Aye. The ayes are and nays are 5 zero. Majority of all members 6 having voted the affirmative, the 7 bill passes. 8 We will now have the 9 consideration of privileged 10 resolutions. Chief Clerk, please 11 read any additional resolutions on 12 today's calendar. 13
A privileged 14 resolution honoring and recognizing 15 outstanding educators in the 9th 16 Councilmanic District for their 17 leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to shaping the lives of young people and strengthening school communities through education, service, and opportunity, introduced by Councilmember Phillips.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President Johnson. I move for the -- for adoption -- for the adoption of the resolution. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing the St. Raymond of Penna Fort Boys basketball team for winning the 2026 Region 58 Championship, the 2026 Archdiocese of Philadelphia Varsity Boys Basketball Championship, and the 2026 Pennsylvania CYO State Championship and celebrating a historic season that brought pride and distinction to the Oak Lane community, introduced by Councilmember Phillips.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I would like to withdraw this resolution for a technical error. Thank you.
My name is Dr. Anthony Phillips, and I would like to make a motion to withdraw the resolution. No, you have to officially --
Yeah, I'm doing it now. Thank you, Council President. I would like to make a move to withdraw this resolution.
All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The motion is approved, and the resolution is officially withdrawn. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing April 26th through May 2nd, 2026 as National Apprenticeship Week in the city of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilmember Gilmore-Richardson.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing May 7th, 2026 as Alexander Graham Bell, an AT&T day in the city of Philadelphia on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first successful phone call and the ultimate founding of AT&T as well as the first broad public demonstration of the telephone later that year at the Centennial World's Fair in the city of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilmember Gilmore-Richardson.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Jeremiah Roach, Dylan Adkins, Aiden Marion, Khalif Barakat-Cooper, and Marquise Floyd-Reid for their outstanding academic achievement in earning associate degrees prior to graduating from high school and further recognizing Boys Latin of Philadelphia Charter School Principal Robert L. Parker III., CEO Dr. William Hayes, and Zachary Paris, director of Early College and Career Programming for their leadership and commitment to student success, introduced by Councilmember Gauthier.
Chair recognizes the Councilmember Jamie Gauthier for motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It has been moved of properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it; the resolution is adopted. Member Brooks, I see your light is on. Would you like to be acknowledged?
I just want to vote aye on all the bills and resolutions that I was out of the chambers for.
Shall be duly recorded. Council, Isaiah Thomas?
Thank you Council President. I too would like to vote aye on all resolutions of bills that I may have missed. Thank you, Council President.
You're welcome. It shall be duly recorded. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing May as Music Month in the city of Philadelphia and celebrating the city's dedication to the arts, its legacy of producing world-class musicians across genres and its powerful economic impact generating billions in revenue, jobs, tourism, and local business growth, introduced by Councilmember Thomas.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. Thank you, colleagues, and in honor of Philadelphia being called the original Music City, as we celebrate the 250th birthday of the country, not only is Philadelphia the birthplace, we're the best place, and in that spirit, I move for the adoption of the resolution. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
Second. It has been moved and enthusiastically seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution authorizing the Committee of the Whole to hold public hearings to assess the potential establishment of an independent fiscal oversight agency to perform independent fiscal audits of the School District of Philadelphia's annual budget, introduced by Councilmember Jones.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Curtis Jones for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I move for its adoption. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution authorizing the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings examining the status of transit, mobility, and access for Philadelphia's students and the expansion of SEPTA -- of the SEPTA Student Fare program, introduced by Councilmember Landau. Council President LANDAU: Chair recognizes Council Rue Landau for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for its adoption. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes of have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing lifelong Philadelphian and Central High School and Temple University alum Will Yip, as the first Asian American producer and second Philadelphian to win the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and for his outstanding work as an audio engineer and record producer in the city of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilmember Landau.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a motion on the resolution.
I move for the adoption of the resolution. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor of signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing, congratulating, and honoring Community Legal Services on its 60th anniversary, introduced by Councilmember Landau.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a motion on her resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution will be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing May 4th through the 8th, 2026 as Philly Tech Week in the city of Philadelphia and celebrating the vibrant and thriving tech ecosystem in Philadelphia, introduced by Councilmember Landau.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor of signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing and celebrating the 100th anniversary of Russell H. Conwell Middle Magnet School, introduced by Councilmember Lozada.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. Together with my colleague, Councilmember Thomas, we move for the adoption of the resolution. COUNCILMEMBERS: Second.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution will be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring the Asian American Business Alliance of Greater Philadelphia for hosting the 2026 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Gala, in celebration of AAPI heritage and the 250th anniversary of American Independence, introduced by Councilmember Harrity.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity for a motion on the resolution.
I move for the adoption of the resolution, Council President.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing April 30th, 2026 as National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day in the city of Philadelphia, honoring the vital work of local animal shelters and encouraging residents to adopt, volunteer, and support animal welfare efforts throughout the year, introduced by Councilmember Bass.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It has been moved and properly seconded. The resolution will be adopted. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring Dr. Charlotte Brown, Rachel Hanible, Tijania Tee Goodwin, Dr. Jasmyn Wright, and Mecca Robinson during National Volunteer Month, for their extraordinary service, leadership, and enduring contributions to the city of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
There are no 20 further resolutions in my possession, Council President.
Thank you very much. Any speeches on behalf of the Minority? The Chair recognizes Councilmember Kendra Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. Today, I co-introduced a resolution 6 honoring Grammy Award-Winning producer Will Yip with Councilmember Landau. Will is a Philly native, and his production talents have included some of the most famous locally grown Rock bands in Philadelphia. He has crafted a sound that is recognizable to the alternative music scene and produced records that will become timeless classics. My Senior Advisor, Eric, has told me all about them. I'm excited to be honoring Will today and to congratulate him for today's recognition and all of his success. This morning, I was at Paul Robeson High School, along with 10 of my Council colleagues, a huge crowd of students, and parents, and community members. And we stood outside that building with a clear message for the School Board: do not vote on a facilities plan at today's meeting. What we have seen over the past few weeks is that this board, which is appointed by the Mayor, is not responsive to City Council and not accountable to our communities. In 2017, when I served as the co-chair of our City, Our Schools coalition, I led a campaign to force the School Reform Commission to dissolve itself. We did that in order to avoid this very situation; a school board that does not listen and does not partner with communities and local elected leaders. If we have to -- if we have to force changes to the School Board, we will. We did it in 2017 and we can do it again. We need a school board that listens to feedback. We need a school board that works in partnership with the city. And right now, that means a board that stops this vote and listens to what the people of this city are saying, loud and clear. Thank you to all of my colleagues who joined us this morning. Thank you, Councilmember Thomas, for leading the charge. This fight is far from over, and I'm asking everyone to join us today at 440 to send a message loud and clear to the School Board. Today's school closure vote is unacceptable, and there will be consequences if this board chooses to move forward down this path. Thank you.
Thank you, Member Brooks. Chair recognizes Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke.
Thank you, Mr. President. And co-signing all the words of my Minority leader on that matter. A couple of things I wanted to raise today, and I want to keep it tight, but I do want to speak on a few things. Yesterday, the Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of what any of us who have been students of history, or actually within the tradition of organizing from which the Civil Rights Movement comes, recognize the crowning jewel of the Civil Rights Movement to be the Voting Rights Act. It was in the Louisiana v. Callais case, which was building off of the court's 2013 evisceration of Sections 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required federal clearance of the voting maps of mostly southern districts with deeply racist histories of voting discrimination. Again, students of history, students of politics in America recognize the history of the southern bloc of senators and elected officials down there, and how they thought, how they moved, how they operated. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act bans discrimination by race in elections. And the court's decision didn't formally repeal it, but instead it intensely deepened the burden of proof to achieve a Section 2 claim, recalling the typical historic dodge of requiring proof of racist intent instead of considering the material impact of certain actions. Justice Alito's majority opinion stated that a successful challenger on Section 2 grounds must now prove that a state intentionally drew its districts to afford Minority voters less opportunity because of their race. Basically, they want people who know that their opinions and their beliefs are unpopular, and have to find workarounds to get those things enacted, they must now -- we must now get them to say the things that are in their mind, which we know is virtually impossible. This disgusting decision brings the logic of the Jim Crow literacy tests and grandfather clauses to this new era of partisan gerrymandering. And too many politicians in the South are gleeful, and I would say maybe even those in the North, to return to these old ways. My thoughts, and my prayers, and solidarity are with the people of that region, we call the Black Belt, as their fight for equal representation will have to enter a new phase. And I hope that they know that they have some allies up here in the North, as we fight off those that would set us back here in the Keystone State as well. It only deepens my belief and recognition, really, that electoralism, as much as we continue to advocate for it, and everyone who's not registered ought to get registered if you're listening. And if you don't vote, vote in every single election, primary and general, and for every particular -- on every particular ballot line. But there is a reason why people have moved on in many ways from electoralism and are calling for revolution, because every time you make a move, and there were a lot of fights, people literally died. I heard somebody make a point, Eddie Glaude said yesterday there are people sitting in the bottom of the river of Mississippi who fought to make sure that we would have these particular rights. At a certain point when you see these things being clawed back, you start to question whether or not elections matter. I want to say that they do. I resonate with the frustration; they do matter. And also, democracy is a whole lot more than just when we vote. We have to stay vigilant. We have to stay engaged. We have to continue to imagine our possibilities and organize to change these situations, because everything that we gained, there are those who are committed to rolling it back, and it shouldn't happen on our watch. I'm not always echoing the Congressional Black Caucus. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not. But they were dead on yesterday when they said the Supreme Court is illegitimate.
Now, if we call for radical changes in the Supreme Court, if folks start calling to get more justices, or even to say we ought to have a constitutional convention, it's rooted in stuff like this, recognizing that we need radical change, a radical redistribution of economic and political power, if we're going to be more than just democracy in branding. Because currently, right now, we have a racist country in structure, and we're democratic in our branding and our marketing, and we have got to change that. So I just wanted to raise this point. And I know that we are a municipality, and we don't necessarily control that, but it's something that we need to keep our eye on. We are living in some dire times, and we need to keep our eye on the prize. Moving on to something a little bit more positive. That was yesterday. Tomorrow is May Day. And your share -- and I am sharing -- I've shared on all of our desks, I hope that you've seen them, some red velvet cakes for all of my colleagues in recognition of May Day, International Workers' Day.
Are they vegan? They've got vegan options? We're discriminating against the non --
I got one more year in this body before the people decide whether I stay or not. So I got another chance --
-- to get it right for you next year. My bad, Mr. President.
Thank you, sir. I -- you all have heard me say this before, I am not just a liberal. I mean, liberal is -- everybody is liberal. I'm a leftist. And what that means historically is that "left" means labor. Right-wing generally means capital, left means labor. Let me just go into this for a second. That would mean, therefore, that the labor movements the world over are movements that are committed to making sure that workers have power, that we see a distribution of power, political power towards the workers and not just those who run -- the bosses, as it were. And labor movements the world over have marched under red banners for generations, hence the red cakes that you have here today. Not as an appeal to nationalism, like today we see a lot of folks wearing red hats, but as an appeal to internationalism, recognizing that solidarity across borders has to happen in order for us to win. The Philly AFL-CIO's May Day efforts include uniting Philly labor around a common policy platform, and we as elected officials represent hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians. And I believe we deserve a city grounded in and organized around working people's values. Here are some of those values, if I can share them: joy, community, solidarity, integrity, trust, love. They're calling us to organize around these values, and they believe that a city organized around these values would have fully funded public and human services, a thriving public education system, an end to the attacks on immigrants in all our communities, development for the people and not the billionaires, unions for everybody, safe and secure homes and neighborhoods, and it'd be a place where one job would be enough. Healthcare is a human right. We expand democracy and not corporate power, and that we tax the billionaires and corporations, and we end up funding our people. I am so excited to meet Philly's workers out in the street tomorrow, and I'm grateful that Philly's labor movement is growing closer to our social movements through organizing for this yearly celebration. As much as I love and appreciate Labor Day weekend, I'm also loving the overtly political edge that May Day, which is the International Labor Day, invites. An edge that names something I fully agree with, that in matters of public policy, the workers must come before the rich. I hope you all enjoy you all's cakes. Two more things and I'm off the mic. In a better court-based story, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision in Commonwealth v. Lee ruled that mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder charges are unconstitutional under the state's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments. That ought to be celebrated by any lovers of justice in the room. Of the 1,100 people serving these unconstitutional sentences, approximately 700 have served more than years of their sentence, 8 with 300 of these individuals over 9 the age of 60. Not only are they 10 serving unconstitutional sentences, 11 but they are also the most expensive 12 inmates in our system. We have a 13 state Supreme Court that's actually 14 focused on justice, it seems to me. 15 And they've given the General 16 Assembly a golden opportunity to 17 secure justice for hundreds of 18 people who were serving 19 unconstitutional sentences. 20 I am a member of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm a minister in that tradition. And I'm reminded always that he began his ministry by saying that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him to set at liberty those who are oppressed, or to set the captive free. And so I believe that there's a golden opportunity for us to make good on that particular call. And so, to echo the many reformists, public defenders, the advocates, and abolitionists calling on the House to move forward boldly, we have got to pass HB 443, and we ought to do it soon. So I'm going to commend those who are already on their way. I'm going to encourage others who are not to vote yes on that.
Lastly, Philadelphia, as we all know, is a city overflowing with wonderful artists, but even we have only a limited number of Pulitzer Prize winners. And Temple graduate James, James happens to be one of them. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who has worked extensively in the city. His latest work, "Wilderness Generation," is now playing at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, courtesy of the Philadelphia Theatre Company. And I'm excited to be joining them tonight for a pre-show conversation about the creative arts and civic life. In that spirit, I want to remind us that supporting the arts is one huge way of strengthening our civic ties, and that it's something that we ought to do and do so regularly. So even if you can't make it to the screening tonight, make it a point to support our local artists in the near future. Our artists and our arts sector could always use some more love. And I appreciate the attention both the Majority Leader and the Majority Whip have shown the arts since they joined this body some years ago. And as a creative, a musician, and an artist of sorts in my own right, I intend to be another voice in what should be a growing support system within this body. I thank you all for you all's leadership. Let's make sure that we continue to support the arts. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. Speeches on behalf of the Majority, Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Good afternoon, Council President and colleagues. First, Council President, I want to say thank you for your support --
I know, yeah. I knew I pressed the button fast, but I didn't think it was that fast. Council President, I want to say thank you for your support. I read an article, and I don't reference articles much, but I did read an article a little while back, Council President, that talked about the fact that this school facilities fight that we're in right now, because this is a full-blown fight at this point, we shouldn't be doing it this way, and we should be negotiating behind the scenes. And anybody who knows me know I prefer to do things behind the scenes. If I get to the point whereas though I'm pressing this button and making speeches on the floor and posting on social media, that means I've exhausted all of my resources. And Council President, I first want to thank you because I know for a fact that even when I was ready to quit the behind-the-scenes negotiating, you said, "no, little bro, we going to keep going. We going to keep fighting. " And I commend you, Council President, for keeping trying. To my colleagues, there were of us today at a press 10 conference talking about this facilities issue and what we don't want to see. So I know my colleagues are going to sound off about it; some of them have already done it. Let me just add my little piece. This right here is the contact information for the eight school board members that we confirmed in this legislative body. Notice I said eight, Council President. I'm being very spicy. We're asking people to reach out to these eight school board members and let them know to vote no. We're asking young people to DM them on social media. We're asking people to email them. Contact the School Board right now and ask them to vote no. 6 If by chance they still decide not to listen to the public and vote in favor of this plan, just a couple of promises, no threats, because I'm not that type of person. I don't want to make anybody think I'm threatening them. I also just don't want to be -- catch anybody off guard, I don't want there to be a surprise. So understand what your vote will come with. Number one, it will come with a pledge from myself and other members of this body, if you vote yes for this plan, and if the people of Philadelphia decide to bring us back, to quote my colleague back there, we pledge to vote no on your confirmation. That's No. 1. Number two, we will do everything in our legal power, followed by the leadership of our Council President and our entire tech team, who's phenomenal, to put us in a position to sue you based on this decision, and other issues that we know exist that we will not talk about in this moment right now. But if you know, you know. We know and they know. So please make the right decision. Last but not least, we're asking people to show up to the school district meeting at four O'clock today for what we like to call a peaceful protest. I've been warned that there are a number of police officers already outside of the School District building. The irony of that, Councilmember Jones, and I know you're going to talk about the idea of putting up money -- I'll let Councilmember Jones talk about it. There are already police out there right now anticipating, I'm not sure what, maybe it's the violent tan suit that I have on, or maybe it's the hostile behavior that they're expecting from honor roll students and disabled students from Lankenau High School. I'm not quite sure, but I know that they're prepared to try to meet this moment with a level of aggression that's not reflective of the passion that we have for our children. This isn't personal. This isn't about adults. This isn't about anything else but folks like the blind young man who came down to testify, who is an extremely intelligent young man, if you sit and talk to him, and his mom told us the truth. " Council President, you're a dad, you're a good dad. There are a lot of parents on City Council, and as parents, I'm sure most of us will give up this job and this city for our children.
