bad feelings on both sides.
Why do you hear bad feelings in the School District, so we don't play semantic games?
There's history here. I wasn't here. I'm telling you what I hear in the present, not what happened in the past.
I hear some of the things that I heard today, that they weren't treated fairly, that there are differences made.
No, no, no. 25 My question is not about how the charter 76 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 schools feel. My question is, you said that there were bad feelings both ways, you hear. What do you hear are the bad feelings coming from the School District towards the charter schools?
That in some instances, they get preferential treatment. I'm not saying it's true. I'm saying it's what I heard. I want to be really clear about how --
You know, I don't know how -- I told you that that's what some people have said. I'm not here to get in the heads of somebody else.
Yes. There are 77 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 people in the School District who say --
We have oversight authority. We provide $700 million to the School District. I'm asking you who said it.
That's credible. In your Charter School District proposed policies, you say that one of the proposals is that the charter demonstrates a unique or innovative idea 78 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 that the District is not currently providing or not providing well. Examples here could include second language immersion programs, a high school for foster care students, et cetera. Is that required by state law?
That a charter has to demonstrate a unique or innovative idea other than actually teaching students well.
I'm told that is one of the criteria. But excuse me. I understand that you have oversight, but I would like to be talked to in a civil way, because I am trying to answer your question. You know, you said something was silly. You said I'm not credible. I am answering the questions to the best that I can, and I would like the respect.
I would like 79 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the respect to get answers to the questions that are serious questions.
I answered it the best way I can. So please give me the respect. We're trying to teach young people how to be respectful. I'd like you to be respectful to me, sir.
Superintendent, I will say that if my tone in any way offended you, I apologize.
However, I still want the respect of a real answer to real questions.
You do not recall who at the School District tells you that charters are receiving preferential treatment; is that your testimony?
I don't recall which charter providers have specifically 80 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 told me that, but I can tell you that it was stated here by other people.
I'm not talking about the charter providers. I'm talking about the School District.
Right, and my question, though, is, which people in the School District are complaining about the charter schools and what are they saying?
But your answer was you can't remember who told you that or any other example. Is that correct? That's your answer?
No. I told you from the beginning that I have heard. I don't know how many times we have to go through this. I don't remember specifically on either side, sir.
I want to be 81 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 clear for the record that you don't remember any person in the School District who told you what the problem was, and other than the fact that they get preferential treatment, you don't remember any specific other item that caused bad feelings in the School District?
I don't remember, no. I can tell you that there are families, there are students who withdraw from charter schools who have come to SRC meetings. We'd be happy to give you some of the transcripts from that. Now, I don't remember their names. I don't remember exactly what their issues were, but there have been parents, students, teachers who have come back who have said -- you know, had something to say. That's not my issue, sir. My issue is to create a system of great schools, whether they're charter -- see, you want to make this for me a charter 82 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 versus traditional schools. For me, it's about all of our children.
So then I would ask you to listen to my testimony, because I said that's where I'm going. I am not in an adversarial relationship with charters. My job is to make sure that all families feel that they get a quality education.
I am listening to your testimony. I am waiting for you to say something.
We have a right to get answers to our questions in this body.
We 83 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 would like to spend only five minutes more. Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez wants to make one request. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown wants to ask a few questions. And, please, we have got to move forward to our next panel, please. Five minutes.
Madam Chair, I will respect that. I hope that we'll have more hearings on this issue. I think this is one of the most -- this is the most important issue facing the City of Philadelphia today. We cannot fix this city, we cannot grow this city, we cannot do anything to improve our job base, our workforce without a quality, free, public education for our citizens. That includes School District children and charter school children and everything else that the public pays for with respect to public education. And it is my view that tinkering with tax rates and everything else only makes a difference at the margins, and in the 84 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 long run, what we're talking about tonight is the only thing that will matter for our future.
So I will just basically make this point rather than ask questions, because questions aren't being answered tonight, and, that is, in my view, requiring specific standards for a charter school to expand that makes sense - performance, are they being successful in educating children, are they meeting AYP, et cetera - that's a real standard that should be followed. However, arbitrary restrictions on the expansion of charter schools that is actually meeting AYP, that is actually performing make absolutely no sense. The whole purpose of charter schools was to create alternatives within the educational system. And so if we have someone successful, why we have an arbitrary restriction on them starting a 85 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 new school or they're expanding their current school, I don't understand that. They're successful. They're meeting performance criteria. This three year, five year compromise makes absolutely no 7 sense. And I will say that in the end, Senator Williams and I ultimately agree, because what Senator Williams said is as charter school people leave the School District, we're not shrinking the School District and its cost base soon enough. That is where the School District should focus, eliminating the 40,000 to 60,000 extra seats in the School District, depending who tells you the number, rather than stopping the growth of successful -- not unsuccessful, successful -- charter schools. Because successful charter schools are keeping families in this city, keeping our tax base from moving away and providing an opportunity for this city to move forward. 86 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Thank you, Madam Chair.
Before we close out this panel, I would like to request the legal opinion around my question if it's available, if the School District got it. And I would kindly request that the Chair -- that we also request that from our City Solicitor, because I think it's important that we put that to rest around the legality of this, and I think that will help us bring this to some sort of agreeable resolution. Thank you.
Thank you. 87 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Senator Williams, I could not help but recall several years back when you and I had gone to a community meeting for a proposed charter school and I thought there would almost be a riot that evening. That has been the most wonderful, wonderful success stories. That school has been absolutely the anchor for that community, and it is my understanding, because I am led to believe that they presently have a waiting list of 600 students, they would love to expand. However, I guess they are now on hold because they don't know what they're going to be able to do. But, as I said, I sat here this evening just thinking of that one evening that we spent together with that community. That is really a success story. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds 88 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Brown, and this will be the last --
For this panel, not on the issue. But then we'll call the next panel, who will be Dr. Walt Palmer, Leadership Learning Academy or Partners Charter School; Dr. June Brown, Laboratory Charter School; Angela Villani, Mariani Bracetti Academy; Reverend Danny Cortes, Nueva Esperanza Charter; Dr. Martin Ryder, World Communications Charter. That will be our Panel 1. We only have a few. Okay? So after this panel, then will you all come forward? Thank you. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown.
Thank you. Two more questions I'd like to get on the record. Mayor Nutter made it 89 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 very, very clear in his inaugural address January 2000 that he had two principal goals around education. One was to, of course, lower the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate. Please just share with us how you believe the expansion of charter schools have aided the City in reversing or improving these numbers.
Of course, the charter schools have provided families with quality choices, and many of our charter schools have a higher graduation rate than the District schools; therefore, preventing dropouts. So I believe in concert, working with us, the School District -- we have some of our traditional high schools that also do a great job. It's working together, I think, by making sure again that we're expanding the choices 90 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 for families. But our charter schools have certainly helped in preventing young people from dropping out and increasing the opportunities for young people to graduate from our schools, from Philadelphia schools.
And I would imagine there have been opportunities where you've had a chance to share the big picture with the broader community on the value of charter schools with regards to those two particular goals.
Quality choices is the second goal of the Imagine 2014. It was very clear. It is clear, even as we looked at renaissance schools, that we are looking at charter partners in turning around our failing schools. The options are unlimited for me. I'm looking for people who want to come in and work with us to increase opportunities for young people in terms of quality educational programs. 91 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596
And then, lastly, if you would, speak to your thoughts on the value or not of single-sex charter schools.
I like whatever works. I'd love to see more single-sex schools within the School District, to tell you the truth. So it works. I think we should be doing it. That's what -- that's the goal for me, making sure that we have a system of great schools.
Thank you very much. SENATOR WILLIAMS: Madam, I don't know who -- is there a Vice-Chair?
That 92 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 would be Blondell Reynolds Brown.
Me. SENATOR WILLIAMS: So if you don't mind, I do want to provide some parting context.
Please. SENATOR WILLIAMS: I want to start with my colleague's, Councilwoman Quinones', suggestion that we get some legal opinion from your Solicitor. I encourage that. I also think that you need to request from us a legal opinion from the Department of Education, of which I'm not necessarily a great fan, but nonetheless, and also from potentially the Attorney General as an arbiter in this conversation. And I would draw your attention to this: Act 22, Section 1701 and 1716-A. Both of those outline what the General Assembly was intending to do with regard to allowing for charter schools. Specifically, it says that "the intent of the General Assembly, in enacting this 93 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. " Not the District. District structure. And trust me, as you all know, I've been outside carrying the banner and waving the flag and being at community meetings. " This is Section 1716-A. "Powers of Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees of a charter school shall have the authority to decide matters related to the operation of the school, including, but not limited to, budgeting, curriculum and operating procedures, subject to the school's charter. " This is where the rubber meets 94 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the road. There are some who think that this means that the charter school is a district in and of itself, allowing it to do whatever it is. There are those who basically say it allows it to operate, but because it is subject to just -- with all due respect, and I know this is a bad analogy, but I will -- just as when we try to do gun legislation in a local consideration, the state comes in and trumps us. The body that is the entity that allows for the charter to come into existence, thus far the courts have said this is the body which is determining the conditions. That's why you want to get to a table where you negotiate fair consideration of conversation. Otherwise -- and, frankly, this is Tiddlywinks to contract negotiations, which potentially are in front of us, because it basically says the SRC has the right to make major, major changes in contract considerations without the allowance of what we would want in terms 95 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 of fair negotiations. So there's some who look at this provision differently, and you'll hear that. Myself, I'm guided by a cautious consideration when it comes to that. And I would suggest this, and I got to say this: This is not, with all due respect to my dear friend Councilman Curtis Jones and my dear friend Councilman Green, this is not a contest of any political conversation. The meetings that Councilwoman Verna has seen me attend, those are moments that, frankly, no public official wants to be in, because they're going to run you out of office. When I voted for this legislation, I didn't do it in the vacuum of having all these people out here applaud me, because they weren't there. And all the ribbon cuttings that people go to now, all the public officials who stand up and say, It's a great thing, they weren't there. I was there. I'm a friend, and so when I 96 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 come here tonight, I don't come here anti anybody. I come here because I know what's coming. And so we can battle the Superintendent all night if we choose to. Get another one. Because there are not many wanting to run major school districts across this country. Ask the one in Washington, DC. Ask the one in New York City. Ask the one in Chicago. There are not many. And there are not many competent ones. There are a lot of dealmakers. And with all due respect to the last one we had, he was a dealmaker. If you ask me who was saying negative things about public schools -- I mean charter schools while he was saying good things about charter schools -- she won't say it. I'll say it -- he was one of those kind of guys. This is not that moment.
This is truly a moment of where you inquire, get facts straight, get the furniture straightened up in the house, we'll clean 97 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 up the rugs and go about the business of getting to where we want to get, and that is educating our children. And I want to tell you, there's no major moment than this. This is not a popularity contest. I have friends who sit behind me, a lot of them, who have called upon me in difficult times when the District was beating the heck out of them trying to put them out of business. I'm trying to implore upon them and the District, this is a narrow band of intersection. Seize this moment and move forward. I cannot tell you how sincere I am in that plea. But debate tonight is a nice thing to do, but it will fall upon deaf ears about four months from now if we don't have our act together. Madam Chair, I appreciate you having this hearing. There were some who didn't look forward to it. I do. To my dear colleague, and I specifically speak to you, who walked the plank along with me along this charter 98 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 school movement, I'm glad you're here, and I look forward to working, along with all of you all, to not only resolve issues here tonight, this is small, but to work forward to a much more prosperous, productive, aggressive charter school community. Thank you.
Thank you all. Thank you very much. We hope you can stay a little while to hear some of the tone of the remarks. We thank you. (Applause.)
I actually have another meeting. I was supposed to be there at 7:00. I'll stay for a little bit. When I leave, though, I want you to know it's not out of disrespect.
99 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Mr. Rayer will be here, though, right?
Yes. Everybody else is going to be here. I just need to go to the next meeting. So I also want to thank you, and I hope I answered your questions. To the best of my ability, I tried. So if you have others, please let us know and we'll get those answers back to you, including our opinion, the legal opinion that we got. SENATOR WILLIAMS: And I'm going to the 18th Police District, which is ours. We have a community meeting.
Thank you. Dr. Palmer, Dr. June Brown, Ms. Villani, Reverend Cortes, Dr. Ryder. (Witnesses approached witness table.)
Thank you all for your patience. Our next panel, just so you get ready, David Hardy with this wonderful 100 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Boys' Latin Charter School, you're next. We love your school. Marc Mannella, KIPP; Joe Proietta, Community Academy of Philadelphia, you are next. Okay? Thank you very much. Thank you for your patience. I'm sorry to have held you so long. We welcome you and thank you for being here. Feel free to proceed.
Thank you, Madam President and Chairwoman Blackwell. I think this is a very, very important meeting we're having tonight, and I hope that the Council and this Committee continues this every 90 days or more. The City of Philadelphia should weigh in. You put money in. You have a public interest. And I think that you are an ideal check and balance between the SRC, the District and the charter world, as well as other educational opportunities. I'd like to also say -- you mentioned Dr. Brown. She was here. June Brown was here, my dear friend Brown, and 101 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 she wanted to participate in this, but she had gotten a call of a child being left at one of her schools. And I want to note the fact that her school, the Laboratory School, won a Blue Ribbon again. She has historically been winning these Blue Ribbons, which is the top schools in the State of Pennsylvania. I'd like to say this to you too, that about this time 42 years ago I was at the Roundhouse being arrested and arraigned for conspiracy for riot and mayhem. I was being charged with having created and organized the school shutdown of November 17th, 1967 when 100,000 children marched out of the schools of Philadelphia and some 20,000 marched on the City of Philadelphia Board of Education. This really is the pivotal point in terms of education reform in the City of Philadelphia. During that time, there was police action, which saw many of the people being abused. A young Dave 102 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Richardson, an older Ed Robinson, Judge -- I mean, Reverend Kirkland, a number of people, these young men and women who really protested and wanted education reform. I want to give you just a little bit of a glance in terms of some of that history, and I continue to do this every time I get a chance to speak, because at the same time we ask our children to be mindful of history, we have a tendency of forgetting what the history is that brought us to where we are. Charter schools didn't just drop out of the sky. Philadelphia is a major player and has been historically in this city and around the country bringing about education reform. In 1950 to the present time, the goal of Black People's University of Philadelphia, a school which we created back in the '50s, and the Palmer Foundation has been to serve the underclass and to recruit and train 103 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the underserved populations of poor black and Hispanic communities, using the Foundation's world-class curriculum of leadership, self-development, character and social justice to force the critical thinking using reading, writing, math and science, dance, art, music and drama as ways of being able to find the sensitivity, motion, creativity, and inspiration of the children. From '87 to '97 under the Foundation, we organized the Philadelphia Citywide African American Grassroots Community for Education Reform and School Choice and the Statewide Coalition of Education Reform and School Choice, and we generated over 100,000 signatures in Philadelphia alone in support of education reform and school choice and 500,000 across the state, which was what brought Governor Ridge to begin to ask for his third time to try to bring about the legislation for vouchers in charter schools in Pennsylvania. In 1997, he got 104 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 that opportunity. We did not in fact offer to apply for a charter until the year 1999. We were granted one in the year 2000. That is, Leadership Learning Partners Charter School. And during that period of time, we started a K-5. We had our goals set out to 750 children. We were able to have 500 or more people show up for 300 seats every year that we have 75 more seats to make available. In 2005, we went up for our renewal and we were capped and were not able to produce the 750 goal we had set, had a disparate impact on our ability to grow and to develop our goals for expanding the schools.
And as you said earlier, Councilwoman Quinones, this has had a disparate impact on our ability to really function fully at our schools, because we carry 100 to 150 children who we do not get paid for. What that means is, we still had to pay salaries for the teachers to teach the children. And the 105 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 parents are what drives our school and most charter schools. And so many charter schools, not just ours, make these kinds of decisions. 5 acres of land. This then allowed us to then move towards creating our Pre-School Leadership program, where we now serve 165 children who are and and 5-year-olds, and these children are Blue Ribbons kids for the past two years. We then created our high school because of some things that Superintendent Ackerman talked about, because the prior Superintendent had made promises to us, as well as many other people, and had offered us to be able to set up a high school. What happened is, 106 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Paul Vallas left before in fact he was able to ratify it. But notwithstanding that, Sandra Dungee Glenn as the Chairman of SRC, she herself supported that notion and unfortunately was not able to realize that until this past year when in fact there was in fact, as Mr. Rayer said, a decision made in order to try to allow some of the folks who were made these promises an opportunity to fulfill those promises. By 2009 -- I'm sorry. In 2008, we were able to purchase a building. It was on the market for $2 million. We bought it for 700,000, on 8th street, in an effort to try to expand and have our middle school and high school children be offered more room. We were able to get at the City to zone it for 200 children. We were in for one year, but had to in fact pull out because we weren't able to do all the renovations that were necessary to bring it up to full compliance. We temporarily moved our 107 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 middle school and our high schools into Leon Sullivan OIC Foundation building on North Broad Street. Today, we serve those pre-school children and the middle school and the high school, and they are 75 percent African American, percent 8 Hispanic and Latino, with 50 percent at 9 basic and below basic in reading and 10 math. These students are 100 percent 11 free and reduced lunch, 65 to 75 percent 12 have single parents, and ten percent have 13 been identified as special education. 14 Many are exposed to drugs, alcohol, 15 homelessness, parent incarceration, 16 mental illness, crime, violence, obesity, 17 diabetes, asthma, communicable diseases, 18 sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, AIDS, 19 child abuse, spousal abuse, elder abuse, 20 rape, incest and more. Many of these 21 social and environmental indices make 22 these children resilient, and many of 23 them and many times are hurt, wounded, 24 angry, non-listic and sometimes with 25 little or no self-esteem, self-respect or 108 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 self-regulation. Many of these behaviors have been modified with leadership skills in peer teaching, peer grouping, peer facilitating, peer monitoring, peer mentoring, manners, discipline and accountability, cut with self-development skills of education, communication, negotiation, arbitration, mediation and meditation, conflict resolution, anger management, as well as personal care through hygiene, sanitation and nutrition. And in '07, we completed the first new school and then offered the various programs. We really bolstered the programs. And these are just some of the few things that take place in my school, but I would say to you that most charter schools could say the same thing. Our schools have a high safety and security in our school; no graffiti on the buildings; improved grounds with grass, shrubs and trees; access to public parking for our families, staff and 109 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES.
080596 others; greater security and safety because of personal ties with the community; no window bars; no metal detectors; no police presence in the schools; no vandalism or crime; built-in camera surveillance outdoors and inside the building; no expulsions; low suspensions; more social workers than social services than almost any school in the City; parent classroom ambassadors; increased parent-teacher meetings; increased parent-teacher leadership nights; high parent satisfaction and retention; high parental choice; and over 1,500 students on the waiting list. And we never advertise. High teacher retention; high teacher certification and professional development; high student enrollment and retention; high daily student attendance; some student service learning; more technology; greater student participation in physical education; increased teacher staff and administration; providing ongoing 110 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 professional development; some parent training and informal sessions; high parent, teacher and student morale. We have at our schools an average of about 95 percent daily attendance from the pre-school. To the high school we have 98 percent daily attendance. We have full implementation of our leadership, character, self-development and social justice curriculum; intense daily training exercises; full teacher assistance program under the federal program called TAPS; daily measuring of skills and weekly testing; full daily breakfast and lunch program; before and after school services; administration, teacher and staff dress code; student uniform and dress code; increased individual yearly growth in reading, math under the PVAAS; and a higher expectation of our staff, parents and students. Our challenges are, all charter schools start off with a deficit by 111 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 receiving only 75 percent of the total state allotment for each student, which you heard earlier today. Charter schools do not receive capital funding for construction and have to borrow money through a non-profit conduit in order to capitalize their programs. Charters experience late payments, deferred payments, partial payments and sometimes non-payment from city, state, federal funding sources. Charters have to find or create funding mechanisms in order to help students overcome educational deficiencies and disadvantages; after school, summer school, pre-school tutorials without further funding. We experienced a loss of revenues by requiring all of our children who had basic and below basic to be in mandatory reading and math to attend summer school. And we lost money again when we required that they have to go to after school. We're constantly in a fight in the battle trying hard to make the case 112 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 for charter schools. And as Dr. Ackerman noted, she was not here, but, in fact, the Charter Schools Office and the District of Philadelphia School Board has been an adversarial partner, to call it a partner at all. We're constantly fighting with one thing or another, and often times not really partners who come together and help to make decisions. Now we're at this fight. We're talking about enrollment increases or decreases or caps requested, and our parents continue to request more of a release on the caps so we can provide more services for our children. There seems to be attempts to dismantle some of the independent charter schools, as charter school operators say, and they think that the Boards are trying to be replaced with select or preferred individuals that meet certain profiles, while also playing one charter school another against. There's a great reduction in 113 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 the number of independent charter schools being approved each year or a significant slowdown of education reform in Philadelphia as we experienced in the past ten years. Some of the challenges we have, we understand. We have to raise money.
Our goal at our school is to try to raise $2 million or more in the next four or five years, create more diversified funding partners and funding mechanisms specifically designed to support our after school, Saturday schools and summer school programs; work with the Board of Education, that's the commitment we've always had; work with the City Council; work with the State Legislature and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to create an independent unitary office that will give full support to charter schools; work with the community organizations, parents groups, community activists and education advocates across the City to demand more parental choice 114 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 and assist these groups to apply for the building of charter schools and a proliferation of charter schools across the City by 2015. I would like to respectfully recommend to the SRC: One, double and triple the number of independent neighborhood and community-based charter schools distinguished from the School District reconstituted schools. Two, reverse the cap on all charter schools to be consistent with the law of the State Legislature. Three, support the use of the PVAAS academic growth model as a measure of academic growth. Four, support the legislative initiative for a ten-year charter renewal and independent unitary system to support charters. Five, avoid the educational management companies, EMO, and corporate educational groups' attempt to wholesale takeover of public schools and charters. 115 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Six, to not allow any charter school to take over or manage more than one or two of the schools, preventing continued expansion of the independent neighborhood and community-based schools run by parents, education advocates and community. And I'd like to note, I think that, for instance, KIPP schools and Mastery schools do some good things, but I think it is disingenuous and I think it is an insult to somehow promote them as being the only successful schools, the only model schools or a national model. That flies in the face of other schools, like Imhotep, like Laboratory schools, like World Communication schools, and the list goes on and on. To have Philadelphia School District Charter Office become corporate and supportive of charter schools and less punitive. It's refreshing to hear that being discussed at this table. Consider turning all the 116 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 lowest-performing public schools into independent neighborhood and community-based charter schools to be run and operated by parents, neighborhood and community leaders. There would begin a possibility of reducing the budget, somehow decentralizing that large megalopolis we have downtown. The creation of a communication and information system in conjunction with the City Council Education Committee, community education advocates and parents to help educate Philadelphia residents to the need for complete education reform and how they can help. Let us be very clear, finally. When we talk about the need for education reform, who are we really talking about and why? There are many white students who their parents have taken them outside the District and outside the City. We are talking about black and Hispanic children that face the greatest environmental and social barriers to 117 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 their growth and development. They face the highest rates of morbidity, mortality, premature death, communicable diseases, prison, STD, AIDS, child abuse, drugs, alcohol, violence, asthma, diabetes, obesity, racial discrimination, single parent, poverty and school dropout. It is the responsibility of the black and Hispanic communities to lead the fight to transform their communities, to view these disparities from a strengths perspective and build themes in all schools that address these life-threatening causes.
While going to college may be important to some people, sanitation, safety, security and survival are imperative for all people, and it is a precursor to creating a true learning environment. Independent neighborhood and community-based charter schools provide the greatest opportunity that create the ties to the environmental and social 118 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 imperatives that the black and Hispanic children and their families face on a daily basis and must be considered as an essential part of all learning in Philadelphia. Thank you. )
Thank you very much, Dr. Palmer. So all of you know, he's a doctor, a lawyer and an educator, and teaches the "black bottom" at the University of Pennsylvania. Thank you, Doc.
Dr. Ryder, Dr. Martin Ryder, World Communications Charter School.
Thank you, Madam Chairman, and thank you, Education Council, for allowing us to come and speak. I'm the CEO of the World Communications Charter School, and we 119 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 were one of the first charter schools to start. There's one other charter school -- Joe Proietta is here with us, and we started together. We've consistently made AYP since our beginning, but where we are today in terms of looking across the board is to determine how charter schools are going to be run and what influence the SRC has on charter schools and what influence -- and what the Office of Charter Schools is going to play with all charter schools together, and those are very interesting aspects. Sitting back here earlier, I was really fired up when I came in here, and I said, Oh, well, you know, I'm going to go in and tell them that all this is illegal, you know. And so I'm going to tell you -- I'm going to start out by saying absolutely everything I've heard is illegal, and you can go back to Act 22 and you can go back to the Pileggi bill, and you will see that the Pileggi bill in 120 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 fact says that you can't cap the enrollment in charter schools, which was already said. And you can go to Act 5 and find that the Boards of Trustees of 6 these charter schools are the ones who 7 make decisions in terms of curriculum, in 8 terms of construction of grade, et 9 cetera. 10 However, in all of that, one 11 thing that I heard that influenced me was 12 that Senator Williams was talking about 13 putting together a collaborative. 14 Although I don't agree with everything 15 Senator Williams says, I think a 16 collaborative is extremely important if 17 we are going to work on the problems we 18 have here in Philadelphia. 19 Philadelphia in fact out of the 20 top 100 cities, our workforce is 92. 21 That means we're eight from the bottom. 22 And if we look at several studies done by the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, we find that across the board when they did studies on the City, the workers 121 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 themselves in terms of literacy and in terms of math literacy scored below basic. So that means that we can't bring in decent industries and we're having a serious problem with our entire workforce. And when we look at the studies that were done by Governor Rendell -- and Mayor Nutter sat on that Board -- looking at what we needed for the State of Pennsylvania in terms of career output and college readiness, we find that one of the things they did together was to say that we had to change the entire way we delivered education in Philadelphia, and this is the place to start. It has been encouraging to me to have -- that I was able to come and speak, but even more encouraging, I was able to come and listen to people who were on the hot seat. Some of them I saw squirm. But the bottom line here is that we need to have a strong education system if we're going to be a world-class city, 122 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 which is what we claim. And where we are with that is that charter schools, those Boards of Trustees and all these guys who were in here who were behind and who I work with continuously, have to come together with the School District in some fashion and make a plan. Now, I'm saying that -- I didn't say that we're dictated to. They have to come and make a collaborative plan in terms of what quality education is going to look like in Philadelphia, and they have to deliver it. And this is extremely important, because it affects everything across the board. It affects your tax base. It affects your employment. It affects the quality education that you can deliver, and it affects how we work with Superintendent Ackerman and Ben Rayer. And I think we need to come with a planning board that looks at it from the economics perspective and from an education outcomes perspective to plan how we're 123 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES.
080596 going to deliver education, how we're going to train teachers, how we're going to deal with our kids, and to supply some resources. One of the things we have available to us in the School District is the Intermediate Unit, and I think what the City Council might want to take a hard look at is, what is the Intermediate Unit, how does it provide technical assistance. Now, I heard Ben say that he provides technical assistance and he comes down. Now, I have yet to have Ben come down and ask me what I needed, but he has come down to visit me, so I can't say that's negative. But what has to happen is, these charter schools need a backup. They need a place where they can come together and plan. And so does the School District. 8 billion-dollar-a-year industry and it has no research and development design. And now we're looking at where 124 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 we are without that and where we are with charter schools. We have to come together to come out with one plan that answers all these questions, or else we are going to continue to be in deficit. And I mean municipal deficit, experiencing the fact of job loss and the fact that we do not have and will not have a quality educational system, even though you will hear charter schools, 73 percent of them have made AYP. And that sounds real good, but the bottom line is, does that mean you're going to have a competitive global workforce? And I'm telling you, there is a gap, and we need to solve that issue. Thank you for listening. )
Thank you, Dr. Ryder, and thank you for your excellent charter school and your model that works with universities as well, and we appreciate your comments and your statement that all of this is illegal. 125 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 It gives the panel something to look at. Thank you very much. Dr. Cortes -- Reverend Cortes.
That's fine. I want to limit my comments to the statement I wrote, which I focused on the proposed policy on the question of expansion. Though I have a lot I'd like to say about a lot of the other things that have been raised today should these committees -- if the Committee continues, I'd like to come back at some point and speak to a lot of the other issues which are not in my comments, but for the sake of time and for those behind me, I'm going to focus on what I wrote. I said good afternoon, but I should say good evening. My name is Reverend Danny Cortes and I am the Chairperson of the Esperanza Academy 126 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Charter High School and Executive Vice-President of Esperanza Community Development Corporation located in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia. I want to thank Councilwoman Blackwell for hosting these meetings and the Education Committee, and I want to give a special recognition to our Councilwoman Quinones for her long-term commitment to the quality education of our children. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise my voice among those already raised. Esperanza Academy is a comprehensive academic high school focused on helping young Latino men and women move from high school into college. By so doing, we ensure opportunities that have historically been denied our Hispanic children by historic dysfunction that is known as the public school system in the City of Philadelphia. Failure and no college have become normative in our communities, and high school graduation has unfortunately 127 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 been seen as the standard that must be met, which for us is an unacceptable standard. At Esperanza, fortunately that is not normative. High school graduation and college acceptance and attendance are understood to be the way it has to be. The attainment of that goal is not some impossible or unimaginable dream. It is, and should be, a reality, and in our school, that is the case. 004. I look back there. David Rossi is back there, who is the head of our school. In Hispanic North Philadelphia, a community that had -- in Hispanic North Philadelphia, we are able to do what many across the country cannot do, provide opportunity for Latino children. Several weeks ago, Superintendent Ackerman and 128 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 her staff visited our school. As many that had come before her, she was impressed with the quality of our work, the quality of our administration, the quality of our facilities and, most importantly, the quality of our students. Had Dr. Ackerman tried our cafeteria food, she would have been impressed with the quality of our food. I look to my friend over there who runs ASPIRA, because they have great food over there as well. I had some once. And I paid, just for the record. Anyway, in the short years we've been in existence, the students have also conformed to the expectation, and the fruits of our efforts are demonstrated in our statistics. Our students understand that excellence is normative, excellence is the way it has to be, and they have responded to that, and it's demonstrated in our statistics, in our success, in parental satisfaction, in community pride. 129 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 I could go on and on, and I think the statistics that were read earlier by my colleague to the right are also in place in our own school. And I could continue with a lot of passion for a long time about what our school has to offer, but instead I would invite you to come and visit. If you want to see how public dollars are put to good use in public education, just come visit a few of our charters. But instead of talking about our school, I want to talk about opportunities and how opportunity would not be afforded if the policy that was originally recommended by the CSO and the School District had in fact gone forward.
If policy that had been in place with the nine goals that needed it the most, Hispanic students, who are the lowest achieving students in the District, the right to a better free education -- and you notice that I did not say or add the word "equal" free education, because in 130 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 reality, it is not an equal and free education. Our school education is in fact better. And the policy that had been put in place would have denied our students the opportunity to a better education, because better is defined by graduation rates, attendance rates, satisfaction rates and even test scores. In comparisons to charters and others, we would be doing well. My colleague was telling me that not one community-based or neighborhood-based high school has made AYP. And no high school ever in the history of Philadelphia with a Hispanic group has ever made AYP, except for ours. No policy should limit the black and Hispanic students that would make up the students of our proposed middle school, because they deserve a chance for a better educational experience that affords them the opportunity to pursue their dream of higher education. To deny this 131 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 educational opportunity would be to deny them the benefits of a college education, because unfortunately for them not to go to a charter high school in our community means they probably will not get into college, if they even can complete high school and there's a question about the quality of the academic credential. To not allow that would be a disservice to our community and to the Council Districts that feed our school. While I came here this afternoon or this evening ready to speak aggressively against the original policy, which I think you kind of got a sense of that already, I am somewhat encouraged by what has happened since the original policy was put forth, and many of the concerns raised by the charter community in our conversations with the administration and Dr. Ackerman have been heard. Alarm for those of us who have sought expansions going back to the days of Paul Vallas is important and an 132 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 important modification, as is the modification to the definition of academic excellence. A definition as narrow as the one originally presented would only support certain communities and exclude others, and that would be discriminatory. This policy, as now stated, affords the latitude needed to respond to legitimate community concerns to the particularities of different types of schools serving very different types of populations in our city. We are not all the same, as the Senator said, and one rule does not fit us all. An expanded definition that allows and affords both the administration and the SRC the opportunity to respond to the unique needs and the educational realities of distinct communities is essential. Anything less would force schools dealing with the hardest and the harshest populations would force them to compete against schools that may pull for stronger feeders. For us, our feeders 133 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 are Clemente, Central East, Stetson and Julia de Burgos. And if any of you do any work with what's happening with middle schools in your city, you know that unfortunately those are not the strongest academic institutions in our middle school community. To compare the students I receive and assume I can do it the same what everyone else does with an un-nuanced definition of excellence is a misunderstanding of the concept of excellence and a disservice to our community. This new definition affords some flexibility. While I have yet to see the full articulation of this revised policy, it is better than the original. There are still questions. It's reverting to a title definition of excellence still in the best interests of all communities. Again, one definition does not fit all. Does an all or nothing scoring process afford discretion?
Are caps 134 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 legal? Is funding equitable? What is the appropriate balance between autonomous and independent and oversight? At what point does oversight move from oversight to impending -- or to impeding independence? So there are a lot of questions, relevant questions, that still need to be asked, but we have progressed and we are affording opportunities to kids with the policy that would allow for the expansion of our middle school. And that is desperately needed, and the 400 or 500 kids we would bring and their parents would be grateful. My final concern speaks not to the role of the administration, but to how the final decision of all of this will be made. In the end, Dr. Ackerman makes a recommendation to the authorizers that are five members of the SRC. If this policy -- and I put the word "if" in quotes. If this policy reflects the collective wisdom of advocates, charter 135 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 operators, parents, students, appointed and elected officials and then somehow after all of that collective wisdom says this is something that merits pursuing, what happens if the SRC decides to say no? We can all agree the question is, will they say yes. And if they don't, they usurp our collective wisdom, and that is also a concern for me, because who ultimately decides what's in the best interest of all our children. And I'm a strong believer that many voices speak to that issue. So I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak, and in the end, as we've all said, it's what's in the best interest of our children that brings us to the table. Thank you very much.
136 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 Ms. Angela Villani, Mariani Bracetti Academy.
Good evening, Madam Chair and members of City Council. Mariani Bracetti has been ready to make a change for two years now. In 2007, after spending years watching incoming sixth-grade students struggle to reach grade level, the Board of Trustees approved a decision to reconfigure our grades from 6 through 12 to K through 12 with no increase in enrollment. This decision reflected a trend. Since opening in 2000, our weakest students have been incoming sixth graders, who choose MBA after years of inadequate schooling. Each year, our instructional staff has only seven months to bring new students up to grade level in time for the PSSA test. This past September, out of 143 sixth-grade students, 27 students scored proficient on their baseline for site reading benchmark tests, while only two students 137 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 out of 143 scored proficient on their baseline for site math benchmark tests. This has been a consistent trend at Mariani Bracetti with our sixth grade. Yet, data has shown us that the longer we have the students, the better they perform. For example, the 2008 sixth grade PSSA cohort moved 12.9 percent in reading and percent in math over a 11 one-year period. 12 Before deciding to reconfigure, 13 MBA discussed the possibility with the 14 Charter School Office as early as 15 September of '07. After those 16 discussions in December of '07, MBA 17 solicited and received support from both 18 our community and Councilpersons on 19 becoming a K through 12 school. And then 20 in February of '08, we submitted a formal request for grade reconfiguration to the Charter School Office, with a litany of items we were instructed to provide, such as a multi-year strategic plan outlining the proposed K through 12 growth, 138 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 achievement data since 2005, a detailed analysis of how we compare to neighborhood schools' achievement, letters of support from Councilpersons as well as prominent community organizations. We were told that a request would be placed on the March '08 agenda, and it was not. We were told then that a request would be placed on the April 2008 agenda, and it was not. In September 2008 as we underwent charter renewal, we were assured by the Charter Office that the K through 12 request would be included in our charter renewal, and again it was not. Now the District's proposed policy makes achieving adequate yearly progress one of the criteria for grade configuration. We requested our reconfiguration two years ago as a path to making AYP. We recognized we had a problem. We studied it and proposed a solution for fixing it. And now after 139 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 two years, we are told by the District we can't implement our solution until after we fix our problem. The District is proposing an amendment to the current charter policy that makes reconfiguration similar to a charter application. Charter schools were meant to be innovative, to identify problems, to react with creative solutions, to apply any resources necessary to educate our children. The District rather we engage in a cumbersome bureaucratic process steeped in paperwork and committees, generate tons of paper and then have it reviewed by a Charter School Office that admits it is understaffed. If it fails, the administration of MBA is held accountable, not the Charter Office. As a dedicated partner in the drive to educate our city's children, Mariani Bracetti Academy is asking only to be given the freedom to do what we know we are capable of - to help students 140 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 realize success sooner and create a sense of possibility again in public education. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Are there any questions to any of our panelists?
Good evening, everyone. Let me say, first of all, how encouraging it is to see men in leadership positions in our schools. If we could clone all of you across the system, we know what the numbers say and we know what the numbers can be when there are strong men of all stripes in our school system. So that should not go unnoticed. I did hear that the three of you met AYP. Forgive me if I missed that in your testimony. Did your school meet 141 11/17/09 - EDUCATION - RES. 080596 AYP?
We did not. However, according to PVAAS, we are growing above the state average.