COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE JOINT COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT AND EDUCATION - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, 5/2/01 10:20 a.m. - - - RESOLUTION 010131 - Authorizing City Council's Committee on Legislative Oversight and Committee on Education to hold joint hearings on how the School District of Philadelphia is cooperating with the City's charter schools, how the School District evaluates its charger school applications, and to measure the effectiveness of our currently-operating charter schools. PRESENT: COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY, Chair COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILMAN FRANK DICICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 I N D E X Page Brien Gardiner, President . . . . . . . . . . Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools, CAO, Philadelphia Academy Charter School Dr. Ann Waiters, Interim CAO. . . . . . . . . 6 Franklintown Charter High School 7 D. Repsch, Student Phila. Academy Charter 36 8 Wissahickon Charter School Applicants Michael Bowman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Julie Stapleton-Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . 48 School District Witnesses Debra Kahn, Secretary of Education. . . . . . 55 Pedro Ramos, School Board President . . . . . 62 Christine James-Brown, School Board Member. . 70 Catherine Connor, Associate Superintendent. . 253 for Standards, Equity and Student Services Sharmain Matlock-Turner, President. . . . . . 147 Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition Dr. Gail Meister, Drexel Univ. Foundation 153 Technical Assistance Center for Charter Schools John Skief, CAO, Harambee Institute . . . . . 161 Laboratory Charter School of Communications Dr. June Brown, CAO . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Jennifer Cabrera and Maureen Hurd, Students 191 J. Proietta, CAO, Community Academy Phila. 207 D. Bailey, Office of State Rep. Dwight Evans 222 Jay Borowski, Board President . . . . . . . . 241 Independence Charter School T. Gentzel, Pennsylvania School Boards Assoc. 258 Melanie Reiser, Charter School Resource Ctr. 280 Jennifer Lowman, Esq., Education Law Center 300 3 P R O C E E D I N G S
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Please could you have a seat so we can get started. Today's Joint Committee on Legislative Oversight and Education is dealing with an issue that will not require a vote of the committee. Councilmembers are en route now, but because of the interest of the time that you've given to come here this morning, we would like to get started. As the hearing goes on, we will have more Councilmembers here but, again, there will be no vote on any legislation today so, in my opinion, the opinion of the chair, there is not a requirement for a quorum. I would like to take an opportunity to read a statement into the record prior to the beginning of our hearing. (Technical difficulty with sound system.)
I apologize for the sound system. I think you probably read something about it recently; it's not working. Any other Councilmember that is here, 4 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 after my statement, is free to make some comment of their own in regards to this issue and then we will start with the hearing in earnest. The timing of this hearing coincides with National Charter Schools Week, and nowhere is the experiment of charter schools more vibrant than here in Philadelphia. The 1997 the State charter school law has enabled Philadelphia neighborhoods to establish 34 charter schools, with over 14,000 students experiencing exciting and innovative educational opportunities. Yet recently our school board rejected 88 percent of the applications for new charter schools, despite many impressive applications, and with thousands of parents anxious for an alternative to their local public school. Meanwhile, many existing charter schools report -- and it's their report -- very little cooperation or support from the School District. Philadelphia now stands at a crossroads of opportunity to seize the initiative to reform our educational system for all of our citizens. Because the creation of a charter school requires the community to join and work together, I believe 5 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 charter schools are an ideal tool to re-energize all of our neighborhoods. This could happen if our school district and city government work with communities to establish charter schools and help them through the process until we reach a point where every neighborhoods has the type of public school it desires. Instead, an antagonistic relationship has apparently developed between the School District and charter schools and their supporters. The impression that many charter supporters have is that the School Board makes a decision in advance about how many charter applications it will approve based on available funds -- and, again, let me reiterate, this is what we're hearing from people who are advocating for charter schools, not necessarily the view of this Councilmember or other members of this committee -- and then they decide which applications to approve, sometimes based on political considerations. I do not necessarily believe that this is the case, but it does seem clear that there is no overriding strategy involved here. 6 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 I would like to hear today from the School Board the articulation of a comprehensive vision on how to utilize charter schools to improve our communities and maintain our residents, especially the middle-class and working-class residents who are most likely to leave because of our failing schools, taking with them their tax base, our tax base, and their contribution to our city. I thank everyone present for their attendance and participation today. I would like to ask each person testifying today to tell us how they foresee charter schools fitting into such a neighborhood revitalization strategy, and also if you could propose solutions as to how the School District and the charter schools can work better together to improve our city's educational alternatives. Hopefully, this hearing will mark the beginning of a new approach, and charter school will be an accepted reform model in Philadelphia. Are there any other Councilmembers that would like to say anything prior to the beginning of our hearing? 7 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 (No response.)
Thank you. In that case, the chair calls Julie Stapleton-Carroll and Brien Gardiner. (Witnesses come forward.).
Prior to the start of the testimony, I would like to have the record reflect that Councilmembers Blondell Reynolds Brown, W. Wilson Good, Jr., Frank Rizzo, and Michael Nutter are in attendance, along with myself, Councilman James Kenney. Sir, could you please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Brien Gardiner. I'm President of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools, and I'm the Chief Administrative Officer of the Philadelphia Academy Charter School. With me today is Dr. Ann Waiters, who's Interim CAO, Chief Administrative Officer, at the Franklintown Charter High School. Mr. Chairman, Councilmembers, thank you for inviting us to speak to the joint committee 8 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 this morning. I've been asked to address three issues: how effective are charter schools, my assessment of the recent evaluation of proposals by the School District, and how charters can be used strategically. How effective are charter schools? In the past four years, 65 schools, with over 21,000 students, have been developed across the State. Over half of them are in Philadelphia. At our school, we have 644 students, with over 3,000 children on a waiting list. There's been less than 1 percent turnover in students in our first two years of operation. It's too early to provide hard individual test score improvement data, but we also know with freedom comes accountability. To that end, we are not only looking at overall school scores, but we're looking at individual student growth on a year-to-year basis. This way, we can clearly measure our impact on each child. Each of the other charter schools are unique, and they are all striving to achieve their educational mission as well. Many of us reach out to students with the greatest academic needs and attempt to inspire those left behind. So the 9 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 short answer on this question is, I believe we are very effective, but I believe that we also have ample room to grow and improve. Okay, our assessment of the charter school application review process. Personally, we were disappointed because we had an application in for an additional school, the Total Connections Charter School, and I'm aware of several other fine proposals that were also submitted for review. But that disappointment is tempered by my recognition that we must plan growth -- we must effectively plan growth. There needs to be a cooperative dialogue and a fairer system for determining how limited financial resources are used. I believe that this forum provides a perfect forum to establish such a process. I had pleasure of meeting with Board President Ramos and Secretary Kahn recently. I was truly impressed with the profound concern that they expressed and their willingness to investigate sweeping changes in our educational system's operations. It seems obvious that this assessment process should become a part of that larger cooperative dialogue that incorporates the 10 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 needs of the City, the school districts, and the individuals proposing consider charters. And, finally, how charter schools can be used strategically in Philadelphia. And really, this area is limited only by your imagination. I think the top way is to replicate schools that are very, very successful and put them in different areas. But some additional ideas are: making educational plans part of City development and redevelopment proposals; targeting areas of the City where there is serious overcrowding problems or areas where there's specific academic or vocational needs for students; even to looking in a different way at how we set up charters, and maybe even thinking about charter class or classes for areas that cause specific difficulty within the school district such as children with significant mental health needs. It may be well to develop some charter classes within a public school that's directed at meeting those needs. The options just go on and on. But, again, I see everything that we do as being a part of an overall process that measures the needs of 11 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 both the City, the School District, and the charter school -- the people proposing charter schools. Thank you for inviting us here today.
Thank you very much. Prior to the other witnesses, I'd like to read a note from Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, who is the Chair of the Education Committee, and she regrets at this time that she has an unavoidable 11 a.m. commitment outside of the City. And if possible, she -- it is her intention to return to these hearings immediately upon the completion of this meeting. Dr. Waiters, would you like to --
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen of Council, I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you about charter schools.
I am Dr. Ann Waiters, a former teacher, high school principal, Central Office administrator, and District Superintendent in public education -- the traditional public 12 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 education. Charter schools have become very important to me. I am filling in, as Mr. Gardiner said, at this time as the Interim Chief Administrative Officer. Since my retirement a few years ago, I've worked with a number of sponsoring groups who submitted charter applications to the District and now have three projects pending. In measuring success of charter schools, we have to look at them one at a time. In charter schools, as in traditional public schools, there are a number of variables to be considered. Student achievement is, of course, foremost. Most charter schools are in their first few years of operation, they have attracted and enrolled large numbers of students who previously suffered long-term serious academic failure, so progress in mediating such failure is central to evaluating charter schools. We need to look for students' test scores that show steady academic improvement. Such progress should be monitored closely and regularly so that mid-course corrections can be made each year based on a rigorous analysis of 13 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 student achievement. Group and individual longitudinal data should also be monitored. Another key factor in evaluating charter schools' effectiveness is parent satisfaction. After academic progress, there's nothing more compelling than the empowerment of parents that allows them to vote with their feet. While recognizing that what's good for the goose may not be good for the gander, the design of one charter school may be attractive to some parents who find that once their child is in the school, it may not be as good a fit as they had expected or that they had hoped. But as long as there are parents who want to enroll their child in a charter school, it is certain that that charter school is meeting a need. So hanging in and getting in are important signs of effectiveness. There are other signs and signals to be considered as well, including teacher quality, program diversity, student and staff attendance, parent participation, and quality and diversity and participation of the charter school board. Charter schools should be able to enjoy a strong collaborative working relationship with their host 14 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 school district, as that would bode well for their overall effectiveness too. With respect to the District's review of charter school applications, I admit to being somewhat perplexed. It often appears that the review process is an obstacle course intent on finding ways to eliminate and reject an application. With such a complicated process, charter schools would be well-served if the District staffed a charter school office so that advice could be available, even if that advice had to be given on a nominal fee for service bases. I've used widely respected authorities in special education whose writing skills are just as widely recognized as excellent, only to have the application rejected on the grounds that the special-education section of the application was not acceptable. I don't know who the reviewer was, but I would like to have an opportunity to challenge that assessor and his or her ruling. I believe that all applicants should be given an opportunity to review the proposals that were approved to get a measure of their own strengths and weaknesses. I believe that charter 15 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 schools can be an important strategic initiative for improved student achievement and make a few suggestions: 1. Target charters for areas of the City where there are overcrowded schools and classrooms. The District did identify such areas this year. 2. Encourage more secondary school charters to provide for more focused high schools.
Since high schools are more expensive to operate than elementary and middle schools, provide low-cost or no-cost supports for them such as participation in the District's interscholastic athletic programs, some technological interconnectivity, access for teachers, and so on. 3. Identify what works in charter schools and adopt some of their best practices in curriculum, instruction, administrative, and organizational interventions. Charters are, I believe, one of best and most cost-effective ways for the District to provide options for tens of thousands of students whose only other option is their neighborhood school and that neighborhood school is recognized 16 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 as being inadequate. I thank you for listening to these comments and hope to see a vastly improved and expanded charter school process in the future. Thank you.
Perhaps someone with your experience in both the public-school sector and now the charter -- and I think sometimes it's a misnomer because charter schools are public schools.
I call them traditional public schools versus charter public schools.
Okay. Could you give me an idea as to the differences. What is -- what enables you to have as much what I see as much enthusiasm about what you're doing now? And what is the difference between some of the constraints you had on you and when you were in the traditional public school system and what you deal with now that gives you a little more hope that things can get better? 17 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
I sometimes think of charter schools as kind of a ship of dreams, but dreams that are based in reality of what can done. It's an opportunity to design an educational vehicle that meets specific needs for specific students. While charter schools are open to any who want to enroll, parents do have a choice among them. So that if I design a charter school that's based on, say, theories of knowledge, which is a strong academic program, there may be parents who are looking for a school that focuses more on the arts, on music and writing. So that that's one of the strong suits of charter schools, and that's why educators like myself from the traditional public schools see this as an opportunity to renew our enthusiasm for education.
Do you believe that those choices that exist in the public school system with specialized educational opportunities in the magnets and in the academies, do you believe that's why that they're so popular with parents? 18 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
And it's mirrored -- that system is mirrored in the charter school.
What is the ratio in socioeconomic background generally of the parents and families that are in your school?
Right now, our population is about 35 to 40 percent minority and the balance is majority. We are located at the Frankford Arsenal in an impoverished section of the City. So we attract students who are looking for a way to improve achievement and opportunity.
We have approximately 300 on our waiting list. We got started late in advertising for our school, so our numbers don't approximate Mr. Gardiner's, so we do have a solid waiting list.
Have you been able to track where your students originated from, from what system, whether it was the public system 19 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 primarily or the parochial school system or the private school system? Do you have an idea as to what the origin of those students are?
A huge proportion of our students really come from remedial disciplinary schools of the public school district of the School District of Philadelphia. The balance of our students come from public school in the area Frankford High School, Kensington. We have a few -- a very small population that would have ordinary have gone to a Catholic school and we have one student who comes from a suburban school district.
So the argument, at least from your -- for your school's particular case that you are actually educating students who would generally be in the public school system at 20 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 a lower cost to the taxpayer than they would be if they were in their traditional public school.
I just wanted to respond to those questions as well. You know, first of all, you know, we have taken a lot of heat because of our lack of racial diversity. We are in the Far Northeast, and when we had originally designed the program, I was principal at Farrell School and we had a good mix. Unfortunately, we did not have transportation for the first four months of the school year, and many of those people had to leave because they couldn't get their children there. We finally, after not being able to get transportation from the School District, set up our own transportation company, and we're providing transportation now, and we have children from as far away as West Philadelphia, Germantown, East Mt. Airy. And we're making that a part of our thrust in the future to make sure that we take care of that issue. The other question you asked is, why is it different? And it's different because we have the ability to change immediately. If something 21 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 needs to be done, we can do it. You know, from the example of the side of the Transportation Department to simply changing classes, hiring another teacher, you know, looking at the data, seeing where your weak points are; if you have a child with specific special needs, being able to go out and secure that service quickly and expeditiously.
What is the grades -- Councilman DiCicco's interested in what the grades of the schools are as far as the --
We are -- we have kindergarten through 8th grade. And we have a class size of children in each class. And we 16 have -- of the 644 -- we have a charter for 644 17 but we have about 650 children in the school, and 18 150 of them are special-needs children. 19
Your teaching staff 20 have come primarily from where? 21
I would say we have -- I 22 haven't done the exact breakdown -- at least 50 percent from the School District, maybe 20 percent from parochial schools. And the other -- you know, we did -- we were in the planning process 22 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 for seven years and we had a lot of people that had written to us and were involved, and many of those people came. Former students teachers that I knew, that I had when I was in Philadelphia. So about half from Philadelphia and the others from other sources.
We're at about, I'd say, between 85 and 09 percent. And it's critical that we have the option, and I think the School District should be granted that option of providing programs for children with non-certified people. And I think the greatest examples are people that teach piano don't necessarily need to be music teachers. We have some wonderful community artists, we have the director of the Philadelphia murals program that teaches mural arts to kids. You know, and it gives us a great flexibility in being able to provide superior programs to children. And I think technology is another area there where you can get some very specialized trained people in to do things that you can't get 23 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 out of a certified teacher.
Thank you. Prior to the next witnesses testifying, I would like you to stay there so that other -- if any other Councilmember has questions on -- Councilwoman Brown?
Good morning, panel. Restate what currently exists with regards to certified teachers.
Are those certified teachers in core curricular areas?
Everybody who teaches a classroom is certified, with the exception of one secondary math teacher who came from Europe and she was director of the honors math program for the Archdiocese; she's the only non-certified teacher we have teaching a core curricular area. 24 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
And our program is so diverse, there are some areas for which certification just isn't available. For instance, we offer a carpentry teacher, so we have a carpentry teacher who is an expert carpenter and is happily an expert teacher but not a certified teacher. We also have a culinary arts program for our students. And our chef is well-trained at the Philadelphia Restaurant School but has not a teaching licensure. They are all participating, though, in certification programs and are operating under emergency certification as approved by the State.
So is your goal, then, ultimate certification for all of your instructors?
Okay. Could you state again your position with regards to what you believe the School Board's position should be on certified teachers or not?
Well, I think that they should have the same option that we have, and my 25 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 goal is not to have all certified teachers. And, you know, another person we have is the retired executive director of the Educational Testing Service who works a couple days a week and teaches each child how to write a state-of-the-art research paper. That's not the -- you know, you don't go out and typically find somebody that's a certified teacher that has that type of background, but he will come in and work on a six- to eight- to ten-week basis and go through the whole research process and give the children the background and the support they need to do a state-of-the-art research paper. We got that from the kids. Years ago, when I was again a principal of a K-to-8 school, we would bring the 9th-graders back the following year and ask them where we failed them, and almost in every case, they suggested that we did not give them enough background in writing research papers, and this is an outgrowth of that data.
We would likewise encourage part-time teaching, occasional experts. We would likewise encourage part-time teachers and occasional experts. City Councilmembers might 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 come and do a short course with our students, and certainly we wouldn't be looking for certification among that group. But our more permanently assigned teachers, we are working with them to get certification.
Did I hear you say in your testimony that -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- for those charter school applications that are not approved, you believe that the leaders of those charter school institutions should have the opportunity to review applications that aren't approved?
Absolutely. Because I think that they then -- it's like judging an essay; it becomes a model answer. Now, even though the application provides information as to what is expected in response to that question, to actually look at the application that has been approved, I think, can be instructive to groups who work for years and work long, long arduous hours on these applications. They don't want to give up, they want to apply the next year. Well, I would like them to have an opportunity to not 27 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 make the same mistakes again.
Is that to suggest, then, that the criteria that is provided to prospective charter-school candidates is not sufficient in terms of explaining in clear details what the expectations are?
I think that the application is clear, but I think it would be even more instructive to see the approved applications.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And good morning. I think you said your schools is grades K to 8?
Did you encounter any problems with the upper grades because these are kids who came from either traditional public 28 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 schools --
We had -- and, you know, if somebody takes their child out of school and transfers them in 8th grade, they do that for a reason.
And most of the reasons were that they were looking for some specialized program to deal with some difficulties.
And how did it work out with those students who came in from --
You know, it wasn't perfect. First years are hardly ever perfect.
But all in all, I'd say it was very successful. We had excellent test scores our first year. I believe we were about 1350 in the upper grades, which is good in Philadelphia.
And how long has your school been in -- I apologize. I got here a little bit late. How long has your school been in 29 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 existence?
And I think the chairman, Councilman Kenney, asked the question that you're obviously bringing children in from all over the Philadelphia region?
We've set up our own transportation company and we are bringing children in from all over. We started -- it was difficult in the beginning; the first four months, we did not have transportation, so the majority of the kids live within about a ten-mile radius of the school. But at this point, we are capable of doing citywide transportation.
I want to ask you about transpor -- is there a special transportation that brings the kids who are from outside the area to your school?
Are there any children who come by way of public 30 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 transportation?
Some are -- you know, very few parents, you know, because of their own schedule. We do have before- and after-school kids, so some parents do bring their children to those.
Is there any difference in the manner by which -- or the portion of your funding for your school compared to the traditional public school as it relates to administrative cost? A lot is being said about the current School District budget and previous years' budgets. There's always this question that comes out of Council and from some other folks about cutting administrative costs. Do you do it at the same level of costs that the traditional public schools do it, or do you think do it at higher or lower?
Well, our funding is about 30 percent less than the Philadelphia public schools would be. Administratively, you know, really, I'm the only thing administrator of the 31 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 school. I have two secretaries and I have my NTA that came with me from public school, who I call my business manager, but, you know, she orders and does checks and orders. That's the extent of our administration. What we have done is set up a lead teacher at each grade level. They teach, but they coordinate and pace the program at each grade level so the teachers don't feel isolated. They get their questions answers, they have an hour and a half of planning time every day to resolve problems within the classrooms, and they also meet at small learning communities for K to 2, to 5, and to 8. So we've built in systems where they can manage and control much of their own destiny.
So simply put, you're able to do what a traditional public school does for a lot less money, from administrative and teaching and --
That's putting it very simply because we also have the benefit of being released from several requirements.
Right. 32 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
And I would hope the School District at some point would get that as well.
That's where I was going. Thank you. One other question in the area of teachers. When you were recruiting, did you have any difficulty in recruiting teachers?
We had -- we recruited our lead teachers first and they assisted us in hiring the teachers that would work with them so that we ensured that we had -- we tried to ensure that we'd have functional teams before we even opened so that the lead teacher would hire people that were --
Well, I live in the City and the majority of the people do. 33 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
Do you know what percentage of your teachers are non-Philadelphia residents?
Councilman Nutter 11 is asking a question through me. Were these 12 people already in the system, teachers? 13
Again, about half were 14 in the system. Some came from parochial schools 15 and, again, others were involved in our planning 16 process or, you know, just found us through the 17 newspaper. 18
Thank you. I'd like to follow up on the issue of certification, teacher certification. I think it's important that we clarify. The impression 34 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 that I'm getting is that there might be some concern that teachers teaching in charter schools are not certified, and that doesn't exist anywhere else, and I know it does. There's the emergency state requirement in the event that there's a situation. But for the record, there are uncertified teachers teaching in both the parochial schools and the public school system. Am I correct to assume --
I spent years in 13 Philadelphia, and I can guarantee you that we have 14 uncertified teachers teaching in -- 15
No, I'm not 23 suggesting that. 24 But the message that we're sending that 25 this is maybe exclusive to a charter school when 35 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 you're getting a better teacher in the public or parochial school, but there are, and we'll ask the School District to identify the number of uncertified teachers that they have in the public school system. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much. If there are no other questions, what I would like to do is ask -- I know you had a young man who would like to testify. And then we'll go to -- and you are not Julie Stapleton-Carroll. UNIDENTIFIED PANEL MEMBER: No, I am not. (Witness comes forward.)
Mr. Gardiner, Councilwoman Brown has one more question prior to this young man's testimony. Councilwoman Brown.
With regards to measurement of academic achievement, is any testing of any nature done for students upon entry? 36 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
We do pre-imposed tests every year, and that's our major -- what we use as our major indicator of what children need. We also assess reading and math every six to eight week so that we ensure we're on target.
Could you please pull that microphone close to you, identify yourself for the record, and take your time.
I'm Daniel Repsch, and I'm an 8th-grade student at student at (inaudible).
Daniel, could you do me a favor for the stenographer. Spell your last name, please.
My name is Daniel Repsch, and I'm a student at PACS, the Philadelphia 37 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 Academy Charter School. Students at PACS like myself agree that our school builds character and instills a sense of respect in every student. We learn to care for and help each other as students and as classmates and as friends. Even the teachers get involved with the students and help them in various ways. If the problem is school-related, then tutoring is available during recess, lunch, and after school. If it's a personal problem, the teacher will talk to the student, involving only the people necessary. When a problem does arise, no matter how minor, it is solved immediately. PACS was created with small classes in mind. There's only to students per room. 17 It is a good thing because education and 18 problem-solving can be brought down to an 19 individual level. 20 Many special programs have been added 21 such as gym, Chinese, research, art, and music. 22 These serve to better our education and give us an 23 edge over other students when applying to high schools and colleges. Also, there's a resource room that -- for children who need extra help in 38 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 some subjects and special ed. classes for students with special needs. Although we have many specialty teachers, they all care about us as much as our home room teachers. The trips we take to New York, Washington D.C., and everywhere else are great trips that serve to entertain and educate. Many of the students would never see these places if it weren't for the teachers trying so hard to get us there. Our school is designed differently from other schools. Mr. Gardiner believes that parents should not only be involved in their own kids but also be involved in the school. So our system was designed that made it mandatory for each family to donate four hours to the school per student. These four hours could be anything: working the lunchroom, helping out at fund-raiser, etc. Parents and children are given a say on how the school is run and can make changes wherever necessary. Our school is very high-tech. We have a new Dell computer in each room plus about 35 in our computer lab, all networked to several 39 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 printers. In addition, we have about new I-MACs in the library. Many, many computers were just donated and there can now be three or four computers in each room, which brings another point to mind. The school trusted several 8th-graders, including myself, to try fixing the donated computers. It was an interesting and educational experience for everyone involved to learn how a computer worked from the inside out. It was a good feeling to know that the school trusted us. I'll finish up with the fact that we have a very well-maintained school, with both our janitors and our students constantly working to keep everything clean. Thank you for your time and have a nice day.
Thank you very much 19 enter for your testimony. You said in your 20 testimony that you're an 8th-grader.
Where did you attend school prior to your charter school?
Okay. Thank you. 40 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 Are there any questions for Dan? (No questions.)
My name is Michael A. Bowman (ph.), and I'm here today with Julie Stapleton-Carroll and Amy (inaudible).
Could you do me a favor, sir. Could you just pull that microphone closer to you.
And we are all members of the proposed Wissahickon Charter School Planning Committee. I'm going to read a statement first and then, hopefully, we can take questions from you, Councilman Kenney, and the esteemed panel. 41 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
The intent of Act 22, the Pennsylvania charter school law, is to foster innovation and encourage educational choice for the children of the Commonwealth. The practical effect has been to provide some new educational opportunities, for the most part, in districts where the average scores on the PSSA and other standardized tests are below acceptable levels. According to the School District of Philadelphia, we are home to 35 of the Commonwealth's charter schools, and we enrolled 66 percent of all charter school students in Pennsylvania. As you probably know, the charter school concept has been praised by many in the public and private sectors. In fact, charter schools have been seen by many, including Mayor Street, as a tactic for slowing population loss in the City of Philadelphia. While it is true that the wage tax and high insurance rates are in part responsible for our population decline, for many families, the deciding factor is the quality of our schools. Unfortunately, many of our friends 42 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 have chosen to leave Philadelphia rather than to help change Philadelphia public schools. Charter schools are certainly not the cure for all educational ills but there is a demand for them. Most charter schools have waiting lists and some are quite lengthy. Each year, a significant number of groups apply to the School District of Philadelphia for charters in spite of the financial disadvantage of the charter school funding formula. Most founding groups apply because they believe that they can provide education in a way that will enhance learning for their students and are fully aware of the effort involved in the creation of a new school. However, despite the apparent need in Philadelphia, only 3 of the 27 applications in the most recent cycle were approved by the School District of Philadelphia. As an example, the application of our group, the Wissahickon Charter School Group, was denied. We have a very strong application, which we have included in your packet of information that we sent to you earlier, and have demonstrated that we can create and run a school which will 43 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 benefit the children of Philadelphia. In spite of this, we were denied a charter. However, we are committed to opening this school and we have applied for reconsideration to the Board of Education and specifically addressed the concerns outlined in the resolution by the Board. We have also collected in this process in excess of the 1,000 signatures necessary to appeal to the State of Pennsylvania Charter School Appeal Board. The Friends of the Wissahickon Charter School is an idea that was germinated among a small group of parents beginning in the fall of 1999. The planning group grew throughout the process but the vision for the school has always remained consistent: The vision is to provide a unique learning opportunity to the children of the City through hands-on experience in the natural environment and integrate learning through this theme. Refinement of the vision occurred through consultation with experts in environmental education as well as vigorous discussion within our planning group, most of whom are educators as well. Our vision is sound, academically grounded, 44 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 provides a unique use of the resources of the City and the education of our children, and teaches our children to be stewards of our community and the environment. The founding members of the Wissahickon charter school come to the planning process with significant expertise in environmental education, teaching, curriculum-building, school administration, and child development. Included in our request for reconsideration, which you also should have received last week, is a section which highlights the specific skills and experience of founding members.
We have been working on the design of the school since October of 1999, when we received the planning grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support the development of our application. Since then, the group has met consistently on a biweekly basis to formulate the proposal and engage in outreach efforts to build strong community support. The level of commitment is truly impressive among an extremely diverse group of individuals with a shared vision. The proposed Wissahickon Charter School 45 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 would be located in Northwest Philadelphia in order to take advantage of the Wissahickon Valley and its watershed. As you can see from the map we've provided today, there are very few charter schools in this area. This area, however, provides many opportunities to study both the natural world and man's relation to it. We have been selected by the Fairmount Park trust as the preferred developer of Thomas Mansion as a primary site for the school. Thomas Mansion, owned by the City of Philadelphia, is located at Wissahickon and Johnson Streets, directly in Fairmount Park, and has close access to Rittenhouse Town and the Wissahickon Valley. I'd like to point out that the Inquirer actually did an article in which it referenced Thomas Mansion as one of the properties owned by the City of Philadelphia in Fairmount Park that could use renovation. Our educational approach is not one in use by any other public school in Philadelphia. While there are environmentally-themed small learning communities within schools and environmental education is a part of the science 46 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 curriculum in many schools, this approach would be unique for a public school in Philadelphia. In our application, we've provided an overview of how a curriculum based on this theme would work at our school. During testimony before the School Board of Philadelphia, we presented the results of a study completed in June 2000 in which -- which concluded that a curriculum such as ours could improve students performance in mathematics and language arts as well as science. The study also noted improved student behavior and fewer discipline problems. Most of the members of the founding groups are parents of preschool and/or school-aged children. By way of example, I am the parent of two beautiful children, one of which is about to go to kindergarten this year. As previously mentioned, a significant number of founding members have advanced degrees in education, as well as experience in that field. Also by way of an example, I -- while I am a lawyer now, I used to be a teacher in the New York City public school system. 47 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 We are all excited about this school and have worked hard to bring it to this point. The governing structure of the school ensures that the founding parents, as well as parents of children who are enrolled later, will continue to govern Wissahickon Charter School, ensuring accountability to parents and children. We have received, because of our application and because of our efforts in the community, a great deal of support from individual members of the community as well as from institutions active in environmental education. The Philadelphia Zoo, the Fairmount Park Commission, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and the Andorra Natural Area are just a few of the organizations that have offered support for our efforts. As stated previously, as parents and supporters of the City of Philadelphia, who dearly wish to have our children be a part of the public school education process in the City of Philadelphia, we are continually discouraged to witness neighbors and friends of ours, rather than stay and be a part of the process, as we choose 48 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 to, move to the surrounding suburbs.
Our vision is to develop an urban school that focuses on the environment and community stewardship, offering a great education for the children of the City of Philadelphia. We intend to move forward with our application and do whatever is necessary to start this school. While appealing to the State obviously would not be our preference, we feel strongly that our application has significant merit. Our hope is that the School Board will support us in their reconsideration. Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you very much for your testimony. Do you have any idea why you're application was rejected and what were the comments relative to the rejection and what your view of the comments were, and could you give me some idea as to what surrounded the rejection issue.
Well, I'll like to invite Julie Stapleton-Carroll actually to answer that question. 49 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
And prior to answering the question, please identify yourself for the record.
My name is Julie Stapleton-Caroll. Would you like me to spell that?
The question was, why -- do you have any idea why your application was rejected? Were there comments in the rejection that was clear as to why it was rejected, and what are your views on those comments?
Well, the (indiscernible) from the School Board, which we also included in the packet that we sent you last week, the analysis from the School Board or the staff of the School Board, as well as the resolution by the School Board presumably -- and we take it at its word, that that's the reasons for their denial of our application. 50 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 In our reconsideration request to the School Board, we addressed those issues, we think, sufficiently. And, again, as Michael had mentioned, we hope that the School Board agrees with that.
If I may -- this is Michael Bowman again. One of the interesting reasons given was that it may have some detrimental effects on the deseg. policy of the School District. And the reason why I found it interesting was because if you look at the planning committee of our proposed school, it is by far one of the more diverse organizations that I've ever been a part of. So it just seemed baffling to me that that would be a reason given to deny our application.
What do I mean by what? You mean -- 51 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
The response that was given back to you that that this might affect the deseg. policy. I'm not understanding that.
Well, let me just say that they weren't exactly as specific as they probably could have been with respect to that reason given, but the reason stated was that it may have a detrimental effect on the deseg. policies of the School District of Philadelphia.
And the anticipated a detrimental affect would be what?
Well, again, the School Board was not as specific as maybe it could have been, and I would not -- I'm not in a position to --
Fine. I just -- it's helpful, quite honestly, to know kind of what you know and what you don't know about a question and answer. The School District will be up shortly, and we can certainly ask them that. 52 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
I just wanted to know what you knew or what you understood that part of the question to be.
There was a stated reason; however, they weren't really specific as to really explaining that reason.
Thank you very much. Are there any other questions for these witnesses?
You mentioned on of your testimony, last paragraph, and I quote: "Our educational approach is one not used by any other public school in Philadelphia." And then you cite a study completed in June 2000. Could you speak in some further detail about the study. Was the study used as the foundation upon which you built the curriculum? Was the study related to best practices in this 53 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 particular area? Tell us more about the study.
This is a study that was completed last year by -- I believe it's a group out in Portland, Oregon, and Ben Berenstein (ph.) actually had worked with us on that, but it was an assessment of additional schools similar to the design that we had and the success of the curriculum in achieving reading and math targets. It was not based -- we developed our curriculum in conjunction with that and based our curriculum development on a number of schools that we had visited and researched, not necessarily those that were covered in the research specifically, but that complemented really what the design of the curriculum was.
So did the program you had mirror an existing program someplace in the United States?
It's a compilation of a number of different curriculums that we reviewed as well as additions that we had based on the uniqueness of the Philadelphia area. So we visited a school called "The Earth School" 54 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 in New York City, which is a public school with a similar design, as well as had significant discussion with East Bay Conservation Corps, which is a conservation group out in San Francisco. We also looked at some of the internal schools here in Philadelphia that have small learning communities that are based on the environment as well as some of the schools that take the opportunity of our arboretum as well as other natural areas in the City. So it's a compilation, really, of a number of different approaches.
Thank you very much. Any other questions for these witnesses? (No further questions.)
The chair now calls 55 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 Secretary Kahn, President Ramos, and Board Member Christine James-Brown and anyone else that the District has with them that they would like to bring to the table. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good morning. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed.
Good morning. I'm Debra Kahn, Secretary of Education for the City of Philadelphia, and I thank you for this opportunity on behalf of Mayor Street's administration to discuss Philadelphia's public charter schools. Our administration believes that public charter schools are an important initiative in the ongoing effort to build our city's neighborhoods and to provide children with quality educational alternatives. In order to attract and retain families, all communities need to offer school choices that are a good fit for a broad variety of schools, schools in which teachers and students feel secure and in which youngsters become well-prepared to take their place in the workplace. 56 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 Charter schools that meet that vision expressed in the current charter school law are schools that innovate and improve pupil learning, they provide professional growth opportunities for teachers, and they are schools that accept accountability for their performance. These are schools that merit public support. Two weeks ago, Mayor Street unveiled a bold new vision to enhance Philadelphia's position as an economically competitive city comprised of thriving neighborhoods. The Mayor's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative sets an ambitious goal of reaching a 5 percent population increase by 2010, the first time in 50 years the City's population would have risen. To achieve this mark will require a set of strategies not only for issues pertaining to housing, commercial development, and workforce development, but certainly also for public education. And as we work to strengthen our district schools, the growth of quality public charter schools can and should be a part of those strategies. Over the past four years since the charter school law was enacted, the Philadelphia 57 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 Board of Education has assumed its new and very demanding responsibility of considering and approving charter school applications with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. Our school board understands how challenging it is to operate a good school and how important it is that we avoid proliferating bad ones. That is why the Board has worked within the parameters of the law to make the charter application review and approval process based only on its merits. This thorough evaluation process has led to Philadelphia becoming one of the largest sponsors of charter schools in the nation. We currently have 34 schools operating in the City and one in the nearby suburbs that together serve more than 14,000 Philadelphia students. This represents about two-thirds of Pennsylvania's charter school enrollment, and by itself would constitute the sixth largest school district in the Commonwealth. With deferred approvals coming on line plus three new approvals, the number of schools in operation is expected to rise to 41 in September. Clearly, many families are responding 58 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 to charter schools' unique advantages of smaller size, greater flexibility, some special curricula, and orderly environments. The support an enthusiasm demonstrated by parents and community members involved with many applicants and in currently-operating schools is impressive and gratifying, but we have a responsibility to evaluate charter schools on their actual performance and not only on their popularity. For all of the good that charter schools may be doing to offer new educational opportunities, it is only fair, in my judgment, to recognize that the law also imposes significant operational and financial obligations on the School District. We believe that changes in the charter school law are needed to pave way for more aggressive expansion in Philadelphia. These changes should create the conditions that are right for school boards and right for charter schools to succeed.
In brief, the legislative changes would include giving school boards a more explicit direction to establish approval of criteria for each round the charter applicants so that these 59 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 schools can be used, as has been discussed here, strategically, clarifying and strengthening accountability and assessment requirements and adopting a funding formula that is cost-neutral for host districts. You will hear directly, of course, from charter operators today, but we also know that some of their concerns are about access to capital markets for facility financing, start-up funding, and perhaps a different application cycle, so that approved schools have more time to get up and running. I've testified in Harrisburg about the current law and will be working in the days ahead to try to effect some of these changes. Let me focus briefly on the financial aspects of charter schools since this subject is so connected to the School District's current financial crisis and has been an unfortunate ongoing source of tension the District and our charter schools. The simple fact is that charter schools are one of the five key expense drivers identified by the District in its multi-year financial plan, which has been shared with all of the members of Council. 60 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 5 million. By contrast, the School District bore no expense whatsoever for this purpose as recently as fiscal year 1997. For the next year, the net cost of charters is expected to equal about half of the District's projected $191 million deficit. But these facts tell only a part of the story. The impact of charter school on the School District cannot be separated from the overall problem of school funding in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. The current under-funding situation shortchanges children in both District schools and charges. Charter schools are adding to public school enrollment and expanding constituency for public education in Philadelphia, and that's really a welcome development. However, because our State funding barely recognizes enrollment growth, we are forced to spread already limited funds around to more students. Our goal should be to work together to provide all public school students with adequate support rather than to pit 61 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 one group against another contesting for the same scarce resources. Charter schools have dramatically changed the landscape of public education in Philadelphia. They have the potential to play a role in helping to rejuvenate our neighborhoods. And the competition the charters provide and their ability to complement educational opportunities now available to public school students makes it worthwhile for all of us who care about public education to learn from one another -- and I think that's a real value of the hearing today -- to work together to help charters succeed and to address the challenges that they present to the School Board for the benefit of Philadelphia's children. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Mr. President, would you please give your testimony after identifying yourself.
My name is Pedro Ramos. 62 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 I'm the President of the Board of Education. Chairman Kenny and members of the Council, I want to thank you for the opportunity to participate in this morning's hearing. The resolution calling for this hearing stated three goals: to determine how the School District of Philadelphia is cooperating with the City's public charter schools; to determine how the School District evaluates its charter applications; and to ensure the effectiveness of our currently-operating charter schools. We will address all of these issues in our opening testimony as well as responding to other questions received in advance of the hearings. Following my opening statements, School Board Member Chris James-Brown, who's also the Chair of the Education Committee, which leads the Board on this effort, will testify to the process by which the District reviews and evaluates charter applications. I will then address, after she speaks, some of the successes and challenges of Philadelphia's charter school initiatives over the past four years, and then go beyond my written testimony to address issues you mentioned earlier 63 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 in terms of trying -- a lot of what we're going to identify are some of those challenges and talk about the ideas. Let me say at the outset that we believe that public school choice is important to the ongoing effort to build strong communities and provide children with quality public education. In order to attract and retain families, all communities need to offer school choices that are a good fit for a broad variety of students, schools in which students and teachers feel secure and in which youngsters become well-prepared to take their places as productive citizens in the working world. The School District has for many years offered a variety of school choice programs that have served thousands of students each year, including our voluntary desegregation program, our magnet and special-admissions schools, and our criteria-based small learning communities. And public charter schools that match the vision expressed in the charter law, which includes innovation, improving student learning, professional growth opportunities for teachers and 64 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 schools, and accountability for performance provide an important expansion of school choice in this district. In just the four years since Pennsylvania's charter school law was enacted, our school district has been a pioneering participant in the charter school experiment. Philadelphia is one of the largest sponsors of public charter schools in the nation and is certainly the largest in this commonwealth. There are currently 34 charter schools operating in Philadelphia and one in the nearby suburbs, that together are approved to serve more than 14,000 Philadelphia students. Three additional charter schools are approved and have delayed their opening. So far in this year's cycle, we have approved three more. This brings a total number that could currently serve our students as of now to 41. As of now meaning for next year. As of this current school year, the enrollment in the Philadelphia charter schools that are open and operating constitutes nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania's total charter school enrollment. While in most cases it is too soon to 65 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 declare success, or failure for that matter, we do know that the schools are offering a variety of different curricula and are evidently providing more parents with a preferred alternative to School District-run schools. We also know that of the first -- of the 1st through 12th-graders enrolled in our charter schools in the current year, approximately 27 percent did not come from the public school system, and that the schools that opened this year for the first time, the proportion of schools not coming from public schools was approximately 36 percent.
Thus, public charter schools are increasingly a choice made by parents of students outside the public school system motives. Most of us would agree that parental choice is important in building support and a constituency for public schools. However, we would also agree that choice is not end in itself; we must offer choices that support the School District's objectives of increasing student achievement and satisfying our customers. Therefore, it is incumbent on the Board of Education, dealing with our public charter schools 66 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 as well as in dealing with other forms of school choice to identify and support those educational choices that have a reasonable likelihood of improving achievement and earning parent satisfaction. The charter law has afforded many families new educational opportunities and afforded the School District a chance to observe many different strategies. From my visits and other contacts with charter schools, I have seen innovation and more aggressive use of non-traditional strategies in a number of areas, including schedules and rosters, school climate, parental involvement, community involvement, special education, non-instructional (what I call "back office") services, professional development, fund-raising curriculum. I must also confess that in some cases, charters are indistinguishable from regular District schools in good as well as bad ways. While the charter law affords many families new educational opportunities, the law also imposes a significant operational and financial obligation on Pennsylvania school 67 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 districts that simply can't be ignored. million for the District in the current year. This figure includes transportation and administrative costs. million. " Students do not transfer out of a district -- out of a District school in neat packages of 30 students from a given grade in a given school, but more often in smaller numbers per class. A charter school of 300 students does not reduce our need for teachers by ten teachers, as one might suppose. Second -- this is what I call the? "General public school funding problem" in Philadelphia -- since the total State allocation to the School District is not sensitive to increased enrollment, when our charters bring us additional students, which I think most of us 68 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 would generally think is a good thing, historically, we only receive about $420 per student in additional State funding, whereas we're required to pay charter schools $5,558 per pupil from the District's budget for each regular- education student and 10,642 for each special- education student. This means that as more and more charter schools are approved, the per-pupil funds available to the regular School District schools as well as the funds available to the existing charter decrease substantially. Obviously, this flaw in the funding of this school reform effort is significant, given our projection of a very substantial operating deficit in the 2000-2001 year. We want to increase the number of educational opportunities for all public school students in the City, but we must do so in a way that is good policy and feasible, given our resources. Public charter schools also pose significant operational challenges to the District, and I'll talk more later about how we're dealing with some of this those. The annual 69 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131 application renewal process and the modest level of day-to-day support provided by the District is making us devote increasing administrative time, people, and money. If the Philadelphia charters were regarded as a separate district, the 14,000 currently enrolled in charter schools would constitute the seventh largest school district in the Commonwealth.
Next year, the approximately 18,000 Philadelphia students in public charter schools will constitute the third largest school district, beyond only Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. We want to expand the number of quality public charter schools we can offer, but we must do it in a way that is manageable for the District and responsive, considering the many students and parents being served. It's now my pleasure to introduce Christine James-Brown, a School Board member and Chair of the Education Committee of the Board of Education, who is going to address issues regarding the process by which the Board evaluates charter applications. Then I'll come back to talk more about the -- 70 5/1/01 LEG. OVERSIGHT/EDUCATION RES. 010131
Thank you very much. Please identify yourself for the record.
Yes. Good morning, Chairman Kenny and other Councilmembers.