And that's not personal to the public. We love working for you, but we love our children. I'm asking the School Board to put themselves in the position of parents, just like the one who was here today, who said, if Lankenau closes, there's no reason for me to be here in the city of Philadelphia. That's not just an individual narrative as it relates to that parent. That is the type of familial atmosphere that our schools like Paul Robeson, Lankenau, and others. This is what they do. So, Council President, again, I want to say thank you for your leadership. To my colleagues, I want to say thank you all so much. And the elders say that the common enemy of my enemy turns my enemy to my friend. And I know none of you all have ever been my enemy before as it relates to this legislative body. But I think that we have common ground, and I don't want to call anybody the enemy, but I think we have common ground as a collective as it relates to who's on the side of right, and who's on the side of wrong. And on this one, because this is a legacy vote, we know we're on the side of right. I'm asking the School Board members, all eight of you, are you going to be on the side of right, and staying with the people, or are you going to be on the side of wrong and staying with the ultra-wealthy and billionaires and other people who are trying to gentrify, gentrify, displace our community, our children, and those long-term residents who love our city? Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Member Thomas. Chair recognizes Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm so very proud of my little brother over there fighting for what's right. Can we give him another round of applause? Because it isn't easy to stand up and speak truth to power. And I say to you, Mr. President, on all that I love, that I believe sincerely that everybody in this chamber wants to support public education for our babies. I believe, conversely, that the people of the School Board, the School District; Streater, and the Superintendent really in their hearts want to do the right thing. I believe their intentions are good; their methodology sucks. Let me say this to you. We are at crossroads, you-all. And I don't think you're reading the room. There were 6 council people, not to count the 7 State Representatives that we were 8 able to garner out at that 9 demonstration saying, please, please 10 don't do this vote. And I know for a fact there was an 11th on the way. But couldn't get an Uber. But that's nothing. So we in this chamber have done the right thing all the time. When it was time to look at the millage rates, we took tough tax votes all the time and passed it. I remember when they wanted to do -- I wasn't here, but liquor by the drink, this body stood up and took it on the chin. There were tavern owners that took people out because of that. I remember when we did the beverage tax here, right? They wanted to put our faces on milk cartons because we wanted to help our babies, right? I remember now with the cigarettes, I remember the sales tax. Every time called upon, we stood up and did the right thing. There's a thing called maintenance of effort. Once we give them this money, we can't call them back and say, we want to change the amount. I want to bring it down a little bit because things are a little better. No, once we do it, we can't retract it. So this vote is a serious long- term commitment to the School District. Lankenau, Overbrook Elementary are in my district. Two out of the three schools being considered are in the 4th Councilmanic District. Now, my good friend, the Superintendent, asked me, "You know, if we don't do this, are we still going to be friends?" Yes, we are still going to be friends. That is -- this is business, though. This isn't friendship and -- you know, this is business. And I want you to know this is a serious undertaking. And I know, you know, Streater is from, I think, North Philly now in my district, I love you, but we are 10-toes down about this. And I don't like the high-stakes game of chicken. Two automotives are running at each other at the same time and looking for which one is going to blink. Our babies are watching us and how we resolve our problems. Grown-ups should be in the room 20 negotiating this solution. We are not far off. But if we don't make the right decisions today, this is going to be a long, protracted struggle. Protracted struggle. And everybody's going to get a black eye. Everybody. I'm going to end with this. I want to support my mayor so bad. I'm not -- there isn't no shame in my game. I'm pro-Parker. All right? She gave an impassioned speech that had me revved up, ready to vote right now. But when I went to Lankenau, when I went to Overbrook Elementary, when I went to Robeson, I saw our babies for the first time, engaged in activities saying, "Save us, adults." So I'm going to do what I got to do. You all can do what you all going to. We going to be down there today, and I got my bail money. Talk to you.
Oh, jail money. Oh, okay. You're locked up for the kids. That's what's up. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad. You're up there today.
I'm just so proud of my colleagues. And I'm just remembering these young people who came just today. People with visual disabilities standing here, learning disabilities, have found a place. Twenty-four percent of the student body at Lankenau is children with disabilities. We were just standing in front of Paul Robeson, sending children to Harvard. I don't know what they want us to do. This is -- these are schools that are working, why are we trying to fix -- mess up something that's working? But more importantly, they haven't shown us their work. How do they come to these decisions? We want each school, each school, to give us their cost-benefit analysis, to show us what is the deficit for each school, so we can address these. It's now schools, and 14 their cavalier manner in how they 15 switched, they go, okay, Roxborough 16 one day, no, not Roxborough. So, 17 okay, we're going to make an environmental center when there's one right next door who are begging for the School District to use them. What are we doing? It is going to cost money to close these schools. So, it is going to the net -- when we net this out, the children who are here are going to leave Philadelphia. They're going to cost us by not keeping these schools where they're performing and functioning. So I -- you know, we have said all we can say, and we have to look at all -- any other alternatives we have. And our Committee Chair, Isaiah Thomas, has outlined this. All I can say is, this is my first term in City Council, and I thought our education system, the School District, was an ally. They're not. They're not, because they're letting their egos get in the way of saying, let's come to a compromise. We gave a compromise for Lankenau. We said, give it five years. If they can't fix what they can't fix, shut them down. But you can't just tell everybody, okay, this is right, this is wrong, and then we're going to shut it down right now. No opportunity to fix things. That's not how compromise works. And I'm echoing everybody, you know, I'm just using this time to say how disappointed I am with the city of Philadelphia pushing these children to sit every evening at that 4:40, as I said, eating dry pizza, waiting their turn to testify. These are children who should be home doing their homework. Who should be playing, who should be having an evening to themselves. And they're sacrificing this because a bunch of adults cannot get their egos in check. This is a -- there's nothing else left but to assume this is an ego issue. So, if you're listening, please listen loud and clear; let's be adults in the room. Let us fix this problem. Slow this down, review all of this, and take a no vote. Take a no vote. On happier -- on happier things, I'll wrap this up very quickly. I once again want to recognize Dr. Charlotte Brown, Rachel Hanible, Tijania Tee Goodwin, Dr. Jasmyn Wright, and Mecca Robinson. And all the host of women who were here, who are -- who do volunteerism in the city of Philadelphia, in fact, are doing a lot of work with these educational systems as well. It was my pleasure to acknowledge them and really acknowledge that Philadelphia is a city of giving back. Our tradition of public service runs deep. Volunteers are often on the front lines and rarely get acknowledged. So today, I am so proud to recognize our residents of the city who tirelessly serve every day. I also wanted to commend the Council President about introducing a bill, which I did on his behalf, which authorizes the procurement of construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of direct current fast chargers in the cell phone lots at Philadelphia International Airport. This is connected to Lankenau because the Lankenau children are going to be the stewards, environmental stewards, of tomorrow. And what we -- this bill will help us continue to address climate change. It's all on a continuum.
So we have to create those new stewards while we are being stewards right now, because this is a global problem. And finally, I wanted to just give a quick update on the Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness campaign that is underway. We were -- we had a really wonderful press conference to announce those who had won the RFPs and we are ready to roll. But this is also to say that 2026 is just the beginning, because we are not going to get rid of all -- we are not going to get rid of human trafficking in the next six months. It is going to take a fight, because it's $152 billion global industry that uses people, coerces people to give either labor or sex. So we are -- I'm very pleased, you know, Philadelphia can do this. I'm very pleased to be at the forefront of the first municipal city -- most -- first municipal entity that has passed -- has put money into doing this work. Nowhere in the country have we had this kind of awareness and prevention campaign that has rolled out with $500,000. So I commend Council President for pushing this, and for the mayor to agree for this, and the Office of Public Safety to work with us to get this going. But if you juxtapose the school closings and doing this, we know we can do better. So let's get there, people. So thank you very much. I had more to say, but I'm going to -- I'm just so disappointed. I am so sad that our children are coming every day, and today their hearts are in their mouths. So please, school board, please put your egos aside, and you don't have the data to support it. I will tell you that because we are trying to do our own analysis. Thank you, Council President. Thank you everyone for fighting so hard for our children.
Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I've said a lot about the school facilities plan, so I won't stay long there, but I'll give a few thoughts. Like my colleagues, I am frustrated, and disappointed, and angry that we are in this place with the School District and the School Board. And that they are willing to take this vote today while it feels like the entire city, and most of the political leadership is against this plan. And I know who they report to, right? They report to the Mayor. But I don't know who they think their responsibility is to, because I would argue that their responsibility is to young people and to our communities, and none of their actions have displayed that. And, you know, they sort of honored the request of the Majority Leader and the Majority Whip and others in delaying this vote that was supposed to happen last week. But in that time, they've also completely resisted making any changes. So I'm not clear what the delay was even for, if they weren't willing to have substantive conversations with us. It's also incredibly confusing that they can be so dug in on a plan that so many people are against, that they can be so inflexible with Council who is asking them to make reasonable, thoughtful changes. But -- yet -- and still come into this room and ask us to do huge things for them, right? Huge things for them. It seems to me to be the very opposite of partnership. And it seems to me that they're also very bad negotiators. We were at Robeson this morning for a press conference led by our Chairman of the Education Committee, and we were joined by so many students from both Robeson and Lankenau at that presser. And in the case of Robeson, they have gone so far, but they are refusing to take the next logical step. So, initially, they were looking at Robeson's land and thinking that they should give it to developers, as opposed to let our kids continue to learn there, right? So they scrapped that after the -- a lot of us put zoning overlays on the properties that they wanted to give over to developers. And we said that those properties would have to be -- remain schools. So they scrapped that idea, and they said they're going to keep, you know, the property in school district ownership. They even committed to creating a committee to perhaps build a new school at the site. And they also added more money; $120 million plus more, for facilities in the 3rd district. Because, originally, we were the district that had amongst the highest number of closures, recommended, and the lowest amount of facilities investment. And so, at this point, as it relates to Robeson, a stellar school, as was pointed out by Dr. Ahmad, 96 percent graduation rate, sending kids to Harvard, and nationally acclaimed HBCUs. Listed as a model by Dr. Watlington himself when he came to visit about a year ago. So in the case of Robeson, we have the land under district control, and it will remain that way. We have more than enough money to either renovate or rebuild a school at the site. They are thinking about building a school at the site, but for some reason, that school can't be Robeson. For some reason, they cannot take that extra step and say, wow, the new school we're talking about building there should be the school that has lasted there so long. And the school where the students and the leadership have taken great strides to make it a place of academic excellence. And to me, that feels like mean spiritness. To me, that feels like the height of disrespect to my community. And to me, it also feels like politics. And I feel like our care for our young people and our community should rise above all of those things. And, you know, we've been having pretty heated debates in this chamber at the School District headquarters, and President Streater, in particular, he bristles when I say that, you know, if this plan goes through, that the board is being an agent of gentrification.
That the board is carrying out the same legacy of displacement that has happened in West Philadelphia since the raising of the black bottom, since the demolition of the University City townhomes, and since the closing of University City High, he bristles at that. But my comments are about outcome. I don't care what your intent is. If you close this school, if you take away the last public high school and University City serving black students where they are thriving, and if you take, essentially, the last vestige of black civic life out of University City, then you are indeed an agent of gentrification and displacement. And so, miss me with your sensitive feelings about that, because it's about outcome, not intent. m. m. at 440. But I'm really disappointed that we have to make that trip today. And I'm really disappointed that the School District and the School Board doesn't think it's necessary to have input from our communities, to have input from City Council. And I'll also say they created this situation that feels so contentious now, because not only was the community never really invited to the table on this plan, Council was never invited either. So they never had buy-in from the community or from any of the political leadership. And it has resulted in this tense, confrontational situation that we find ourselves in right now. But I hope, I hope that by 4 o'clock they find a sense of justice and do the right thing for our communities. I'm going to move on. I also wanted to talk about a resolution that we enacted today. And so this was a resolution that I introduced alongside Minority Leader Kendra Brooks and Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad, calling on Congress and the Trump administration to provide comprehensive fertility care to service members. Our city is home to thousands of active-duty military personnel and veterans who have health insurance through TRICARE, the government plan for our military. Service members face significant risk, including injuries that may impact their reproductive health. Yet MAGA Republicans in the House of Representatives strip language from a must pass defense spending bill that would have allowed active-duty service members and their families to receive IVF and fertility care. It is particularly cruel that while these families sacrifice their safety for our nation, extremists in Washington have chosen this moment to strip away their path to parenthood. I am a mom, and the biggest blessing and honor of my life is being a parent to two intelligent and kind sons. It is hard to reconcile the fact that anyone will want to deny life's biggest joy to the people who put everything on the line to keep us safe and free. By restricting access to IVF and other essential reproductive services, the Trump administration is advancing an extreme agenda that treats military families' fundamental rights as pawns in its ongoing crusade against healthcare and bodily autonomy. This is particularly cruel in a moment when Trump continues his illegal war against Iran, where it is increasingly clear he is in over his head, putting our service members at risk. I was proud to lock arms with Leader Brooks, and then Councilmember Gilmore-Richardson, to enact the reproductive freedom package in the wake of Dobbs. And I applaud my -- I applaud my colleagues who have been leading on this issue in the year since, cementing Philly's place as reproductive -- as a reproductive healthcare safe haven. Because here in Philly, we don't just talk about it; we act. MAGA likes to claim that they support our troops. The least Congress can do is ensure our service members have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare they need to become parents. I want to thank everyone who came to City Hall today to support this important issue and our partners with Americans for Contraception, who are holding the line for bodily autonomy in Washington and around the country. Thank you so much.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you, Council President. It is going to be very, very difficult to go after that fiery speech, colleague. I would take 30 seconds to just echo everything my colleagues are saying. I am so proud of all of you, and all of us, and for standing together on this issue. I was out arm in arm with the -- with everybody today outside of Robeson. And I will also be there at 440, at 4:00. But I wanted to just -- as we've been talking about legal measures, just talk about a little legal terminology, which is so interesting. When there's a - when -- oftentimes when you cite a defect, a flaw, a maybe an infraction of a law, you give the party an opportunity to cure, to fix it. You give people an opportunity to fix it first. The School Board dropped this on us with conclusions without giving us the information that we need about how to fix and what we need to fix in order to make this happen. And I do believe, as we've been saying, we've been talking about organizing with community, with parents, with students. Who knows? Even with some of the businesses in the area. We could fix these defects; we could cure them. And I really do think that the lack of process, a lack of due process that they gave us, the speeding along with this process is their biggest, biggest mistake. But speaking of law and justice, in May, we celebrate 60 years of CLS. I introduced a resolution today recognizing, congratulating, and honoring Community Legal Services on six decades of outstanding, dedicated service to Philadelphians. As a proud former CLS attorney, I know the impact that this organization has on Philadelphians living in poverty, children, seniors, immigrants, people with disabilities, and so many more. I owe my current position as a Councilmember to the work I did at CLS, where I really cut my teeth as an attorney and was able to join the fight for justice and against inequities so many in our city face. CLS helps more than 14,000 Philadelphians each year, preventing homelessness, reuniting families, breaking down barriers to employment, and so much more. I'm so proud to be a part of this -- of their story, and even happier to be here in Council to congratulate them on this milestone. Last week also, I held a press conference announcing my intention to fight for our arts in the budget. And I want to make sure that the musicians -- artists and musicians of this city don't get left out of that conversation. I was proud to co-sponsor Councilman Thomas's Music Month resolution 19 today. And also today, Councilmember Brooks and I co-introduced a resolution uplifting an amazing Philly producer, Will Yip. Will was the first AsianAmerican and second Philadelphian producer to win the Grammy Award for best Rock album. And he is also a proud Central High School and Temple alum. It was a pleasure to welcome him and his family here in Council today. I also introduced a resolution recognizing May 4th through May 8th, 2026 as Philly Tech Week. Philadelphia is a hope for innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. From startups to tech giants, we're home to an animated and booming tech ecosystem. As Chair of the Technology Committee, I encourage everyone to check out the incredible programming being offered as we kick off in May. And finally, I also introduced a resolution authorizing hearings on SEPTA Student Fares, so we can explore the expansion of this crucial resource. I know many of us here are parents, and we know that students are more than scholars. They're participating in after- school jobs, extracurriculars, sports, and more. For many young people, the costs of travel add up and fall to already struggling families. Right now, SEPTA fare cards only work during school days, only from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., and only for students who live over 1.5 miles from their school. I'm eager to learn more from these hearings and how we can best serve the young people of Philadelphia and make this the most teen friendly city in the country. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilman Jeffrey J. Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today, I just wanted to acknowledge one of my interns Chase Mlatsi. Today is -- this is his last week in our office, and I want to wish Chase the best as he goes on to his future endeavors. I want to thank my colleague, Rue Landau, for introducing the resolution on Community Legal Services. I am a intern alum of Community Legal Services. I worked as an intern there during law school. Special shout out to former State Rep Donna Bullock and my supervisor and attorney, Rasheedah Phillips, who worked under the Community Economic Development Unit where we worked on land use and zoning matters for daycares, childcare centers, and other small businesses. I want to thank my colleague, Councilmember Gauthier, for introducing the resolution, honoring the students from Boys' Latin. Two of the students are sons of my Chief of Staff. So just wanted to thank you for that, the honor and recognition. Today, we introduced bills that would create a temporary permit parking around the Lemon Hill area during the FIFA Fan Fest. So I encourage every community around Lemon Hill to be on the lookout. We'll be having community meetings to discuss what this legislation looks like and the impact that it'll have on your community. I want to thank my colleagues today for passing the resolution that would transfer property to Historic Fair Hill, which is a nonprofit in the 5th Council District. They'll be using this property to build a community center and to use it as a community garden for programming. And of course, last but not least -- no, one more thing. We have a hearing tomorrow to talk about our library facilities in the city of Philadelphia. m. here at City Council to talk about the state of our libraries here. But of course, last, I want to talk about the School District and the school facilities plan. Many folks know that on day one, I introduced a bill that would allow city council to impeach school board members, right? Because I just -- I knew we were going to come to this point, right? We have to be able to hold that school board accountable to the people of the city of Philadelphia. And it seems like right now, you know, they're not listening to the people. It seems like that they put billionaire interest over the interest of the people of the city of Philadelphia. And we cannot stand for that. It is ironic how they -- I'm looking here at a sheet of paper talking about billionaires for Uber and Lyft. They don't want to listen. But also at the same time, School District is listening to other billionaires that want to gentrify our city and close schools that send kids to Harvard. And close schools that have a hundred percent graduation rate, right? And close neighborhood comprehensive schools, which they say they want to increase, right? But that's -- it's just very contradictory. Now, we've been saying this over and over again over the last few months. Let's just be fair about it or be honest, right? Be honest with us and tell us what it really is, right? Tell the people of the city what it really is. You know, and -- you know, we've been saying this over and over again, and I just don't know why those members of the board are -- aren't just taking a hard look and really making this a partnership, right? They talk about, you know, this --we are a partnership, but there was no discussion with me whatsoever on -- you know, on this plan. They just came out and it was like, this is what it is. We are closing Penn Treaty, we are closing Warren, you know, we're closing Robert Morris, right? That's just what it is, right? You have no 18 conversation whatsoever about how it's going to impact our community. And I was at Penn Treaty yesterday for a rally. And, you know, again, with Penn Treaty specifically, it's a lot of contradictions when they say they want to lower transitions. Well, Penn Treaty is a 6-12 school. So what -- how many transitions do you need, right? It's a neighborhood comprehensive high school.
That's a neighborhood school, but they want to increase neighborhood schools. They're closing that school, right? But it's not that the building -- they're closing that school, but then want to put another school in that same building. So the school is not good enough for the, you know, for the black and brown kids, you know, that go to Penn Treaty, but we want to put another school there, right? Same thing with Warren, they want to close Warren down for that community, but want to put master in there, right? So it's good enough for other kids, but not good enough for the community that lives there. And I -- it just doesn't make any sense to me. As my colleague said, this looks more like politics. And we shouldn't play politics with our kids. Like that's the one thing we shouldn't do. As government officials, our kids mean everything. They are our future. We look at our scores right now, we have some of the lowest scores amongst our kids. And yes, the School District is rising, but closing the -- some of the top schools in the city will not help us remain on up and up. Like that just doesn't -- it just won't work. It just won't work. So you -- folks already know where I stand from the very beginning. I've been asking members of the School Board to vote no on this plan. It just doesn't make any sense logically to talk about, you know, closing, because it's -- that's a school closure plan, right? That's what it is. It doesn't make sense to talk about closing some schools while leaving others open that are dramatically underachieving, right? You're closing high achieving schools. It's just not right. It's just not right. And I hope the members of the School Board are listening because my colleagues are upset. And if you think this is something that you want to remain on, you got to remember, it's a high likelihood that many of the members are going to be back here and you're going to be asking to be reappointed, right? I'm just saying. So, you know, I hope you do the right thing. Do what's in your heart. Do what you think the right thing is for our city, right? Let the politics get -- let the politics go. We're not here -- I am not here to play politics. I'm here to do what's right for my community and here to do what's right for the city of Philadelphia. And I hope you are too. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Member Young Chair recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. And, you know, I often don't give speeches, but I do have to say something today, and I apologize I wasn't -- I was unable to attend the press conference this morning. And it is sad that we see something happening today where we have so much unanimous support. Our Chair of our Education Committee has been working diligently and very respectively with the School Board and District along this process. And, you know, we heard all the concerns about the schools' closures, but there's so many other different things that happen during this process. And one is modernization and how that money is being spent and the plan's moving forward. We went to a meeting at Southwark School, looking at the conditions there and reassessments that need to happen. Committees that are being set up, but things are to be voted on ahead of time before they do it. Was it just back at school the other day where they rush a committee, where they changed their decision on a Monday and we're going to vote on it on a Thursday without having given anybody any input of how a plan would work. These things create mistrust. And when they do that, people look at us as way to try to address that mistrust. And we feel like at this point, even though we're advocating, if you can't postpone this vote, you have to vote no, because there's not enough information for all the decisions to be made that quick. Even -- they're saying they've been doing this for a long time, but even the adjustments and changes they made without the data associated with it, makes it really difficult for people to buy into it, even if it was a good idea. So I would just say, and I'm joining my colleagues today in that we have to postpone this vote. And if you can't postpone it, then you have to vote no. And I think that's the only option that we have. We support our colleagues. We will stand together united on a front here and making sure that they know that where we are as a body. And I think that is the most important thing. And yes, they have a job to do, and we want them to do it with thoughtfulness. And we wanted to do it with data and be able to -- not that we have to agree with everything, it's not, we have to agree with every decision they make and whatever. Just if you could show us why you made these decisions based on these facts, we may not even like it at that point, but at least we could respect it. So, thank you.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to iterate that it is -- I don't think a lot of folks in the city of Philadelphia understand, you know, how passionate and deeply committed this council is to issues. And we -- not only is this Council deeply committed that we we're about, you know, changing the status quo. And I'm just so proud to support, you know, all of our members here today as we stand up to the School District of Philadelphia. I just want to briefly just say that this -- a lot of this has to, you know, for public to know, like, a lot of this is about process. The process of how this went down is just terrible, right? As an elected official, one of the things I always tell people as a -- as a servant to members of the 9th District, I always have an idea, but I never make that idea without making sure our neighbors are step, you know, with -- on step with me on that idea. I'll give you a prime example. I do love speed cushions. However, I may not love a lot of speed cushions in the city of Philadelphia, right? Yet, because the public -- our residents in the 9th District wanted speed cushions around our schools, I made the decision to create a law that would make it easier for speed cushions to be around our schools. And that took months and months of conversations with residents. I always tell people we -- the School Board was appointed and -- but they weren't appointed with this idea that, trust me to make a decision. It was appointed -- the same thing with us as Councilmembers, we were elected with the idea that we had the best character to be able to bring people's voices together, to listen to people, and then make a decision on their behalf. Whether or not it's something that you wanted to see or not; it's about what the people wanted to see. And unfortunately, the School Board is understanding of, I'm going to make a decision today because I think it's the right thing to do, and still ignoring everyone else. And they are all saying, oh, no, we had these listening sessions; we ended up doing town halls after that. It's -- that's not enough. I remember two years ago, we had an issue in Northeast where we had this road that was constantly having a legal dumping taking place in Northeast. And I already knew that we probably would have to make a decision on closing that road, but I said, no, it's not my decision; it's the people's decision. And we went through a series, series of meetings with the public who just said, you know what, Phillips, we have finally come to an understanding that, you know, we probably have to close the road at a certain point of time, right? That is an -- that's an inclusive process. That's when you make a decision that feels good, because you didn't just say through a knee jerk reaction, just like Dr. Watlington just did a couple months ago. I made this decision. You -- I'm going to -- I asked you to support me because I'm the school Superintendent, school board, same thing. We're making a decision. I asked you to support me because you're the School Board. We're going to listen to you a little bit. You're not going to get everything you want, but we're what -- you should just trust me. You have to find a way to help people feel good about your decision when you're a public person. And you can't necessarily just be like, I'm in charge. Trust me. The reason why the Mayor of New York right now has so much popularity has not anything to do with his -- what he's doing. He has some of the great -- his policies, initiatives are great, but it's his style, right? It's how he's including people and being transparent and taking time to make decisions and holding himself accountable. We have to have a school board who's truly -- you see people who are upset, so clearly you haven't brought everyone to the table in the best way, but you're still going forward. And that to me, is not right. It's not the proper leadership that we need right now in this 21st century.
And I think an old guard still believes that the public still loves this. Trust me, I'll do it. That's not the way it is. And I think people are going to find out, unfortunately, that that's not how this world wants leadership to be anymore. And you have to be inclusive. So I just ask the School Board of Philadelphia to think about were they really inclusive and making sure that we had everyone's voice at the table so everyone can at some point feel relatively decent about this decision. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. I promise to be brief because I think that we all share the same feelings about this school Board decision. The only thing I will add is that the School Board needs to look at the young people that have shown up. There have been so many young people that have never stood up for themselves and advocated for their schools, for their friends, for their families, for their community, like they have this time. I want to -- I want to recognize the students at Stetson Elementary, the students at Conwell, the students at Harding. Students that don't typically show up to rallies and to protest and to fight for things that they believe in. But because they truly believe that the decisions that are being made for them did not include them, does not include their voice, does not make sense to them, they felt important to be present. And so I ask the School Board to take that into consideration. What are we saying to these young people? What are we saying to them with a vote in support of something that they truly do not believe in, right? We ask young people to stand up and be present and stand up for themselves and be a part of the process. And they've done that. And so I ask the School Board to really look at that and take that into consideration and show them that they matter. That the -- that them being a part of this process really, really matters. I stand with my colleagues in saying that we believe that things have to be done. We recognize that. We've been asking for a facilities plan for a really long time. So to all of those people out there saying, where was all of this -- all of this noise a year or two ago, where was the pushback on the facilities plan in the last budget cycle? I want you to know that it was there. We were talking about these possibilities last year and the year before that. And as a matter of fact, we've been talking about the facilities plan and the need for this since I arrived here, and probably much longer than that. And so this is not new. So let's stop the misinformation. This is not new. We have been pushing back and asking the School District and the board to come up with a plan that is inclusive and that makes sense for children and families in their communities for a really long time. We were talking about how fiscally responsible or irresponsible it was going to be last year. So this is not new. This is not new. I want folks to understand that because a lot of the people that are calling my office are talking about where were you last year? Where were you when you were approving an initiative that was somebody else's priority? Where was the priority of the children back then? The priority of the kids in our communities have always been present. We've always been talking about them. I want folks to understand that. And I want the School Board to remember that. Remember the conversations that we had last year. Remember the conversations that have been led by Education Chair Thomas, who really -- we really have to give him kudos. And I know Councilmember Thomas is doesn't like to be put, you know, out front, but his leadership has really been firm and has been strong. And so I'm grateful for that. Thank you for speaking up for the kids in my community. Thank all of you, all of the Councilmembers who have prioritized the kids in our -- in our neighborhoods. And lastly, I just want to say congratulations to Conwell. Conwell was on the middle -- on the chopping block. They also advocated; they're celebrating 100 years. And I hope that like Conwell, all of our other schools will be at that point to celebrate a hundred years of educating and preparing our kids to be future leaders. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much. One, I do want to acknowledge in the same sentiments, which you talked about, the leadership of Member Thomas being Chair of the Education Committee. And he's not new to this. He meets with the board pretty much monthly regarding a variety of different issues. So he didn't just show up and say, let me start addressing the issue now. And so I'm also thanking the leadership of all the members of sticking and staying together. I remember Rue last week said, after we passed out the ICE bill that I think you said, I felt my inner activist or activism, which I think you were referring to when I talk about, this is an activist Council who has no problem speaking truth to power on behalf of those on most in need. And so continue to keep fighting the good fight. We'll see what happens this evening. But there is a path forward and we continue to keep advocating on what's in the best interest of our children here in the city of Philadelphia. And with that being said, the Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Council President. I move that Council stands adjourned until Thursday, May 7th, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.
It has been moved and properly seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, May 7th, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. COUNCILMEMBERS: Aye.
Anyone opposed? The ayes have it. The motion carries. Thank you all very much. (Stated meeting concluded 2:30 p.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence are contained fully and accurately in the notes taken by me of the above case, and this copy is a correct transcript of the same. ______________ Samanda J. Rios