To support our Tech staff, I'm tired, y'all tired, but also we've got stenographers and Tech staff who've been working since 11:30 just like the rest of us. So just please slow down a little bit and speak into the mic so that they can hear everything that you're saying. Sorry, Dr. Hill.
Yes, sir. Thank you and I apologize. What I would like to ensure that I'm doing is making the distinction between the cleanliness and readiness of our restrooms to meet the needs of students and that's done through our facility staff. And there is a plan to do that and that's our site specific facilities management plan, and that's for every school site specific that governs the activities to ensure that those restrooms are cleaned and stocked. That plan is in place. The maintenance which is a skill level that requires plumbing expertise, that is done with our eight organic plumbers, if you will, and also with the support of general service contractors that we use.
I'd have to get that exact number for you, ma'am. I don't have that right off the top of my head.
And also, can we get a list -- I'd like a breakdown. I don't need to see the whole plan for the whole city, but I would like to see at least for my District what is the plan for these restrooms. And if you could make the whole plan available for all of us to check out, but at least for now I assume it's a pretty lengthy document. But for now at least I'd like to see what's going to be happening in my District.
If I can say briefly, Councilmember Bass -- my Councilmember, I live in your District -- everything you said was legitimately right and there is an urgency of the now. But I think this also raises the whole facilities master planning process, and thank you for your partnership with T.M. Peirce. I think, you know, I'm from Germantown. I remember -- we loved that building but there were some things with the building that needed to be upgraded. But I think going to T.M. Peirce and other schools like that that are being built, for the coming conversations around reimagining buildings and spaces like that it's great to go into T.M. Peirce and see what's possible. So I think Dr. Watlington has communicated trying to figure out and find a way to show our communities, show Councilmembers what's possible so that the school will continue in certain spaces but maybe there needs to be a reimagining of the space or rebuild and what's possible. So thank you.
Ninth inning hopefully. Thank you, colleague. Great questions and while we all might be a little tired, hopefully a kid will go to a clean bathroom in the future because we took a few more minutes to put some issues on the books that are really important. As we close out, let me just put a couple more things on the record. So I'm an educator. My Master's degree is in education. My father's a former teacher. Teaching is in my blood, right, former athletic director. I have to just go on the record and push back around the principal issue at GAMP. I'm understanding that you have a convening some time soon as it relates to selecting new principals. I myself have family members who's going through the process, very tedious, very difficult. So if you can, Dr. Watlington, because I'm trying to be sensitive to the amazing staff here at City Council, can you give us a written response before the end of the week specifically around GAMP, the vacant principal position, and what we can do to expedite that process?
Thank you, sir. One more thing on the record for me on my end. Now, Board President Streater, we've done a lot of work around Black charters. Has the new School Board met with the African American Charter Coalition? If so, what happened? If not, why not? And also, what are you looking to do based on the Ballad Spahr report because it had a number of recommendations? What is the new Board looking to do as it relates to implementation around recommendations and in the spirit of Quetcy Lozada, I will say Black and Brown charter Schools as well? So if you could just give us a 60-second response to that on the record, that would be helpful.
I'll be brief. While the Board has not met with the Coalition, the Board for the first time since I've been here has convened with our Charter school leaders inclusive of the Coalition and other organizations and our operators who operate our charter schools. I think that was discussed in our opening conversation. I do know -- I'll just give you an example of how the Board is evolving on some of its practices. One of the things that was raised in the report was a recommendation for some additional face-time with operators and/or potential operators and the Board. And with that being said, this is the first year where a Board member will be an active participant in our new charter application process. And I know Chief Chao who can speak more eloquently about what he's done as it relates to his ongoing meetings with advocates and also our providers in the School District of Philadelphia for charter schools, he can speak more to that but he's actually out right now with a stomach bug and his No. 2 Mario isn't here, but we can follow up in writing as it relates to those pieces. But I do know that there are some pieces that he has already started to implement.
So I would ask that the Board individually not as a collective, we don't want you violating any Sunshine Act rules, take the time to meet with the coalitions around Latino charters as well as Black and Brown charters. We understand that you're taking a vote pretty soon as it relates to expanding or allowing new charter schools. I don't know about the rest of the members of Council, but I personally am not in that. That's up to you guys to figure it out. Whatever direction you plan on going and however you handle that, that essentially is on you guys. But what we will ask is that the institutions that currently exist get the opportunity to allow their voice to be heard and communicate some of the concerns that they have as it relates to their perception of being discriminated against. Thank you for that.
As we close out and get ready to call witnesses, I would like to just take a moment to thank you, Dr. Watlington, Board Chair Streater, for the work that you did around the Northeast field. That super site is going to put us in a position to really have some victory laps around extracurricular activities as well as athletics. I also want to thank you for the work that you did around homeless youth. That $2.3 million that you were able to identify will save a lot of lives as it relates to children in the city of Philadelphia. And I also want to thank you for your effort as it relates to dual enrollment. We appreciate the fact that you've increased the number of seats for students in public schools to be able to attend local universities while still in high school and put them in a position to be able to graduate with both a diploma as well as an Associate's degree. So it's not all bad coming from this legislative body. We do want our bathrooms fixed and we do want some good food. But at the end of the day, we do appreciate some of the concerns that's been communicated in the past and some of the victory laps that we've been able to go on together as it relates to what we need to do. Last but not least, extracurricular activities. I want to continue to have that open dialogue. We have some wins, but we have some losses looking at robotics programs and other programs that have lost funding, that we've suspended. It's hypocritical as government to be able to talk about the focus on extended school and things of that capacity while simultaneously cutting programs that work. The Mayor talked about Sharif El-Mekki and his organization. Since I've been on City Council, I've been begging you guys to put money in the Freedom Schools programs, put money in the Freedom Schools, put money in the Freedom Schools. I believe in African-centered education as well as I know other folks in the room 12 do, and nobody does it better than Freedom Schools. So on the one hand if we're going to tote Sharif El-Mekki for the great work that he's doing, the only reason them Black men are -- not the only reason, but the primary reason them Black men are prepared to go into classrooms and teach is because they have that mock experience in the Freedom Schools program. Councilman Thomas would not be sitting here without the Freedom Schools program. And I bet you that you have a lot of educators and principals who's in the District who come under that same category. So with that being said -- are we good to go?
We are, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to state for the record that I have a list of questions that I'd like to submit to the District for responses in writing. Thank you.
Thank you. We appreciate it. Thank you, Dr. Watlington. Thank you, Board President Streater. We appreciate you being here. Please get something to eat. Take a break.
Hold on, Doc. I'm sorry, Doc. Hold on. Did I miss something, colleagues?
Are you sure? Okay. All right. I see my bosses looking at me. That means something ain't right. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the person who is here to testify. Witnesses who are here to testify, we respect the fact that you waited a very long time to be able to testify, but we're going to ask you to not get too long- winded as it relates to your testimony here today. So with that being said, Mr. Clerk, can you please call the first person to come testify.
The Committee asks Laurie Mazer, Cynthia and Perry to step forward. We'll then hear from Kristen and Edwin after that. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
We'll hear first from Laurie Mazer. Then Cynthia and then Perry. You'll each have three minutes. I'll start the timer when you start talking. Laurie, you're up.
Hi. I'm Laurie Mazer. I'm a parent of two public school neighborhood school students, a 9th grader and a 6th grader. And I'll just start by saying in 2018 and '19 I participated in the comprehensive school planning review process that the School District had that then never was completed, which was supposed to be a process about facilities and planning that was focused on neighborhoods, specific areas in regions of the school. And I would just like to ask that the School District and City Council keep that neighborhood focus and keep that neighborhood- oriented process and center these neighborhood schools as they move forward with the facilities planning process. Within my house I have seven K through 8 schools less than a mile, which is not typical in this city. And those are all the schools in really, really old buildings. Some of these schools serve populations of students that are 30 percent ESL students, 30 percent students with IEPs. And while a school may be underenrolled or having declining enrollment, it serves a critical role to the students that are there and they have to be the focus of this process. I think that's where we have to start. That is the focus, is what are we asking these schools to absorb and to do with the most underfunded and underresourced, you know, with attention to the fact that I understand special admission schools and criteria-based schools are a focus. I think we absolutely have to have the neighborhood schools that take all students from all neighborhoods and their admissions as the focus. And I'd like the District to have a metric that they present to parents that says that every parent can be guaranteed that they'll have a healthy, safe, modern school within a mile of their house before we tell them that we're closing the school. I think you have to be leading with what you're going to offer people and not what you're taking away from them. So it's critical that we focus on schools that are islands in our neighborhoods. They're literally little tiny islands that you're saying are underenrolled but they've been widely underinvested in and they are the thing that need to be the absolute priority as we move forward because those schools serve a critical -- they are literally the thing holding neighborhoods together. So each Councilmember knows and understands the importance of these schools in their District and that our focus cannot be on what we're taking away from people, but it has to be on what we're offering and giving them. And that's it. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony, but more importantly thank you for your patience and your willingness to care.
Well, thank you either way. We appreciate it very much. Appreciate it. Please state your name for the record and you may begin with your testimony.
My name is Cynthia Hu. I'm a youth programs manager at Asian American United. We host bilingual and multicultural programming for youth, Asian American youth in the city. So our students come from schools around the city, schools that were mentioned today, schools like Palumbo in Northeast and Furness. I'm here because I'm concerned about the school closings being considered to happen next year. So between 2012 and 2013 the School District closed 30 schools to address a budget deficit, but students, staff, families and their communities were ripped apart. Thousands of students' trust in their educational system was broken forever. As a result, average test scores decreased for both the displaced students and the schools receiving them. Student absences also increased significantly for displaced students. Instead of rushing to close schools, the School District should prioritize student learning and community health in these decisions. Use comprehensive data and deep, meaningful, transparent community engagement. Don't just pay our communities lip service. It is the School District's responsibility to do better for their students and teachers. I attended a School Board meeting a couple of weeks ago, the same meeting where they voted for the TIF. Our students were there in tears appealing and screaming at the top of their lungs and I think that it is such a frustration that solutions that are coming out of the School District, these very same people that are responsible for the well-being of our students, are merely just band- aids for (inaudible) that are getting larger and larger. And you are literally standing in front of students that you are responsible for and giving measly solutions. They were screaming at the top of their lungs for resources, for you to look at them and as adults to stand by them and support them and advocate for them. So ensure that our students are safe, make sure they have access to quality education. With the new Administration coming in, how are the School District and City Hall going to substantively protect our students and families? How are we going to address the sanctuary schools and sanctuary city status right now that aren't being addressed? How are we going to ensure safe spaces, more spaces in schools? We have teachers who have been talking about lack of space, gyms that are being split with lunch periods. So, yeah, as being someone who works with young people and hear this day in and out and being someone who went to school in Philadelphia as a student, I think, you know, put your words where they land and, yeah, ask folks to really care for our students.
Thank you for your testimony, the passionate testimony. Thank you for your patience as well too. And I can assure you that it is going to be some tough decisions that we're going to have to make, but we would love to hear from you as it relates to your lived experiences and what direction we should go in next year. So thank you so much. Please state your name for the record and you may begin with your testimony.
Hi. My name is Perry Lau. I'm a youth educator at Asian Americans United as well and also a former art teacher at McCall Elementary School here in the School District. I'm here to speak on behalf of my youth who are unable to attend this meeting due to being in school. I wrote that maybe a couple hours ago so they could have shown up at this point, but I'm still here to represent the youth that are not able to be here. Our students are heavily engaged in fighting for their communities all over the city. We work with youth who haven't had a permanent math teacher since the beginning of the school year, students who saw their favorite afterschool program get cut or their favorite teacher forced out because of unsustainable teaching conditions. I've held my youth as they've cried too many times to count tired and exhausted from spending hours at the School Board and City Council, having their voices completely ignored and still having to go home to work on their calculus homework for the next day. Youth know that many institutions have failed them by the time they graduate high school if they get the chance to graduate. Yet they still hold out hope for elected officials in the School Board to step up and fight for their futures. Instead of letting them down by disregarding their voices and closing schools, choose a different way. Instead of ignoring their passionate activism against the arena and selling out their neighborhoods, choose a different way. Giving away our precious neighborhood institutions like schools in Chinatown means serving them up on a platter for real estate developers and private equity firms. Our youth, our future should always be at the center of our decision-making and not an afterthought after decisions have already been made. I am so appreciative of the School Board representatives who were here today and the work that they'll do this school year, but there were only three representatives for the approximately 200,000 students in the District who come from many different backgrounds, speak many different languages and who have many different concerns. Student voices are being ignored at the School Board, at City Council, with the Mayor on the arena, with freedom of speech and more. How are student voices actually being represented or is youth engagement just a checkbox? Thank you. (Applause.)
I'm sorry. Thank you. Thank you for your patience and thank you for your passion and the work you do for our children. Please state your name for the record. You may be -- I'm sorry. Mr. Clerk, who's next?
Thank you so much. So you have the honor and privilege of being the last person to speak today. Thank you for your patience.
Oh, boy. No pressure. I will be fast. Hi. I am Dr. Kristen Goessling. I am here in my role as a member of the Advisory Council of the Our City Our Schools Coalition. I'm a researcher. I'm an educator. I'm an activist and a proud public education graduate myself. OCOS was founded in 2016 to bring local control back to the city which we did. And so, the disbandment of the SRC and the implementation of the Board of Education was kind of our debut action and we have continued to exist as a space to provide students, families, parents, community members resources and opportunities to lead and make decisions and strategize about how their schools are run, and that is what we believe community engagement is and should be, as collaboration and it's a power- sharing. So we have questions about what community engagement actually is for and what it serves at the District, what these facility planning conversations are actually going to be used for, what is the specific data and metrics that is being collected and how is it going to be used to inform the decisions that are going to be made. Why is the entry point of the conversations about which schools are we going to close and not about what can we do to improve and strengthen our schools, because this is historical, it's cyclical and we've been here before. And we know -- when we hear the District say that they have learned from lessons and those lessons show the cost savings is in personnel in the midst of a teacher retention and hiring crisis, that the outcomes in student performance are negative and detrimental, it does not make sense. It doesn't make sense that this is the solution and that this is our path forward. On top of that, the facility's planning process, I showed up to the conversation that was scheduled in my neighborhood at Lovett Library and it was crossed off. There was no rescheduled announcement. There was no 10 notification. It was simply canceled and the library had no 12 idea if there was going to be another one or how it was going to happen. So those concerns that we have heard from Philadelphians about the District and about education in the city, which is they do not feel represented, they do not trust the leadership of our schools and they would like better communication, all the things that we've talked about, right. And what we know people want to be better, that is exactly how trust continues to be eroded and how transparency is not happening. Thank you.
So we're going to change that. First of all, thank you for your patience and your perspective and your passion around this issue. (Applause.)
Clearly if people are willing to wait eight, nine hours to be able to testify, you're clearly passionate about this issue. Dave Maynard, my Clerk, he has a business card. So as soon as I adjourn this hearing in about 64 seconds, please go see Dave Maynard. Get his card. And anybody who's here today that's willing to engage in indepth, intelligent dialogue and also willing to compromise, we need as much perspective as possible. Because what we did in the past as it relates to closing schools, we got it wrong. We're clearly in the midst of a facilities crisis. We have to get it right. We need as much input as possible. But the worst thing that we can do is give people the perception that we're moving in a way that's not in the best interest of our children. So you have my word as the Chair of the Education Committee that we will be willing to have meetings and open dialogue throughout the course of next year as it relates to coming up with a Facilities Plan for the City of Philadelphia. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your testimony, and please see Dave Maynard as it relates to that particular issue. Chair recognizes -- I'm sorry. Councilmember Bass, before we close out. Not 64 seconds, sorry.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do want to note for the record that -- well, first of all, our office was not involved in the planning or scheduling of the meeting, but we did hear about it just a few days before. And when we reached out to them, they said, oh, it's been canceled.
Okay. I'm sorry. The School District of Philadelphia. So my office did -- I did, not even my office. I reached out to the School District to ask about the meeting that was held. Number one, our office was not informed either. And number two, when we were informed, we saw something online which stated that there was going to be a meeting this coming Saturday at Lovett Library, blah, blah, blah. And so, when we asked about it further, it was the response from the District -- this was a day or two before -- that it was canceled and that anyone who registered would have been notified of that cancellation. And I found that not to be 100 percent accurate because I did reach out to some folks who were listed as being a part of the conversation, presentation, whatever, who had no 23 idea who showed up also on that same Saturday expecting that there was going to be this conversation around school facilities and it didn't happen. So I just wanted to apologize. It was not our office. We did not have any anything to do with putting this thing together. But we did hear about it. We did reach out to the District to make sure that people knew or that they would try to notify people that this was not happening. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, colleague. Very important information to put on the record. And listening to some of the concerns of the constituents, been here over five hours, I think they have to understand that we have the same passion as well as some of the same concerns that they do and we want to work together with the people that we represent to address this. Before I close, I just want to say thank you to our Sergeant-at-Arms, our stenographer, our amazing Tech team and all the people who just did this iron man hearing with no break, no water, no 8 anything. You guys are super amazing. We very much appreciate you. And with that being said, this concludes the business before the Committee of the Whole today. I want to thank you all very much for your attendance and we look forward to the conversation in the future. Thank you all. (Committee of the Whole concluded at 4:28 p.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. __________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL