I would like to respond to the question around academic achievement, and I can speak to the charter sector.
Can we hold -- I think that was Councilmember Young.
Can we hold off until he comes back? We definitely want to hear your response, but I just want to give the Councilmember the leeway to be able to offer some type of rebuttal. Any information around the rubber room, number of people in the rubber room? Councilmember O'Rourke had questions as well too that you said you would get back to. 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. SUPERINTENDENT WATLINGTON: Yes, sir. Chair Thomas, if you permit me to also give a very clarifying statement about extended-year schools, because I'm not sure that we fully answered that question. May I do that really quick?
I'm not -- I don't memorize the Councilmember that asked that question. I know it was somebody on the right, and I don't think it was Councilmember Nina Ahmad. So can we hold off on that one as well too? SUPERINTENDENT WATLINGTON: Absolutely. Relative to the talent question, there are 85 employees currently temporarily assigned to the Central Office as an alternate work location. We'll need to do a little bit more research to let you know how that compares to previous years, but 85 employees out of 19,000 District employees are currently assigned to an alternate location. 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. There was a question, Mr. Chairman, about environmental closures since I joined the District in June of 2022. During my tenure, approximately 4,163 students, 4,163, less than two percent of our population, the District population, have been affected by a school closure preventing in-person learning due to facilities issues. The schools are Building 21, Gratz, Mitchell, Frankford, CW Henry, Universal Vare, Southwark -- and Southwark. Other schools have been -- had space closures, but relocation was possible within the school. That includes Ben Franklin High School, Bartram High School, and Masterman. I can't remember if you wanted me to speak to the lowest performing -- ten lowest performing schools. We'll hold on that. I think that was per Councilmember Young's question.
Partly Councilmember Young, partly myself. So 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. we can hold it until Councilmember Young comes back -- SUPERINTENDENT WATLINGTON: Yes, sir.
-- to have a more robust question. I do want to go to a line of questioning that Councilmember O'Rourke had. I don't know the exact concept he said, but he talked about a position of joy. So unfortunately I was not able to attend the hearing yesterday, but I did hear this concept presented at another one of our town halls. If I heard Councilmember O'Rourke paraphrase it correctly, the goal of the position would be able to basically create positive experiences for young people who attend our schools, is that correct, based on what your knowledge of the position is? SUPERINTENDENT WATLINGTON: That's correct, Mr. Chairman.
Okay. So when Frankford High School first 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. closed -- clearly I'm a graduate of Frankford High School, so my bias is there. When Frankford High School first closed, there was a lot of uncertainty from the District around how bad the asbestos problem was, which again you did not create, but the problem was so bad that we were not sure if it should be renovated or if it should be a brand new building. Dr. Watlington, with all due respect, I pressured you, Mr. Oz, President Streater, the entire District for months to give us a response as it relates to the future of Frankford High School. The other side of what I pushed you on was positive experiences. One of the things that I asked you all to do was to try to put us in a position to be able to make sure that we're providing trips, incentives, and positive activities for the parents -- I'm sorry; for the staff 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. and for the students that were at Frankford High School. So being inspired a little bit by Councilmember O'Rourke's line of questioning, I'm wondering on a small scale have we been able to adhere to what this position is calling for as it relates to providing positive, fun experiences for the people at Frankford High School? Because if I remember correctly, we did agree at the beginning of the school year that we would go down that journey with Frankford High School. We're in April, May at this point. So I'm wondering where are we as it relates to positive experiences for Frankford High School and what have we done to make sure that that school is experiencing positive events and activities? SUPERINTENDENT WATLINGTON: I'll say two things. First, Councilmember Harrity's point about a -- and Councilmember O'Rourke's point about a position dedicated to joy, Chief of Joy 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. and the like, it has merits. We're taking that as a homework assignment to think about. Relative to Frankford High School, since the 9th grade class is relocated to Roberto Clemente School, not specifically to joy per se, but we've arranged, thanks to the good work of our COO and Principal, Dr. Calderone, we've got what they call the Pioneer Express. I believe that's what they call it, the bussing system that moves children from Frankford to Roberto Clemente. I think the way they labeled that and tried to make it a positive experience, not something dreaded moving from neighborhood to the next and to try to make it -- talk it up as something that's kind of fun and interesting. I think that is a very, very small manifestation of how we're trying to see the glass is half full instead of half -- the glass half full instead of half empty. 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. I know we provided some additional budgetary resources to Frankford so that they don't lose -- we know they need more staffing because they're on two different campuses. Relative to specific acts of joy, I would need to drill down a little bit deeper with Principal Calderone, but I can tell you, I've been on that campus to have lunch with he and members of his staff, and the mere fact that we're talking to them, engaging them face to face, I know President Streater and members of his Board have been there themselves to walk the campus, and I think that assured the principal that there's a level of support, both at the Board and Superintendent level.
Thank you. I appreciate that response. I'm going to open the floor up to some of the other responses. Councilmember Young has joined us. There are some responses to 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. your questions from earlier, so we do want to allow for that dialogue. After that, I have a few questions, and based on who is queued up, we will start with Councilmember Lozada, if she makes it up, but if Councilmember Lozada doesn't make it up, we'll start with our Majority Leader, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson, followed by our Minority Leader, Councilmember Brooks. Councilmember Young, just for the record, we're going to pass it to Board President Streater as well as Superintendent Watlington to provide some more detailed answers to the questions that you asked earlier.
Thank you for the question. Just to frame the question, the Board of Education doesn't have direct oversight as to the day-to-day operation, curriculum. We don't know the attrition rate, for 4/30/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. example --