Aye. The ayes are 15. The nays are 0. Majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Chief Clerk, please read the title of Bill No. 260266.
An ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner to enter into agreements to purchase electricity, natural gas and motor fuel by use by the City in the City facilities and vehicles, including agreements that obligate payment 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING for delivery of such energy supplies in future fiscal years, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Chief Clerk, please call the roll.
Councilmember Driscoll was aye. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember O'Neill.
Aye. The ayes are 15. The nays are 0. Majority of all 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. We will now consider privileged resolutions. Will the Chief Clerk please read any additional resolutions on today's Calendar.
A privileged resolution recognizing, honoring and congratulating the National Pan-Hellenic Council on its 96th Founders' Day and declaring May 10, 2026 as National Pan-Hellenic Council Day in the City of Philadelphia. Introduced by Councilmember Gilmore Richardson.
The Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion on the resolution. COUNCILWOMAN GILMORE 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING RICHARDSON: Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the Sustainable 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) on its 25th anniversary for its outstanding leadership in advancing a just, green, and thriving local economy, and for its enduring commitment to the independent businesses and communities that make Philadelphia thrive. Introduced by Councilmember Gauthier.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Gauthier 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 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing the St. Raymond of Penafort 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 Mt. Airy community. Introduced by 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Thomas on behalf of Councilmember Phillips.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. Congratulations to those young people and their families on behalf of Dr. Phillips. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Anyone opposed? 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution celebrating and honoring Ben Dubin on his retirement after 33 years of dedicated service, unwavering leadership and lasting impact on students, athletes and the school community. Introduced by Councilmember Thomas.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. Proud Frankford High School alumnus. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Education Committee to hold hearings investigating concerns around Board 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING of Education governance model, decision making processes and, exploring options for an elected or hybrid School Board. Introduced by Councilmember Thomas.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I'll talk a little bit more about this resolution during speeches on the floor. But for now, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing the career and cultural impact of Stephen Colbert on the occasion of the conclusion of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Introduced by Councilman Jones.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Curtis Jones for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. If you'll please indulge 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING me exactly one minute. A lot of people, when we introduced the resolution for Stephen Colbert, laughed. And it was appropriate for them to laugh because he is a person who hid satire speaking truth to power behind his humor. His voice in our country will be missed. He has, for over a decade, stood up to bullies. That's something Philadelphians do. And he has done so with wit, grace, humor and intelligence. And whenever you stand up to a bully, the bullies don't like it. Whenever you stand up for speaking truth to power, some people won't appreciate it, but we do here in the Council of the City of Philadelphia. So, on behalf of this body, Stephen Colbert, if you're out there listening, you'll have 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING plenty of time. Think about running for President. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution declaring May 2026 as Affordable Housing Month in the City of Philadelphia, and recognizing the need for stable, safe, accessible and affordable housing for all residents. Introduced by Councilmember Landau.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING recognizing Spiral Q on the occasion of its 25th annual Peoplehood Parade and Pageant for their extraordinary contributions to building a vibrant community of joy, creativity, and abundance with an unwavering commitment to justice and equality. Introduced by Councilmember Landau.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau for a motion on the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring and congratulating the Reading Terminal Market for garnering the outstanding recognition as the Best Public Market in America. Introduced by Councilmember Landau.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a motion on the resolution.
I move for the adoption of the 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted for the record. The Reading Terminal stands in the 1st Councilmanic District. Good job, Councilmember Squilla and Councilmember Rue Landau. Mark sits on that board, so he makes sure they're taken care of. So had to acknowledge that. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution declaring May 16, 2026 as National Honor Our LGBTQ+ Elders Day in the City of Philadelphia, a day to recognize and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ+ elders who have been pivotal in the fight for justice, equity, and rights for every member of the LGBTQ+ community. Introduced by Councilmember Landau.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the week of May 4-8 as "National Teacher Appreciation Week" and May 7th as "Black Teacher Appreciation Day" in the City of Philadelphia. Introduced by Councilmember Young.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young for 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the month of May 2026 as National Foster Care Month in the City of 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Philadelphia. Introduced by Councilmember Bass.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the critical role of the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Program in providing trauma-informed forensic care to survivors of sexual assault and affirming the City's commitment to uninterrupted 24/7 access to these services. Introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
Chair recognizes Councilman Dr. Nina Ahmad for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) COUNCIL PRESIDENT 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING JOHNSON: It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing May 2026 as Menstrual Health Awareness Month. Introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad for a motion on the resolution. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING
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. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing May 2026 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Philadelphia. Introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
Chair recognizes the 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 signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. 5/7/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing May 2026 as World Heritage Month in Philadelphia. Introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Ahmad for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the next resolution.
Council President, there are no further resolutions in my possession.
That completes the Calendar for today. Any speeches on behalf of the Minority? (No response.)
Any speeches on behalf of the Majority? Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. And good afternoon. I think everybody -- as the Council's first South Asian Councilmember, I'm proud to recognize May 2026 as Asian American and Pacific Highlander Heritage Month in Philadelphia. As part of this month, I'd like to acknowledge Kelvin Zheng from the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, who was in the chambers today and spoke and testified. I'm also joining the South Asian American Digital Archive, SAADA, to host a film screening and panel discussion centered on Blockade, a documentary by Arif Yousuf. The event will highlight Philadelphia activists, unions, Quakers and immigrant communities' role in supporting Bangladesh's fight for independence in 1971 through nonviolent resistance, labor solidarity and grassroots organizing. And May 2026 is also World Heritage Month. Just yesterday, I attended an event with the Global Philadelphia Association to celebrate the unveiling of a mini mural highlighting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Philadelphia's work to achieve them. And we heard from Zabeth Teelucksingh from GPA today who was in the chambers earlier. And as the city's first immigrant Councilmember, I am grateful to Philadelphia for being my home and for embracing me as one of its own. And this month, we also recognize Menstrual Health Awareness Month. I'd like to recognize Mallory Trainor from AccessMatters, Nhakia Outland from Prevention Meets Fashion and Miracle Jones from Abortion Liberation Fund in chambers today. And as a Councilmember, I passed legislation for workplace protection for those who experience menstruation, perimenopause and menopause, and no one should be discriminated against because of their biological needs. Today I passed a resolution recognizing PSARC and its critical role in providing trauma-informed forensic care to survivors of sexual assault. This is also a statement of my commitment to seeing PSARC fully funded so they can continue to provide uninterrupted 24/7 access to these services. And before I wrap up, I just want to again highlight the horrible decision by the school board to move forward with the facilities plan last week with Lankenau still on the list of the schools to be closed. I am 6 disappointed with the leaders of 7 our school district and will 8 continue to fight on behalf of our 9 students impacted by this decision. 10 I want to recognize a 11 previous speaker during public 12 testimony from Lankenau, Teacher 13 Jonathan Hoffmeier, who actually 14 just received a Lindback Award. 15 And I just want to point out we 16 have very talented faculty. Many 17 of those Lindback Awards went to schools who were being closed, and it underscores that we really need to rethink and reevaluate what is going on with the school closures. And lastly, I'd like to take a moment to congratulate a member of my staff, Grace Savage. Grace recently, in fact, today is receiving her Master's in Public Policy from Temple University. Go Owls. And I'm so proud of her and grateful to have such a dedicated and educated staff. With that, I yield my time. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you, Council President. I first want to start by thanking the incredible work of Spiral Q, who will join us for a resolution celebration after Council today. I introduced this resolution also with Councilmember Gauthier. At a time when so many headlines feel heavy and when hope can feel fleeting, art like that of Spiral Q continues to shine, reminding all of us of our collective power and our capacity to imagine something better. So we welcome all Councilmembers and staff to join us in Conversation Hall on the second floor after Council at 1:30 for a photo. They have puppets there. It is going to be very fun today. Also, introduced a resolution alongside Councilman Squilla, honoring and congratulating the Reading Terminal Market for garnering the outstanding recognition as the best public market in America. I don't think anyone here is a stranger to Reading Terminal. I'm certainly a fan of them, especially all the vegan and vegetarian options, Council President. But it's also an important piece of Philadelphia history, culture and community, and big secret, because I was there last week. They now have an Ethiopian food stand too, which is going to be wonderful. I'm also excited to kick off May by introducing a resolution 10 declaring May 2026 as Affordable Housing Month in the City of Philadelphia, and recognizing the need for stable, safe, accessible and affordable housing for all residents. Since my time as an attorney at CLS, many of my -- I've always heard from my clients and constituents around the city that access to a stable housing situation that is affordable could be the key to keeping a job, caring for their loved ones or just making it through the days, knowing that at least they had a safe place to go home to. I know we, Councilmembers, have been able to make some waves since we started with my Move-In Affordability Plan, Councilmember O'Rourke's Safe and Healthy Homes Act, and the H.O.M.E. Plan, which we all supported. I worked specifically on that with Councilmember Gauthier and many more, but they're just steps towards a larger goal of making Philadelphia stable, vibrant, vibrant, equitable and affordable communities around the city. Also, introduced a resolution declaring next Saturday, May 16 as National Honor Our LGBTQ+ Elders Day in the City of Philadelphia, a day to recognize and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ+ plus elders who've been pivotal in the fight for justice, equity and rights for every member of the community. Our queer community elders' bravery and activism blazed a trail for LGBTQ youth in the years following then. Many of them did not even expect to be alive at this point. I know I wouldn't be the first LGBTQ Councilmember or here in Philadelphia -- out Councilmember here if it wasn't for the likes of Ethel Allen, John Anderson and many supporters and whatnot by Gloria Casarez and Michael Henson. Their work has created a safer space for the next generation. I can only hope to do the same for those who come after me. I will lift as I lead. And finally, I am happy to continue my work in the outdoor dining space by introducing a bill 24 today to authorize additional locations for sidewalk cafes by right in Old Richmond and East Falls areas of the city. We've been experiencing some nicer weather. We're going to see some more tables outside. This legislation makes it easier for small businesses to expand without getting caught up in too many bureaucratic hurdles. And I too want to take one minute to congratulate my Legislative Director Jeff Serra, who today is walking at Temple University, getting his MBA as well. Congratulations, Jeff. So proud of you.
I know a raise is coming. I will oblige. I think y'all got something going on, on this side of the room today because next is Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. I want to also congratulate all of the students that are graduating across the City of Philadelphia, especially those that are graduating that call the 7th Council District home, but most especially Elena Hincapie, who also works for me, is graduating from Temple University with a Master's of Public Policy, all while working full-time and really staying committed to serving the district. I'm extremely, extremely proud of her and her work. I also just want to remind residents that the Streets Department started their summer cleaning initiative, and we launched Alligators, the Alligators program in the 7th Council District. Many residents don't realize that the alleyways are safety exits. They are the responsibility of residents, but we recognize that sometimes it becomes overwhelming and it can't get done by residents alone, especially some of our senior residents. And so, encouraging everyone to really take advantage and call our office, sign up for alleyways. If you have the capacity to be able to do it online, get online and get yourself on the list. My office is knocking on doors and we're happy to take folks' information, but really want us as a city to take advantage of programs like this if we want to make sure that we become a safe city, right, because a cleaner neighborhood is a safer neighborhood. And so, just want to encourage everyone to call the office and sign up for those programs. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to just make a couple of mentions. I'm very happy that today we talked about Panati Playground in North Philadelphia in my old neighborhood, and that we're renaming that to the Allegheny West Playground and it serves the community every day. Allegheny West is a great partner in the community and does so much. And so, this is an important next step that better aligns with the playground, with the neighborhood and the voices of the residents in that community. And I really just wanted to say I appreciate everyone who has been a part of that and had a role in making that happen. I also wanted to make mention of the Germantown Town Hall property. We're pleased to support the transfer of this property for redevelopment. You know, it is long overdue. I want to state for the record that it was vacant long before Cindy Bass became the Councilperson. But nonetheless, it is on track and that's a good thing. And we're very excited about this project. We want to see this happen. We want to see it happen in a very robust way, and we want to make sure that community inclusion, having a developer, a minority developer from Germantown is so very important. Because you can't say Black lives matter and not include that Black livelihoods matter as well. We cannot be economic bystanders in what happens in our communities. And this is just a really good example of making sure that we break that cycle that we've seen over and over again here in the City of Philadelphia. So I'm extremely proud of that. Also, today we introduced a resolution that called for the expansion of Art Reach to child care centers. Art Reach is a program that allows individuals who are low-income to get access to places like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and other locations, cultural institutions that might be unaffordable for about $2 for a ticket. And so, now we are going to be working to ensure that child care centers are included in that in a very robust way. We're planning a coordinated outreach effort by contacting all child care centers in the 8th District and informing them about a membership to this program. We will be working with these centers to overcome structural and financial hurdles to make sure that we increase access throughout our city again for our day cares located in areas that are often low-income and folks might have parents who might not be able to take them to these institutions, so we're very excited about that. We also introduced a bill today banning foie gras. And the reason is simple: Philadelphia should not profit from a product made through the cruel force- feeding of animals for a luxury market. It's a narrow, inhumane warning-first bill that reflects our city's values without disrupting everyday food access or neighborhood businesses. Foie gras is a niche product served at fewer than restaurants citywide, and 14 humane alternatives already exist. 15 This legislation simply says that 16 cruelty should not be a part of 17 commerce in Philadelphia. And I 18 look forward to talking to 19 stakeholders in the coming weeks. 20 And last but not least, we also recognize May as National Foster Care Month in Philadelphia. And as we get ready for Mother's Day, I'm excited to say that I will be spending Mother's Day with my mother this year and it's never too late. After 55 years of being apart, it is never too late for us to have this wonderful Mother's Day together. Looking forward to that. Thank you, Mr. President.
I know that's right. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I'd like to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of a few of my interns. Alexandra Lex Martinucci is graduating from Temple University Friday with her Bachelor's in Political Science and minor in Criminal Justice. Selena Ryland just graduated from CCP on Saturday, and she'll be leaving our office to pursue her education in North Carolina. And Johann Baumgardo has been an intern in our office throughout the spring, the fall and spring, has been a tremendous asset. He's already a college graduate so if y'all know someone who's hiring, please, we got our young people who are here who are dedicated to the work, looking for opportunities. I want to announce early, mark your calendars. May 16 is the Girard Avenue Festival. I am sponsoring that along with Park to Broad Business District. Please come on out. It's always a good time. So Saturday, May 16th, mark your calendar. Just want to give a special Mother's Day shout-out to my wife and my mom. Happy Mother's Day. I'll see you all this weekend. And today we introduced a resolution honoring Teacher Appreciation Week and Black Teacher Appreciation Day. I want to specifically thank the Chair of Education Member Thomas and Member Brooks for their tireless advocacy of everything that has to do with our teachers, our schools and the School District of the City of Philadelphia. I introduced this resolution because teachers are often the first people that young people see. Long after students forget assignments and test scores, they remember who their teacher was. They remember the impact they had on them, that push toward greatness. It's a teacher that kind of made me become who I am today. I was thinking about studying something else, but the way he taught made me want to study political science. Particularly, Black teachers are the pillars for generations. And I think about my own education. I've only had one Black male teacher, right, from kindergarten through 12th grade, only one. And that person still has a significant impact in my life. I just remember the things that he taught us, how he taught us. So shout out to Mr. Roland. And if we truly value education, then we must continue investing in our educators every single day. We heard a number today about administrative costs, right. We heard that number. But I've heard our superintendent say over and over again that teachers are the most important thing to the school district. So invest in them then. Take a look at what you're doing internally to figure out what you can do for our teachers. And lastly, Mr. President, I introduced a resolution today supporting a proposal by Senator Doug Mastriano, bipartisanship, right, but this proposal would essentially provide full property tax exemptions for homeowners who are at least 75 years old, have lived in Pennsylvania for 10 consecutive years and have owned and occupied a primary residence for that 10 consecutive years and use that as a primary home. The rising property taxes place a serious burden on our seniors living on fixed income or with limited income and threaten their ability to remain in their homes. The proposal will allow surviving spouses to also continue to receive the exemption and it would include, of course, things like annual verifications, repayment requirements and penalties. But it was named after a gentleman Sam Worley, who was a World War II veteran who continued to pay taxes into his 100th year of life, right. He's paying property taxes. And that just symbolizes the need to protect our seniors who've already given a lifetime of service. Pennsylvania's existing property tax relief programs provide important, but not fully eliminate the burden.
Particularly, we have programs like our Senior Tax Freeze, which is a great program for our low-income seniors, but I get a lot of seniors in my district who are retired teachers, retired city workers, where their income is just above the Senior Tax Freeze, but they will never receive another dime of income in their life, right. But their taxes keep going up every year. So I think it's important to support those seniors. This type of program will promote aging in place, housing stability, community continuity and give dignity to our seniors, while requiring responsible implementation to protect our schools and municipalities and essential services. But particularly, as we're talking about debating a 20-year tax abatement for developers, our seniors may not even live another years. So this legislation helps preserve that generation of wealth that we often talk about here in City Council. So although it hasn't even been proposed yet or circulated yet, this is just an idea of Senator Doug Mastriano. I think that this is something that is very important to the citizens of the City of Philadelphia, particularly our seniors who have worked a lifetime to build this city to what it is. And I look forward to continuing to support our seniors in any way possible because they have paved the way for us to be here. So thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. Today under the leadership of our Education Chair Councilmember Thomas, I was proud to co-introduce a resolution with Chair Thomas and Minority Leader Kendra Brooks, calling for a hearing to examine the governance structure of our school board and to look at other options like an elected school board or a hybrid elected/appointed school board. I grew up hearing about the need for an elected school board in the City of Philadelphia. It has been a lifelong advocacy effort for my father, Leon A. Williams, Esquire, who is an attorney, but more important, a community leader and longtime advocate -
Let me pause there real quick. He was progressive before progressive was a thing. If we --
-- give him his proper acknowledgement, before it was like a thing, he was already on the front line talking about prevention, speaking truth to power, how we address the criminal justice system in terms of criminal justice reform. So make sure we set that record straight. Go ahead. Continue.
Thank you for that. So when people wonder where I get it from, I got it from my dad. And so, my father has advocated for an elected school board in Philadelphia for as long as I can remember. And as a girl, I would hear him talk about how Philadelphia is the only municipality in the state of Pennsylvania that does not have an elected school board. And I would hear him talk about how disenfranchising that is, specifically for Black people in a majority person-of- color city, to not have the ability to weigh in on the governance of their schools. And I always believed in this worldview of my fathers, but I don't think I understood how important it was until last Thursday when I saw our appointed school board after months of advocacy from community members, from elected officials, and I mean people begging the school board and the school district to not close their schools, people staying at school board meetings that sometimes ended well after midnight, after months of this, I watched our local-appointed school board look at a room of folks still begging and protesting and advocating for their neighborhood schools pay no mind, pay no mind to the cries of what feels like the whole city, pay no mind to the advocacy of most of the political leadership in Philadelphia and go into a private room, start a virtual meeting and vote to close schools in the City of 17 Philadelphia. It was then that I understood in realtime why we need an elected school board. And I say this as someone who I helped to set up our first local school board in 2016. Then Mayor Kenney asked me to be on the nominating panel for the local school board, and that's actually where I met Minority Leader Brooks. We both served on the nominating panel. We both helped to nominate the first members that sat on our local school board. And that was such a moment of pride for me, because I thought surely, surely people who represent our city, even on an appointed school board, would represent the interest of our city and people in our communities. But after last Thursday, I question we could have still had the SRC. If we were going to have folks sit on our local school board, ignore the cries of the community to close 17 schools against the wishes of what feels like the whole city, we could have stayed with the SRC. If we were going to have a school board regurgitate the same school closure plans that we've seen again and again and again, the most recent being the 2013 plan, we could have stayed with the SRC. And so, I think we have to, we have to take a look at this governance structure to ensure that it really reflects the needs and the desires of the people. I also want to just shine some light on this whole process because I think people, they saw that meeting and they saw the frustration and the anger, but they may not realize that that meeting and that vote was the final slight or the latest slight, I'll say, in a process that never really heard people, whether we're talking about community folks or elected officials. So the frustration you saw in that room was about a process that never was a good-faith effort to include people from our communities in this really important process. And I know that some folks, they don't understand the frustration they saw, namely the Inquire Editorial Board, who compared our protest to keep schools open in our communities to elected officials committing federal crimes. So I want to shine some light on people who may not understand just what was going on. The first time that City Council saw the closure list, it was in a meeting set up by, I believe, facilitated by you, Council President, and our Education Chair that included only Councilmembers and Dr. Watlington and a few of his executive team. And we're in this meeting. It's a two-hour meeting where Dr. Watlington is employing what I would like to call the run-the-clock strategy. So in this two-hour meeting, Dr.
Watlington talked for most of the meeting about kind of the overall state of the school district, starting from slavery times, right, and how we go from slavery to the state of public education today. And it was only at the end of that two-hour meeting, at the request of several Councilmembers, that Dr. Watlington finally put the list of recommended closures on that screen and it was the end of the meeting. It was perfectly timed to the end of the meeting, so that we had no 23 opportunity to ask real questions and to get a real rationale for the recommendations to close schools at that time, mostly in Black and Brown communities. That's how this process started. And to me, there's a direct link between how the process started and the last bit of this process, which everybody saw on Thursday. Even after that, right, after that day, that's when the list went to the press. And it went public, after very little input or discussion with City Council. And at that time, I know that many Councilmembers dug into the recommended closures. In my office, we started weekly meetings with every school community that was on that closure list because we felt that our community was so disrespected that we wanted to put forward alternative recommendations that really included the input of our school communities. We met every single week. We went to every board meeting, every rally to advocate, and we did see some changes. We saw Motivation High taken off of the closure list, right, because my school communities had pointed out the errors that was in the Motivation High recommendation, the errors around the building utilization and also the errors suggesting that Motivation High move to a facility in much worse condition than the facility that it was already in. And so, that was a win for our team and our coalition. But beyond that, we submitted to the school district and the board a detailed set of alternative recommendations that they never even answered. They never had a real conversation with me or anyone in my office about alternative recommendations that were informed by the actual school communities that they ignored and pushed aside and said should be closed. And you will hear the district and the board talk about this long engagement process that is the best in the country, and kind of all of these things. They had a bunch of meetings. They had a bunch of meetings with community members where they never really talked about the prospect of closing people's neighborhood schools, of closing schools that mean so much to children and families and communities. And so, what people saw in that meeting last week, the frustration, it was a culmination of a very long process where people were ignored. And so, I just want that to be very clear. And then lastly, I'll say there were several other things through this process that should have been answered that were not. It's funny that the Inquirer Editorial Board thinks that us protesting against schools is similar to committing federal crimes when they're very skilled reporters pointed out the inequity in this plan, and the fact that the majority of the school closures impact Black students and Latino students. I asked Watlington about that inequity several times. I asked him in this room. I asked him privately. They never spoke to that. They have a responsibility to make sure that they're not harming the most vulnerable people in our city and they never saw fit to speak to that. I asked them about, you know, what would it take to renovate a Robeson High versus and build a new Robeson High. I never got information from them. I got information from PFT. And so, I just wanted to be very clear that the frustration that people saw at 440 last week was the culminating event of a process that never adequately included community members, young people or elected officials who represent these impacted communities, and I am so disappointed.
I'm disappointed, I'm sad and I'm angry that the school board saw fit to go in the dark and vote against our young people and our communities. And I look forward to this hearing that we're holding and to a thorough examination of the type of structure that would actually represent democracy, that would actually represent care for our communities and that would actually give people equity. So thank you so much. And thank you, Chairman Thomas. )
Thank you very much. Very well said. Chair recognizes Chair of Education Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. Let me get the logistics out the way and then get to it, right. So first of all, in the same spirit of other members of Council, I want to congratulate Noor, who's my intern, who's graduating from Temple as well too. So congratulations, Noor. Hopefully, she's sticking with Team Thomas and she is phenomenal. I also wanted to take a moment to announce that next week we're having a hearing around energy and the affordability crisis that we're dealing with around energy. This hearing will be co-hosted by myself and Chairman Driscoll. We have regional partners from all across the area, because we understand that issues related to the increase in cost of energy is not just a Philadelphia problem, it's a regional problem. So we want to take a regional approach as it relates to brainstorming solutions to what we can do as a region to address some of the issues that we see around affordability, utility costs going up and figuring out what can we do to bring some of that stuff down as a region. I also wanted to take a moment to congratulate -- and now, to get into it a little bit more. Council President, I want to take a moment to congratulate David Stokes. If you don't know who David Stokes is, David Stokes is a gym teacher at Paul Robeson, and the reason nobody's really paying attention to who David Stokes is, is because he's a gym teacher at Paul Robeson, who just got a Lifechanger of the Year Award. And nobody wants to pay attention because he's at Paul Robeson, and we know what's happening with Paul Robeson right now. And it's unfortunate, Council President, that we have to do this. But let me just add a little bit to what Councilmember Gauthier said. I'm not going to be repetitive because I think the timeline that the Councilmember communicated is important, and I think it's frustrating to see so much misinformation being communicated as it relates to what took place throughout the course of this process. So let me give more information so people can understand. Because you want transparency from government, you got it today. So number one, the Councilwoman's timeline is 100% correct. But anybody who knows me and knows my style of governing, I've actually been criticized for this. I try to get things done behind the scenes, like that's who I am, right. I'm a compromiser. I'm trying to figure out how can we make a deal, what can we do to move Philadelphia forward. I fundamentally think that it's bad for constituents to see dysfunctional government. I don't like it. Even my colleagues will even tell you, I tell my colleagues sometimes, don't go there, don't do it, calm down, that's unnecessary, let's set up a meeting, can we figure it out, how can we talk about it. That's who I am. I'm a team guy. And so, when we decide that we're going to take a quarrel public, know that we've done everything in our power to not get it there. Let me give you some examples. And, Council President, I'm not really talking to you because you know all of these examples, the week leading up to our issues with the school board hearing. I reached out to the Mayor's office. I said to the admin, hey, listen up, folks, I'm letting you know right now, if this thing happens on Thursday, you're going to see a side of me that you've never seen before. I said that. Nobody called me Wednesday. I called. I reached out to the Board President Streater. Actually I have screenshots in my phone. Board President Streater has been ignoring me for some time. He stopped taking my calls, y'all. I ain't said that, right. I ain't tell nobody that. He been stopped taking my calls. To the point where as who led the negotiations with the school board? Council President did, and I asked him to. I said, Council President, I've gotten to the point where as though this is too frustrating, I've had enough, right. Asked you to take the lead, but still tried to stay in communication. I got ignored.
The day before we went down to the school board, I reached out to the Admin, I reached out to the Superintendent, I reached out to the President of the school board. I said, please don't make us do this, y'all. We really don't want to do this. This is not how we want to handle this issue. But you got to understand, we can't just sit on the sideline and let y'all do this to Black kids. We can't do it. And so, things happened. It went the way it went. And I think for me in the moment that we're in right now the most frustrating thing is that people don't believe us. That's the most frustrating thing. People think that this is about something else. They think that there's an agenda. They think there's a deal that was cut or we knew about it, then we changed our mind. I think that there should be a rule, and no one's going to follow this rule, but I think the rule should be before you make an opinion about where we are with the school facilities plan, you should have to visit the schools. I was online -- I was sick the other day, Council President, you know, so I got the Twitter fingers when I'm sitting in the bed and my wife -- I'm confessing right now, yes, I didn't stay in the bed as much as I should have. And I ended up arguing with people online. And no one can justify closing Lankenau or Robeson. No one has given me a reason. And we can go into other schools and have debates, but no 6 one still -- even the people who say we're wrong, even former school board members who say we're wrong for what we did, I said, well, tell me why Lankenau all closed? I get we're wrong. Why is Robeson closing? And we can go into other schools -- and I think the frustrating thing is we all know what it really is, especially if you're a Black person. Black people don't have value for some reason in this country. We just don't. And so, when you see a group of legislators from all different backgrounds and ethnicities saying we're going to stand up and fight for Black kids that's not even in our neighborhood, Councilmember Ahmad lives in the Northwest. She's been leading the fight around Lankenau. She lives nowhere near there. These kids aren't even in our neighborhoods. And when we stand up and say we're going to fight for Black kids, you know what society says? It got to be something else going on. What are they really fighting for. See if y'all could talk to some of the staff, get the government relations folks, where the lobbyists at, somebody got to get the real information because we know for a fact they would never do all this for Black kids. It's messed up, man. It's really messed up. It's heartbreaking, man. It's tear-worthy. And it's not just about the fact that our schools are being closed, because we all know we're going to fight that tooth and nail. We ain't going out like that. We're going to fight until the bitter end. I think the most disappointing part is that we live in a society where people legit don't believe that Black kids is worth all this. It's so sad, y'all. And so, what I'll say is this, because I know for me it is about Black kids. It ain't about nothing else. But our children, right, our children is worth all of this no matter what their ethnicity, preference, religion or background is. This is my only ask, and I have an open invitation, anybody who thinks that it's not worth it to fight for Black kids, just come to the school with me. You should not feel okay weighing in on this issue if you haven't been to the school. If you didn't look at 24% of the specialties kids at Lankenau, you shouldn't be saying anything. If you haven't seen Coach Stokes and the great work that he's doing, getting an award for Robeson, shouldn't be saying anything. So that's an open invitation. Anybody who has an opinion, anybody who thinks this is a conspiracy, anybody who thinks we knew or any of this other stuff that I'm hearing out there, come on to Lankenau. Come on to Robeson. We can do Parkway West, we can do Parkway Northwest.
We can go to Conwell, whatever it is you want to do. If you got an opinion on this issue, don't communicate it until you got all the facts and evidence. That's the responsible thing to do before you make a decision. And know we're going to fight this because we seen it before. Come on, y'all. We know we got it wrong in 2013. Nobody's going to argue we got it right. So if we all know we got it wrong in 2013, ain't everybody traumatized? I'm scared. I'm legit scared. 24% of the kids at Paul Robeson is special education. We're not talking about IEPs that deal with things like ADD and ADHD. I'm 100% sure that all 24% of the kids ain't going to make that transition. The data in the history says it never works for everybody. Someone fails, someone moves, someone gets lost. It happens every single time. So why do we have to look at those Black kids and tell them they're not worth it for a facilities plan that no legislator who represents the City of Philadelphia publicly agree with. So to close out, Council President, so we're all on the same page, the school board is telling the legislators on the city and state side hey, y'all, I need you to pay for this, I need a lot more money, but by the way, you have no 15 say in what we do. Councilman Jones said that he didn't sign up for a child support relationship with the school district. That's what he said. He didn't sign up for that. He said he's a real parent. I'm with Councilman Jones. I didn't sign up for that. I signed up to have a stake in our children's future. And, yes, every single time you try to do something to our children, I do think it's worth what we seen last week. Thank you, Council President. )
Thank you, Member Thomas. Very well said, sir. And at this time, the Chair recognizes Chairman of Education Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stands adjourned until Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Council stands adjourned until Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Thank you very much. And to all the mothers, Happy Mother's Day. - - - (Stated Meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m.) - - C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. ________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL