COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friday, April 19, 2024 11:35 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMAN JIM HARRITY COUNCILMAN CURTIS J. JONES, JR. COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. RESOLUTIONS: 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240260, 240261, 240262 - - -
This is the public hearing and public meeting of the Committee of the Whole regarding Resolution Nos. 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240258, 240259, 240260, 240261 and 240262. Thank you for being here today. Mr. Christmas, will you please take roll for attendance.
Present. Thank you. A quorum of the Committee is present and this hearing is now called to order. Mr. Christmas, will you please read the titles of the resolutions.
Resolution 10 240254, confirming the appointment of Crystal Cubbage to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240255, confirming the re-appointment of Sarah-Ashley Andrews to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240256, confirming the appointment of Joan Stern to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240257, confirming the re-appointment of Reginald Streater to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240258, confirming the appointment of Wanda Novales to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240259, confirming the appointment of Whitney Jones to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240260, confirming the re-appointment of ChauWing Lam to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240261, confirming the re-appointment of Joyce Wilkerson to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. And finally, Resolution 25 240262, confirming the appointment of Cheryl Harper to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. Resolution 240261 is being held.
Good morning, everyone. We will now begin the hearing regarding the School Board nominations for the School District of Philadelphia. We want to welcome you to the City Council of Philadelphia, so we will begin testimony. So, Mr. Streater, would you like to begin -- one second. Chair recognizes Councilmember Thomas.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning to the members of our School Board and all of the people in the listening public, the audience here today as well as those viewing who have taken an interest in their government and specifically in their schools. Again, I'm Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. I've been the Chair of the Education Committee for about two years now. But prior to being the Chair of the Education Committee, I'm a product of the School District of Philadelphia, graduated from public schools. My father is a retired teacher who taught over 40 years in the School District of Philadelphia. And I, myself, am a former teacher. I've taught everything from undergrad down to kindergarten, former Athletic Director, worked closely with the School District and still works closely with the School District because I still coach high school basketball. I'm still the President of the Coaches Association for the Public League for Boys Basketball, and I sit on the board for PIAA District XII. The reason I said all that is because I want to make what we're doing here today clear. As the Chair at the Education Committee on City Council, I wear a lot of hats outside of City Council that has put me in a unique position to have a personal relationship with principals, with teachers and most importantly with students and families. I can argue that I spend more time in our schools based on the hats that I wear than most of the people sitting in the room 16 right now because I'm constantly in the schools, whether I'm coaching games, running free summer programs, working on different initiatives to support young people and families. And so, today's dialogue is 100 percent about children and families. And I want to make that very clear. In the midst of talking to my colleagues, in the midst of the work that we've done on the Education Committee, we have a lot of concerns around our schools. Council President, I've listened to you talk multiple times about outcomes, why are our children not learning. I've listened to Councilmember Gilmore Richardson talk a lot about apprenticeship programs, why are our young people not being put in a position if they don't want to graduate from high school where they can go into a quality apprenticeship program, and I commend her for her legislation to allow more points for young people who go to our CTE schools. We have new Councilmembers who are here who've been advocating, especially our District Councilmembers, for the schools in their neighborhoods no matter what type of school it is. They just want to assure a quality education. So at the end of the day, Council President, I thought it was important to frame today's conversation because as elected officials, we are held accountable by the people of Philadelphia. The people put us here. The people decide whether or not we're doing a good job, and the people determine if we get to stay here. And I think every one of my colleagues are here today to vote on behalf of the constituents that they represent and nothing more than that. With that being said, Council President, I'm looking forward to today's conversation. I'm going to be able to have the opportunity to ask questions of School Board members who've been in a position for some time. But I'll say this to close out, Council President. Since I've been the Chair of the Education Committee in September of 2022, not only is it the greatest honor I've ever had as it relates to a position being an elected official, and you know firsthand how much this means to me, and I appreciate you for re-appointing me as the Chair of the Education Committee, every single day I work tirelessly to try to put us in a position to improve the quality of life of our children so we can assure that no 14 matter what zip code a child lives in, they have access to a quality education. So I'm looking forward to today's conversation.
And I'm excited to continue the work that the Education Committee as a whole has done to advocate for families and children in need. Thank you, Council President. Thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity as the Chair of the Education Committee. And again, I look forward to today's discussion.
You're welcome, Chairman Thomas. So actually we're going to start with Resolution No. 240254, Ms. Crystal Cubbage.
Good morning, other members of the Council. I'm honored that Mayor Parker nominated me to be a School Board member and to be speaking with you today. What follows are a few highlights from my life and career that qualify me for this role and some of the reasons why I applied to be on the Board. I'm a proud Philadelphia native as well, educated in the City's public school system. And after graduating from Masterman, I studied physics at Lincoln University. I know a lot of students from the school system go to Lincoln University. And after my graduation, I began my career as an electronics engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In search of a more personally satisfying work, I decided to join the Peace Corps to serve as an education volunteer in Cameroon, West Africa. There I discovered my passion for education. And shortly after returning to the States because I'm not a trust fund baby, my parents are like, what are you doing going to the Peace Corps, we thought we were done with you. But I returned to my job as an engineer. It wasn't satisfying enough, so I made the permanent switch to education. I changed my career from engineering to education and proceeded to teach some combination of physics, chemistry and math at Girard College, the Shipley School, Greene Street Friends School and Germantown Friends School. Simultaneously I began working with a mentor to create a five-month program that took students on an identity development journey that culminated with summer travel to multiple countries in West Africa and Western Europe. It was called Journey to Freedom. Together these experiences convinced me of the value of experiential education, and I'm happy to hear that some of the Councilmembers believe in that as well. It fueled my decision to pursue a Master's Degree in School Leadership at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. Since graduating, I've worked at the education thinktank Jobs for the Future, at Drexel University, the School District of Philadelphia, and now the Philadelphia Learning Collaborative. I've done everything from analyzing student performance data and grants management to facilitating contract negotiation to open new schools and convening groups of educators to write policy statements. Exposure to these environments has helped me to gain insight into what a healthy, functional school that prepares students to lead lives of meaning and purpose after graduation, what that looks like. During these years, I have developed skills and operations, collaboration, nonprofit leadership and relationship cultivation and maintenance. My network in the City's education and nonprofit sectors is substantial. These factors qualify me to serve. I am particularly excited about Mayor Parker's -- that Mayor Parker is prioritizing teacher recruitment and retention. I believe that if we hire and retain the right teachers, they will educate and care for our children. I want to serve because I've been asked to. I have a lot to offer, and it is my responsibility to contribute to improving the quality of life in my hometown. More importantly, I know how extraordinary the children in Philadelphia are and I know they deserve better than what they have been getting from our system. I want to be one of the ones with this impressive slate of nominees, particularly those who hold the institutional knowledge. I'm sitting next to two of them, there's Joyce Wilkerson and Chau Lam, one of those who helps heal the system that I believe can heal our children and ultimately transform our City. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Next we're going to ask for Sarah-Ashley Andrews.
Good morning, President Johnson and members of City Council. My name is Sarah- Ashley Andrews. Thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding my nomination to the Board of Education. I was born and raised in North Philadelphia. My educational journey began at the Salvation Army Daycare Center. As my parents began to look for schools for my sister and I to attend, they felt my neighborhood school would not provide the safety or educational experience that we needed, as we would have to navigate through drug paraphernalia and crime-ridden streets to make it to school each day. My parents fought for me to obtain the educational experience they felt I deserved. That prepared me to stand ready to fight for the students of Philadelphia, ensuring that they receive the best educational experiences no matter their zip codes or no matter what school they attend, especially those students who sit at intersections where they are ignored and marginalized because of their complex and layered identities that give no framework for their existence. My belief has always been that our schools need to be lighthouses for our students, places where all students can feel safe, welcomed and supported. As a proud graduate of the Philadelphia School District, I am an example of the type of success that students of Philadelphia can achieve. I attended General George A. McCall Elementary School from kindergarten to 8th grade. B. Saul High School. I have a firm belief that all students can learn and thrive in our school system no matter their race or their zip code. This especially happens when we focus on their academic achievement and their well-being. I attended Bloomsburg University for two years where I majored in mass communications. I hold a Bachelor of Art's Degree in Biblical Studies with a minor in Human Services from Lancaster Bible College. I hold a Master's of Science Degree in Counseling from Lincoln University and I am also a licensed professional counselor. As a licensed professional counselor, I bring a unique approach to communication and decision-making. As a Board member, we are often faced with tough decisions. My special set of skills helps us ask processing questions, get to the root of the problem and decide on a solution. Each of those decisions have had a direct focus on student achievement. For the past two years I have been committed to Board transparency, prioritizing student success and focus on our students who most would throw away such as our drop-outs. I have helped to develop the vision for the School District of Philadelphia, adopted and supported Accelerate Philly, the Superintendent's strategic plan to make Philadelphia the fastest, improving, large urban school district in the nation. Accelerate Philly has already produced great results for our students and our teachers. My experience as a current Board member has equipped me with the necessary tools to further succeed in this position. As the youngest current Board member of the Board of Education and the Student Board Rep Liaison, I have been afforded the unique opportunity to engage with students on a level in which they feel comfortable sharing the truth. Some would say it is my skills as a therapist. However, I see it as a direct reflection of representation. Students can see themselves in me. I am the example of someone that they can mirror, and I look forward to moments of interacting with our students who can relate and feel safe when I show up. I have also had the opportunity to co-chair the Parent and Community Advisory Council for the past year. Within that year of my appointment, we have developed a mission and vision for PCAC. With my collaborative leadership skills, we have moved PCAC in a direction where members feel that their recommendations, suggestions and opinions are heard. The members have become more engaged with the Board of Education and that has helped us to share vital information with all communities all over Philadelphia.
More than that, I have been committed to inspiring all students to greatness. I often remind students that they can be anything they want to be and help to give them the tools, mentorship and connecting them to the resources to do so. I have structured my life around this quote which sums up who I am as a person, "The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do," and that's by Kobe Bryant. In closing, I often reflect on Mayor Parker's vision to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest big city. Without quality education, this vision will not come to pass. As a current Board member, I am thankful that Mayor Parker chose four of us to continue this great work. And through the leadership of former President Joyce Wilkerson and current President Reginald Streater, our progress speaks to the collective goal to improve District outcomes. This is working as it was highlighted in the recent State of Education speech by Dr. Watlington and recent highlights on post- pandemic achievements. This work speaks to our willingness to work together to achieve what are the best outcomes for students. It speaks to our emphasis on student achievement and will ultimately help create the city that Mayor Parker envisions. I will be honored to continue my tenure on the Board of Education as we are headed in the right direction. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
You're welcome. The Chair now recognizes Reginald Streater.
Good brother Council President and esteemed members of the City Council, I stand before you today not merely as an individual but as a member of a collective team, a slate, that embodies the rich diversity and talent of our great city, and I am honored to seek re-appointment to the Philadelphia Board of Education. I've come back for Round 2. As a devoted servant leader, proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. by way of Rho Chapter, and practicing attorney, my commitment to service, leadership is in my bones y'all, and advocacy has profoundly shaped my tenure on the Board of Education. I am grateful for the diligent efforts of the nominating panel, some of whom which are here today. I also wish to thank our Mayor for assembling such an impressive, impressive group of individuals for this slate in the yeoman's work that is ahead. Reflecting on my background, I'm reminded of my humble beginnings as a young Black boy, navigating housing insecurity in this City of Philadelphia. It was through the unwavering support of my village that I cultivated a lifelong passion for learning and required the foundational tools necessary for success, Council President. School was my fortress of solitude, nourishment and transformation, whether it's through the academic achievement, amazing teachers and principals like Gloria Pelzer at Germantown High School or through working with Coach Hawkins playing football at Germantown High School. Amazing teachers are access to extra- curriculars. I truly believe that the whole child was educated and that was me. And I'm no different than any of our babies in this City right here. This foundation provided me with a platform to return to school at age 27, y'all. After working nine years mostly as a bartender, bartender at TGI Friday on City Avenue in front of AI by the way, graduate from law school and practice law as an attorney right now at Feldman Shepherd helping people every day. I am consistent. Everything I do flows through my life, through my being for the babies and its service. I have no skin of the game other than the babies, and the one that's on the way by the way. I love you, honey, I know she's watching. This foundation -- I already said that part. Now, as one of Mayor Parker's nine exceptionals, nine exceptionals, appointed to the Board of Education, I'm a living testament, again a living testament of the transformative power of our strong public education. Before I proceed, I will be remiss -- I wish to express my gratitude to the outgoing Board members who are working tirelessly right now, right like this instant to ensure a smooth transition while continuing to focus on student achievement, right, and the holistic education of children through the Board's goals and guardrails. They have also been steadfast in managing public funds and supporting our remarkable, I mean remarkable, Superintendent. We hired him with the support of the public because we engaged the public. I believe this slate, this slate, is poised to build upon this momentum, which includes making tough decisions, even reversing them when necessary just as the former Board did, and just as I know this slate would in the best interest of our students, our babies. And y'all wonder why is he saying babies, because I'm a papa, I'm a Daddy, I'm a baba. These efforts have resulted in, among many other things, 13 out of 17 student achievement indicators on the rise. That doesn't sound like status quo to me, on the rise. National recog -- Philadelphia, we can win, and the Eagles ain't the only ones who could show us we can win. We can win and we're winning. National recognition for the District's recovery to prepandemic education levels, that was hard y'all. And we all should applaud that, everybody. City Council, y'all helped, y'all funded, y'all went out there and helped us. Thank you.
Financial health and just great energy, synergy around the whole sector -- and I know the whole story has not been told -- the whole sector of public education, we did that and we will continue doing that. Now, today this slate's collective expertise is a testament to our city and it embodies our Mayor's vision for One Philly. I got my finger in the air, Mayor, inclusive of a world-class education system for all children no matter where they are educated. To illustrate, to my right Joan Stern, an attorney and graduate of Girls' High School. I bet y'all didn't know that, skin in the game, graduate of Girls' High School back when they were across the street from CCP in Masterman's building, and she's about that life. An attorney and graduate of Girls' High brings a wealth, a wealth of public finance knowledge, navigating fiscal challenges with unparalleled precision. She has receipts. Wanda Novales, Pastor Wanda Novales, former District and Public Charter educator, balanced and now faith leader enhances our ability to govern a public system of education that educates the growing bilingual populations. We need that. We need that. I'm not done yet. I'm sorry. Cheryl Harper's extensive Human Resource expertise combined with her state and local experience as an educator strengthens our capacity to govern effectively. I mean, I can't find a weakness in this slate. Crystal Cubbage, versatility in creating and maintaining strategic partnerships. I've been hearing that since I've been on the Board, partnerships, partnerships, public-private partnerships, intergovernmental approach, what's up. Combined with her state and local expertise -- I'm sorry, and maintaining strategic partnerships will be invaluable as we seek to further along with Mayor Parker's -- and I've heard the call from others, but Mayor Parker's call for the cultivation of public-private partnerships. ChauWing Lam, dynamite. I've been in the foxhole with ChauWing Lam, analytical prowess has been essential in implementing governance frameworks that drive student success. Let's go. This is complimented by Joyce Wilkerson's wide breadth of experience. And I'm going to say a few words about Joyce Wilkerson because I've been in the foxhole with this dynamite woman. Little do people know that this sister was one of the beneficiaries of the Brown v. Board of Education, was a part of the first class that desegregated the school, did you know? Well, maybe that's why she's a little gruff. Maybe that's why she's a little like I'm tired of this stuff and we got to get this thing right, right. Two, she went to a great law school. And as for the lawyer Joan up here, I think you know there's multiple paths that opens up if you go to a great law school. She could clerk for a judge, but guess what she did? She came to Philly and worked for Community Legal Services. That's Joyce Wilkerson. That's Joyce Wilkerson. On top of that, she said I'm going to serve even more. She keeps coming back for more y'all. She served at City Hall with Mayor Street. I'm almost done on this. I know you're like why you talking about Joyce, but I'm almost done. But one more thing, after Katrina she raised her hand and went to New Orleans and went to help and she came back for more again, Joyce Wilkerson. Whitney Jones offers a national perspective on finance and charter school management, expanding our educational pathways. Come on y'all. Returning Board member Sarah-Ashley Andrews brings her counseling expertise as she said in nonprofit leadership, providing robust essential tools for Board governance, indeed as a current Board member and interested citizen. This slate is loaded with talent, temperament and nuance necessary to govern this District in the right now. Did I miss any -- I hope I didn't miss anybody. I got everybody. I got y'all. Okay. Finally, as a Black man I'm committed to leading by example inspiring more Black men to actively participate in the civic and educational spheres of our community.
There is a gap of Black men who are educated, who came through the system, who raised their hand like Good Brother Isaiah Thomas and said, we will serve. We need more of us. My lived experience as a product of Philly, a family of two children with one on the way as I said earlier, in public education and as a lawyer compels me to serve with my heart and my head, passion, servant leadership and pragmatism. I know that this slate aims to further the City's collective mission of making education the great equalizer. After my interactions with these eight amazing individuals, I believe it is safe to say -- and I'm sorry I came off, I'm a lawyer so please excuse my passion, I'm a lawyer so I like advocating -- I believe it is safe to say that we are dedicated to ensuring that every child, every single baby in Philadelphia receives a world-class quality education empowering them to pursue their dreams and contribute positively to society. I'm eager to continue this journey. I am at your service as I have been and I hope to continue to be.
Thank you. Next, the Chair next calls for Ms. Joan Stern.
Thank you, Council President Johnson. And thank you for honoring me, by inviting me to be nominated -- to be considered for confirmation to the Board of Education. As members of this Council and the Council President know, I am at the end of my legal career. I retired from private practice September 30, 2023. What I wanted to do in my retirement was to serve one of the governments I had represented and I sought to become a member of the Board of Education whose schools I attended, whom I was fortunate to represent as bond counsel and special finance counsel. I think my acquaintance with the Council President goes back to his time in the General Assembly, so he is well aware as many of you Councilpeople and staff members are, that I worked fairly tirelessly to improve the credit, the market access and the funding for the School District of Philadelphia. And I now hope to do that as a Board member to share what I have gained in the 50 years that I worked with the School District, with the Board. And I'm very, very impressed with the Board nominees that I have been included in. This is an exceptionally diverse and talented group of people. I've known Joyce Wilkerson since she worked in Mayor Street's Office as his Chief of Staff, and we struggled with credit issues and economic issues for the City, for the Gas Works, for some of the City's other utilities, and I'm very impressed with the re-appointment of the Board members who are here today already serving and with the new members who show what Philadelphia can produce. I would like to just briefly touch on my own experience in the law because I started as a paralegal at a law firm now known as Blank Rome LLP, and was assigned to work on my first public finance issue as a paralegal under Governor's Shapp with the necessity for issuing the first disaster relief bonds in the country. So if you look in your Constitution and you see mention of the great storm and flood of 1972, that is our amendment, an emergency amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution that allowed us before FEMA existed to issue bonds for our local share, the Commonwealth share, to put our people who were living in tents, which we could see from the turnpike if we were going back and forth to Harrisburg, living in tents as a result of this Force 5 hurricane, the great storm and flood of 1972 known as Agnes. Not surprisingly working on such an important project that restored homes to individuals whose homes had been destroyed by a natural disaster made me want to practice public finance, and I decided to pursue a career in the law and work on public finance projects. I managed not to be deterred by the fact that there were no women in that field. When I graduated from law school and joined Blank Rome as an attorney, I became one of two women in Pennsylvania who practiced public finance law. We used to joke that we could convene the entire female bar in public finance by going to the ladies room at the same time. So I too understand what it means to be excluded and doubted. And I am here to tell you that because of the education that I got in the School District of Philadelphia, even though I went to Houston School, then what was known as the General Louis Wagner Junior High School and 17th and Spring Garden Girls' High for one year. Those were all built by the WPA in the '30s. Those buildings are still in use in our School District. I think our children deserve better than that. They deserve to be able to attend school at any time of the year in a place that's clean, well-lighted, safe and where they can study to achieve careers that allow them to rise to the best of their abilities, whether they learn a trade or whether they become scientists like my fellow nominee Crystal Cubbage, an engineer for NASA as part of her career. I hope to share what I've learned with my fellow Board members, with Dr.
Watlington and the staff and teachers at the School District and with the children and families whom we all must serve and advance. Thank you again for letting me appear today, and I'm prepared to answer any of your questions.
Thank you, Ms. Stern. And I remember the story about associating and gathering with the bar because at that time it was few women in the legal field. So it's definitely an honor seeing you up here for the great work you have done for the City of Philadelphia. Most people don't know you did the bond work for the Eagles stadium and probably every other major project here in the City Philadelphia. So welcome back to these chambers. Good to see you. The Chair next calls up Ms. Wanda Novales. Ms. Novales, you can start. Just state your name for the record and begin your testimony.
Sure. Good morning. My name is Wanda Novales. Dear, Council President Johnson and Honorable Councilmembers. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. To my fellow nominees, I am honored to share this moment with all of you. I truly respect you all and I cherish the experience and institutional knowledge that all the nominees bring to the table, especially Joyce Wilkerson and Richard -- and Reginald Streater and all our returning Board members. My name is Wanda Novales and I'm the Executive Pastor of City Reach Church, which I founded in 2013 with my husband Mark Novales and our two sons Mark and Joseph in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. In 2023 we expanded and opened a campus in Kensington, a neighborhood near and dear to my heart, as it is where I spent most of my career in education. I moved to Fairhill from Puerto Rico at 9 years old, and I'm a proud District graduate. My two sons are District and Charter school graduates and I earned degrees in education from Temple and Cheyney University. I began my career as a bilingual teacher and proudly served as a School District principal. I am also the founding principal and CEO of the first primary and middle years IB World School in Philadelphia, Pan American Academy Charter School serving one of the city's poorest zip codes. That's my resumé, but today I want to share my passion for quality education for all students. When I became a teacher, my father was very disappointed. His dream for me was much bigger. He would say, (Spanish translation), My dear child you never lose a battle, you need to be a lawyer, you were designed to fight for others. And I did. Throughout my career, I have advocated for the voiceless, forgotten and overlooked. As a kindergarten teacher program coordinator, I advocated for equal funding for bilingual programs. I designed and implemented a dual language immersion program against budget challenges. As a School District principal, I fought tirelessly to have my building renovated, leveraged relationships with higher educational institutions, focused on teacher development, retention and higher achievement. As a founding school principal, I dare to believe that my students deserved a world-class education, to be fluent in two languages, to be engaged in learning in a beautiful state-of- the-art facility and to travel the world. I secured funding, managed a new building project and our students outperformed all neighboring schools. I wish my dad was here today because I believe that he would agree that this is part of my greater purpose. I have fought, I am fighting and I will continue to fight to provide all Philadelphia students the quality education they deserve. I welcome the opportunity to serve our City as a member of the next School Board. I thank Mayor Parker for her nomination and appreciate your consideration.
Thank you. The Chair now calls Ms. Whitney -- Mr. Whitney Jones. Excuse me.
-- to Council President Johnson and the other members of this body. My name is Whitney Jones. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am humbled and honored by Mayor Parker's nomination and the opportunity given to me by the Nominating Committee to serve on this Board. I began my career in public education 10 years ago. This is after leaving several years on Wall Street. What I found was I wanted to use my skills and talents to support communities and build for the future. Since then I've held a variety of roles supporting charters in New York, Texas, Washington, D.C. and most recently Philadelphia. My work has included tackling such challenges as compensation for teachers and other staff in the buildings, securing funding for new facilities and managing through good times and bad, including the most recent pandemic. When I began my career in public education, I believed public education was the great equalizer to many of society's inequities. While I still believe there's truth in that statement, I now know that there are systemic barriers that limit student achievement prior to even arriving at school on a daily basis. Delivering a high quality education to a city as diverse as Philadelphia is no easy task. The historical context coupled with the complexities of operating school systems in most major cities including housing and food insecurities, teacher recruitment and retention, ever-changing demographics and supporting populations with heterogeneous needs create what could feel like insurmountable challenges. However, I don't believe that's the case before you today. The Mayor and the Nominating Committee engaged in a thoughtful process to select this slate of candidates. I am new to serving in this capacity. However, I'm excited. I'm excited to learn from the experiences, tenacity and leadership of the current Board members who volunteered to do this work again, including past President Wilkerson and current President Streater. I'm excited to work with the new Board members to bring new ideas and perspective to make the best decisions for our kids. With the Mayor's vision for One Philadelphia -- for One Philly, the diversity of skill sets and perspectives of the slate of nominees, the partnership with the School District as well as this legislative body, I believe we'll be able to achieve great things for our City. Again, I thank you for this opportunity and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you very much, Whitney. Next we're going to ask for Ms. ChauWing Lam to begin her testimony.
Good morning, Council President -- good afternoon perhaps -- good afternoon, Council President Johnson and members of City Council. I am ChauWing Lam, a South Philly resident, a charter school parent, a proud graduate of public schools and a Board member serving since 2022. Thank you for the opportunity to testify as one of Mayor Parker's nominees to the Board of Education. And thank you, Mayor Parker, for the great honor of your nomination. I believe, as I've heard many in this room attest to, that education is a human right and a public good. The investments and choices that we make in our educational system has an outsized effect in shaping life trajectories and disrupting or perpetuating societal inequities. I was raised by a single mom who brought three children to this country at the age of 27. For my fellow parents out there, the age of 27 we were 1, and years old and spoke no English. She worked 6 days a week, 12 hours a day for meager earnings and taught me a lot about sacrifice. Working hard and persevering was my way of repaying my mom for her continued sacrifice, and public education was pivotal in lifting us out of poverty and giving us a chance at success. I have since dedicated my career to ensuring opportunity and access for children and families regardless of background or circumstance. As a college student, I tutored students at Henry C. Lee and the former Charles R. Drew Schools in West Philly. I traveled overseas to teach at a middle school and learned how another educational system works. I later worked as a consultant to human services agencies to address operational and budget challenges that got in the way of keeping kids safe. I've also worked at the School District to align resources and efforts around early literacy and at a nonprofit to build up, develop and support school leaders. Through these experiences and others, I've gained valuable skills in finance, operations, data analytics, policy and performance management, all of which I employ regularly as a Board member, co-chairing the policy committee, examining and monitoring academic progress in our schools, lending a lived perspective as a first generation student and former English language learner. My approach as a Board member is data-driven, student- centered and collaborative. I am excited for all of Mayor Parker's nominees and what we bring to the table as a collective Board. The wisdom and steadfastness of Joyce Wilkerson, the energy and insightfulness of Sarah-Ashley Andrews, the commitment and drive of Reginald Streater. And to Wanda, Joan, Crystal, Cheryl, Whitney who I have not yet gotten to know as well, I cannot be more excited to work with you on this Board together for our children for the City of Philadelphia. Thank you, Councilmembers, for your continued support to public education in Philadelphia and for this opportunity to testify as a nominee to the Board of Education.
Thank you. The Chair next calls for Ms. Cheryl Harper.
Or actually good afternoon. First, I want to thank Mayor Cherelle Parker for nominating me to the Philadelphia School Board of Education. I hope to be a valuable asset, addition to the School District and to the community. I want to thank you, President Council -- Council President Johnson and all of the Councilmembers, for this opportunity to testify and ask for your support to serve. I believe that together with my fellow nominees I have the experience, temperament and judgment to serve as a member of the Board of Education. I was educated in the Philadelphia public school system graduating from Germantown High. I received my Bachelor's of Science Degree from Cheyney University and my Master's Degree from Arcadia, which was Beaver College when I was there. I hold certifications in elementary and special education. I also have Elementary and Secondary Principal certificates. I have a Supervisor certificate and I hold the Superintendent's Letter of Eligibility. I taught in Philadelphia as an elementary teacher and was the acting vice-principal. I was appointed as a placement officer in the Human Resource Office and later appointed by then Superintendent, the late Superintendent Dr. Constance E. Clayton as Director of Human Resources. I spent 30 years working in the School District of Philadelphia. I actively recruited quality staff to assure that our students would have quality education. I worked with administrators, teachers, staff, students, families and community. After retiring from the School District of Philadelphia, I was called to work for the Camden Public School System as Executive Director of Human Resources. In that capacity, I continued to work with administrators, teachers, staff, students, families and the community. Later under Governor Ed Rendell's Governor's Institute, I was appointed as a distinguished educator for the Pennsylvania Department of Ed. I was assigned to various school districts across the state of Pennsylvania helping them to make AYP, which is adequately yearly progress. I left the position to become a Site Director Adjunct Professor Supervisor of Student Teachers for Drexel University. I am currently a Trustee for Cheyney University appointed by our past Governor, Governor Tom Wolf. At each stage of my career, people in leadership have recognized my skills and talents and called upon me to take on important and difficult challenges. I bring that experience to this position. I'm dedicated and committed to assuring that every child is afforded the opportunity to be successful and that no child is left behind. My experience was to provide support for principals and teachers on improving instruction and increasing student achievement using data from diagnostic to formative and summative assessments, attendance rates and school improvement plans. I support principals and helped assist teachers in delivering effective differentiated instructions tailored to meet the individual needs of all students. I'm sorry, I missed -- the Mayor has a vision for quality schools across all sectors, traditional public, charter and independent. I share that vision and look forward to working with my fellow nominees. And I look forward, especially to working with those who have institutional knowledge of the Board, School Board. And, that is, the President Reggie Streater, Joyce Wilkerson and also ChauWing and Sarah-Ashley Andrews who bring some information and some important experience to the School District and all of my fellow nominees. And again, I want to thank you for allowing me this opportunity to testify.
You're welcome. At this time, we will open it up for members of City Council for questions. Yeah, little guy. What's up, little buddy. That's what's up. He stole the show. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones.
Thank you so much, Mr. President. I was anxious to do an opening statement along with my colleague. But as Chair of Education, I yielded the mic. But I did want to kind of preempt why public education matters to me. My grandfather was one of the first graduates of African American descent to graduate from Central. My father, a graduate of Overbrook, my mother, a graduate of West Philly High School, they got married. If you know the rivalry, that marriage was doomed from the start. My children, Lamberton and Central graduates, but my grandkids have chosen other paths into charter schools based on their perception of the quality of education that they have. Having said that, I remember being in these chambers, it's my sixth term, and each time a President or a School Board presented their vision about education, quite frankly I didn't quite understand it until now under this Administration seeing what guardrails, guidelines you had. If I were giving you grades, some of them you passed, some of them you failed and some of them you need work on, but that's why we grade and average them. I know from the time we gained control from the state, you've made a marked improvement in that regard. I know during the pandemic there was no instruction manuals to educate our kids. We, collective we, City, Administration, Council and you made it through without losing too many of our kids through learning loss and through some of the hazards of them staying at home. The predictability of food insecurities, we managed through that to the degree that the counties were envious of what you were able to do to provide laptops and other things to create that. So I don't want us to not say what was done real well. We have environmental issues, lead, paint, asbestos that we have to manage through with a $6 billion capital improvement need that we have to manage collectively. I would go on and say that where you need help, and I would ask Joyce Wilkerson and Mr. Streater this one question: Do you think you treat charter schools and public schools fairly? Is there an apples-to-apples comparison? I've stood on the line with our Chair testifying about schools and equity, particularly in African American charter schools. I've been in the room with Global who started like the little house on the prairie in a church. And even when the school burned down, they didn't miss a beat. They took kids on trips to the museums and managed through it. But somehow, and I remember this turning point, I was in Mayor Kenney's office with them, Chair of Ed -- Deputy Mayor for Education, and I asked him one question, if you had one child to go through one door on the first day of school and all things being equal, would you go to Global Leadership Academy or one school that I will not name because they've gotten better since, but at the time for show- and-tell a kid brought a 9mm handgun for show-and-tell, someone brought packets of fentanyl and we had to rush the whole class to University of Penn. And I asked them point blank charter school, public being equal, which door would you take your child too. And he looked me in the face and said, well, uh, that depends on -- and that was a boldfaced lie. It was an untruth. So I ask you today -- and the only issue I have with any of this because it's fair to -- I walked the hallways with Streater up at Randolph where one-third of the kids that go through the automotive are now in our vehicle maintenance program for the City of Philadelphia school-to-paycheck pipeline, so you get some good grades. But the one that I need to hard-check you on is do you treat all schools fairly in your evaluation? I've been at way too many of the advocacy hearings in your -- and you treat me nice, polite, you move me up in the line, let me speak, but at the end of the day it falls on deaf ears. So two-part question: Do you always treat them fairly and do you have it in you to treat them fairly under a Parker team, question?
I don't know if the mic's on. Can you hear me now -- yes. Thank you for that question, Councilmember Jones. Yes, I can speak to my experience of being on the Board for three years. I can speak to the fact that the Board of Education even through the Accelerate Philly process, create a unifying mission and vision inclusive of charter schools, and what I can also speak to is that the Board of Education has aspired to treat all schools fairly. But -- I'm sorry, is there counter? But I think it's important to talk a little bit about what are the tools at hand that can be utilized by law as it relates to Charter schools and District schools. Under the law we're allowed to create things like Accelerate Philly and goals and guardrails that enshrines the same things that I believe Charter law is trying to also implement through Board governance, through academic achievement, high standards there, and also as it relates to financial domain. And I believe since I've been on the Board and even before that I believe that there's been strident work being done to treat charters fairly, and I have data to prove it. So, for example, under the Board of Education we have increased the size of the charter sector by 2,000 seats, even though there's about 7,500 vacancies in the space. And I can tell you where those seats were. Kensington/Richmond area, Mariana Bracetti, Franklin Towne High School, Franklin Towne Elementary School, North Philly Esperanza, 368 seats; Eugenio Maria de Hostos, 310 seats; Antonia Pantoja, 50 seats; Northeast Philadelphia MaST, 650 seats; Keystone, 300 seats; Mastery Smedley, 25; Southwest Montessori, 82; West KIPP -- KIPP West, 125. And the Board has not non-renewed or closed a charter in two years even though the performance framework says maybe that's a possibility. So I do believe that we are trending in the way of being fair and utilizing the tools that we have under the law to work with charter providers. But sometimes we have to make tough decisions, especially after we know there's been 15 years in some cases of trying to work with charter operators to make sure that we're all doing what we need to do for our babies.
Let me just say I'm going with the team Mayor Parker has recommended because if she's responsible for making the meals, she should be responsible for the groceries so that's -- but I do not subscribe that you've been fair. You can't tell me that. The question I have today is can you be fair going forward. And when Hackney said that to me and said, yeah, I would take my kids, I knew -- you're in a room 19 full of politicians, we can hear it. The question is we know or most people know that there's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The question is, going forward under a Parker Administration can you be fair? Because let me say this, agnostically I care about good schools period, right, period. (Applause.)
And my grandkids should not be playing whatever external factor politics. There's a school-to-prison pipeline we have to break. There are 48 zip codes in the City of Philadelphia. of them produce 90 percent of 12 the inmates on State Road. And 13 conversely, it's where the failing 14 schools are. We got to stop that. 15 And I don't know all that 16 other political who's on what team, 17 I don't care and I want you not to 18 care. And I trust Mayor Parker in 19 that respect, and I want to and will trust you in that respect. But I kid you not, hear this on the record, if we can't treat them fairly, you won't -- I take tough tax votes, am I right. You haven't lived until you knock on the door in Roxborough and say, hey, I'm Councilman Jones, I'm here to run for re-election, oh and by the way, I raised your taxes. You ain't lived. So I got skin in the game. But if you want me to continue that, you got to show me you're fair. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you so much, Councilmember Jones. Colleagues, as a heads-up we will have seven minutes each in this round as we typically do in all of our Committee of the Whole hearings. Okay. The Chair will recognize Councilmember Phillips.
Thank you, Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson. You know today I just want to begin by saying this is about our children. One of the things that has always been important to me with my interactions with people is about listening, being collaborative and not having a mentality that I got it right, I know it all, I'm everything. One of the things that has been really helpful for me is that even coming on City Council, I've had a host of people, friends, family, colleagues who have said, you know, Anthony Phillips, here's where you're doing right but here's where you can get better. If you look around this room, this is why we are here today. We have charter schools from North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia and Northeast who have had it up to here with how we have not listened to them. (Applause.)
I am not a person who will say that I'm an expert on everything when it comes to the School District of Philadelphia, though I'm a former educator, though I'm really great with college access and all that stuff with young people. But what I will say is this: I'm really good at listening because I want people to be treated the same way that I want people to treat us. And right now unfortunately, there's a lot of listening that has not been happening. We have one of the best schools in the Olney area called ASPIRA. At times they may not meet the mark for academic achievement, but they strive every single day and actually they've been growing every single year. This particular school -- these parents send their children to these schools because, one, their safety, they feel a sense of culture, they feel a sense of community. Unfortunately, whatever reason some parents make decisions and choose in their schools, some parents can send their kids to private schools and paid schools. These parents send their children to these schools because of certain values that are reflected. I may not necessarily have an opinion on pro-charter versus against charter, but what I do know is that ASPIRA is working for families. And if it's not working in your eyes, how do you do better -- I'm talking to the old Board. How do you do better to help them become the best that they could potentially be? How can you make sure that they're successful? So the question that I have for all of you is if you can grade yourself as a Board member just like we have to grade our children, the previous Board, where would you give yourself as a grade on that grade and will you champion public charter schools as vital partners in creating a system of great schools that better serves Philadelphia students and families? This is for our old Board members, our seasoned ones. Excuse me.
I'll take that first, especially as the current Board President. I'll give myself a B. And the reason why I say that is because there are things that we have implemented or that we have directed the Charter School Office to do such as creating a window of time where charter leaders can come in and say, there's a little issue with how maybe we reported something, can we come in and talk about it and fix it so it doesn't knock us into a place where we don't want to talk about renewal. Also, for example this Board did something for the first time ever. Southwest Leadership Academy was on the pathway to closing and the Board of Education reversed itself 9-0. Every single person up here voted to bring the school back online because number one, we're guided by the law which is what we looked at, we're guided by student achievement and students, but also the school shows signs of student achievement growth under extreme financial issues that may have been happening that I'm hearing that they're rectifying. On top of that as well, the board of that charter school showed the willingness to be an independent board, a mini board of education, to further the operator of the school who's an amazing educator the tools she needs to be successful. That's the story that needs to get out here, yes. And again, I hate to go back to the data. But again, the Board of Education could have not renewed many more schools the last two years and we did not. Why is that? Because we're trying to give grace, but we also have a legal duty under the law. And if we don't do our duty under the law, the law doesn't work. So I will give myself a B on that reasoning. I say look at what I have done. Look at what these individuals have done. Look at the data. Look at the seats we've increased. Look at the composition of the founder or the leader of those schools. BIPOC, I just gave you a list of where they are in the City of Philadelphia, that's how you judge us. And I think we're doing a pretty -- I think we've done an okay job. We can always be better. I'm a lawyer. I'm used to getting criticized by my clients, by -- we can always get better. And I believe that this is momentum and I think we have the slate -- I'm going to bring it back to the slate, the slate to take it to the next level to keep up the standards. So I think that story needs to be told, and I'm going to turn it over to other Board members if they want to answer the question.
Councilman Phillips, thank you for your question. I would also give myself a B. There's always room for improvement. We can work harder at our jobs as School Board members. You said something though that caught my attention. You said in our eyes, right. We don't make decisions just basically through our eyes, right. There's a framework and there's Charter law that we have to follow, right, that we have to follow. And I think how can we improve, we can improve by being more transparent. We can have more transparent conversations, right. We can bring more people to the table and have these conversations. But I don't want anybody in this room to think that we just sit and make a decision based on our own opinions. There is Charter law and there is Charter framework. And I am excited to have that conversation with anybody about what that is, what that framework is and what Charter law is because that's what we follow. We don't make decisions based on opinions. Thank you.
Okay. Thank you. I would also say I think B is an appropriate grade. And I will say that every single charter decision that we've made has been a difficult one, and I stand by every single decision that I've made because I've taken the time to do the research, to understand the data to do what's in the best interest of our children. In terms of the question earlier by Councilmember Jones about fairness and in terms of standing for public charters, it's important to see the Board's role within the process as authorizers and as fiduciaries. An authorization decision allows the passthrough of public dollars to support a charter school which the District no longer has management authority over. And certainly, we have a Charter School Office that lends support, that evaluates charters, that does visits, ensures that the practices and the performance of the charters align with law. We don't have the authority to remove a school leader, to change the staffing, to do many of the things that we can do with District-managed schools much more quickly and within our purview, because according to the law and as the state sees it, the charter schools are governed by their own boards. So once we make the authorization decision, that decision has granted an authority to a Board that now has authority over the school and, therefore, every single decision that we make as a Board is a difficult one, is an important one and we do not make any of these decisions lately.
Yet there are times where you can make a decision to renew a charter based off of some stipulations, and there's been times where we have not done that, just as a point of information. Last question for me in this round has to do with the following: Beyond the charter school problem that we clearly see here, last June when I came on Philadelphia City Council, I was told that we would have from the School District of Philadelphia a facilities plan by that June. Now, as June's coming up, there's no sight of any new facilities plan. We keep getting numbers and information about facilities plans and nothing's happening. Leveling has been an issue for decades. It wasn't until City Council worked with the community, Katherine Gilmore Richardson and all of a sudden leveling is changing in the School District. The question that I have for you is, is this Board, new and old, right, the ones that's being re-appointed from last year, are we going to usher in radical change to our education or are we going to just continue to suffice to the necessary norms around our infrastructure plan because right now we have none? We don't have one. $2 billion is on the line that the Governor has mentioned that he could potentially look into, amongst so many other things that the state has talked about, state officials said they could talk about, but we have not gotten to the point of accessing that money and time is running out. And I'm like, what are we doing. Who are we holding accountable when our children are living in asbestos buildings under terrible conditions? To me that's just unacceptable. And do we have a sense of urgency around our infrastructure?
Yes, I'm happy to address that question. And thank you. I think the outgoing Board shares the same concern.
Yes, I'm sorry. The outgoing Board shares the same concern. In a second I'm going to share what we've done and how the plan has actually already started. And maybe we haven't done a good enough job socializing it, but I'm going to do that here today. But I think it's important to note that currently there is a capital budget of $21.3 million for new construction, including -- can you hear me?
Okay. Right now there's a capital budget allocation -- can everybody hear me?
Thank you. We share the same concern. And as I've said, I don't know if everybody heard me, the plan has already started and I think we haven't done a good enough job socializing that plan or the work that's being done toward it. But before I get into that, I would like to just talk about the capital improvements that have already been underway and that will be underway going forward. Right now there's a capital budget for new construction, $21.3 million for construction which includes 145 million ESSER funds to support state-of-the-art educational facilities. Right now we have six approved new projects in the pipeline or are done. One being Lincoln Athletic Field relocation, Solis-Cohen, T.M. Peirce, Cassidy, AMY at James Martin, Holme. In addition to that, there's additional budget highlights and major renovations. The capital budget allocates $58.6 million for additions and major renovations in support of our utilization. projects in 6 various stages. Seven new 7 projects, Ethan Allen, Anne Frank, 8 Disston, Mayfair, Rhawnhurst, 9 Richmond and Shallcross garage 10 campus. Four major renovations, 11 Forrest, Beehan(ph), Pollock and Pratt, eight new projects, two new additions, Fox Chase Farm, four major renovations, Bache-Martin, Bethune, Fitler, and McClure. Two major renovations, including modular additions to Comly and Hopkinson. Also, it doesn't stop there. $78 million for HVAC controls, electrical systems. I have more. I don't want to go -- and then there's $15 million allocated to the Sayre pool, which is a thing that had a lot of energy and shows that we listened. But on top of that, I would just add that the process has already started. And I think what the Board and the District is trying to do is learn from our mistakes. We've tried to do this many times and we didn't go through the requisite steps that I'm going to go through right now. And if you don't do this, it's dead on arrival whatever the plan may be. One, develop a strategic plan, Accelerate Philly. What does that matter? We believe that the academic programming should inform what you're building. If you want science labs in every classroom, right, some of our old buildings, sorry to say, the infrastructure can't handle it, circuits are overloading. We can't have that. So you have to think about that before you build a building and what you're building it for. And we believe that partly academic -- the facilities plan should be informed by that. So that's complete. And that was completed -- it started June '22 to June 2023. So I'm going to give you dates too.
Mr. Chairman, could you also have your team and administration provide that information to members of Council, please?
Develop an RFP process to secure data strategy to a data strategy vendor, June '23, September '23. Why does that matter? We want to make sure our data is right. If we build something with bad data, what are we building. We might be here in 20 years doing the same thing over and over again asking why didn't we take a little bit of time to go slow to go fast. Three, develop academic baseline standards. Again, that's through your Accelerate Philly. How many students does it take in any school so that it's economically viable to give students everything that all the babies on the Mainline get in their classrooms. It's a certain critical mass of students that you need, but also the academic programming has to inform that. Phase 4, develop a swing space plan. This has a dual purpose. One, as we remediate our buildings and do our due diligence around asbestos abatement and things like that, we got to move the babies somewhere. And we've gotten better at it because we have a swing space plan. Wow, the District has a plan? Yes, it has a plan. And I'm not trying to play you. I'm just in my zone right now. Create a data-planning strategy, right. That is completed, December '23. Develop a pilot facilities data warehouse, that is under way. And what this warehouse would be able to do, you can pick a school and say this school education or suitability is this, therefore this decision should be made here. Phase 7, develop a comprehensive facility data warehouse, and that is under way right now. And then Phase 8, develop a facilities plan project team, that's to be determined. So just so you know the plan is under way, right. And we get it. We want to run fast too, trust me. Yeah, I went to Germantown, right, which we sold for $100,000. It's another thing we got to think about. What do we do with our infrastructure and our facilities. But we're trying to be thoughtful about this thing. And I think we're asking for grace. And I'm telling you exactly what we've done. And we have the receipts to say what we're doing already and we're not sitting on our hands, because that's what we're doing.
Thank you. Thank you, Council President. But I just want to say I understand that renovation work has been happening. It feels like large scale maintenance work in a lot of our schools. And I appreciate the work that's already been done. Some of them we as Councilmembers have pushed for you all to do, which is wonderful. But what the public is demanding is transparency. We need you to come into the neighborhoods, listen to them the same way we do, and then tell them here's what is happening but have a timeline. Because I tell you for whatever reason in government, you go year after year without having results and still maintain your job whereas in corporate and nonprofit you don't deliver results, you don't keep your job. (Applause.)
And so, for you to say grace, one of the Board members has been there since 2016 or longer, you know, like some of y'all been here for a long time. You keep emphasizing you want people to trust. This is not personal. Trust is built. Trust is about collaboration and listening. What I would have appreciated, and I appreciate that you're sharing the facts, but what I'm saying about how this Board needs to work, and not only just this Board but this entire Administration, this entire team, we have to be able to say we have a vision, we're going to push that vision, but how do you include all of us in your vision, how do you listen to make sure that we're working together collaboratively, there's no ego, there's principles about how we are doing things together. And so, all I ask is that the responses that I'm hoping from our Board members to say, I hear what you're saying, I'm going to do better, how can I get better, how can we collaborate to work together because these people aren't foolish. There's a reason why they're here, and we have ways and have answers to our questions, so we can't just be gung ho with this idea that I'm right, gang, gang mentality, I'm right. We have to have this sense of collaboration, and that's how we build the best city, the City of Philadelphia. And I know that only because I only took this crazy position in politics -- there's a lot of politics with this right now -- because I believe that people have often times utilized their ego to push an envelope, and that's not fair. We got to find a way to be listening, facilitating and collaborative and find ways to get solutions because you're right, we're all in this together. But I just hope that this time around -- you see that this Council is about collaboration, we're about radical change and we're about finding ways to get to solutions immediately because that timeline, we do need a date, we do need one. So please, thank you. (Applause.)
Chair recognizes Councilmember -- just real quick, Chairman Streater, also do you have data? I know you mentioned several different capital projects are in the pipeline. Do we have diversity and inclusion numbers in terms of Black and Brown contractors that we're using? And it's just a question I've asked in the past and introduced resolutions in our hearing in terms of the District because it's like $1 billion industry, and we just want to make sure we're addressing the issue of making sure that we're the safest, cleanest, greenest city in Philadelphia with economic opportunity for everyone and we share the same vision as the Mayor. Part of that is addressing poverty by making sure Black and Brown people have an opportunity to participate and all of that money that's being spent and development that's taking place with the Philadelphia School District. Do you have any numbers that you want to share with us?
Councilmember -- Council President, excuse me, I don't have that data on me, but I do know just as an exemplar, Brother Perryman, who is the principal person building the beautiful school that's coming at Cassidy, so that's an example. And we're working, we're working it.
Okay. Just also, you and your team just provide that to the Chair and members just for the record. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. I'm going to get right into it. First of all, I want to just start by piggybacking on Councilmember Phillip's question around facilities. While I appreciate the -- oh, no, let me take a step back. First, I want to thank you all for being here and thank you all for your testimony because the reality is, is listening to the credentials, especially of the new members, I do commend the Mayor for the diversity and the lived experience of the new members that's been selected, and that is something that should be commended. So thank you, Madame Mayor. I'm going to push back on the facility stuff just to get us started -- no, I'm not. I'll come back to facilities in a second. Let me go here first. I listened to you all talk about institutional knowledge, right. I've heard this term come up a lot. And I'm listening to you all praise who the Mayor was selected and specifically talk about the importance of maintaining certain School Board members. Cecilia Thompson and Lisa Salley were not selected. What are your thoughts on her, on those two?
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I apologize, Board President Streater. Somebody besides Board President Streater answer that question for me.
I really appreciated both Cecilia -- both Board member Thompson and Board member Salley as colleagues. I thought that they brought valuable perspective and experience to the table. Board member Thompson is a strong advocate for students with specialized services and she saw through a lens that was not directly apparent sometimes in conversations and really pushed the way that we provided services to this population of students.
You're not worried about losing their institutional knowledge?
I believe that there are -- I believe that we have an amazing slate of nominees right here.
But you all talked about institutional knowledge and the importance of institutional knowledge. So I'm wondering does this institutional knowledge that you're concerned about only apply to certain Board members and not the other Board members? (Applause.)
No, I'm sorry. Not, not, Board President Streater. I would like somebody else to answer my question.
Institutional knowledge is not a person-specific trait. Institutional knowledge refers to having been in those shoes, tried to push certain initiatives and understanding what it takes to succeed and the factors that have led things to fail in the past.
Okay. I was just curious. Let's go on to facilities. Councilmember Phillips raised questions around a facilities plan. When I became the Chair of the Education Committee in September of 2022, the first request I made was for a facilities plan. What I listened to today was a lot of renovations, a lot of things that's happening as it relates to capital issues. But that's not a facilities plan. I want to be very clear. A facilities plan would talk to us about the future of Strawberry Mansion, Overbrook and Martin Luther King High School. Councilmember Jones, do you know about the future of Overbrook? Do you know what we're going to do? We've got some issues there with the facility, student enrollment. Are we going to build a new one? Are we going to close it? Are we going to downsize it? Has anybody told you about Overbrook, Councilmember Jones?
Okay. All right. So then I think about schools in the Northeast, like Washington, Northeast High School, Lincoln High School. All these schools have a growing population, right. So we have some schools where the buildings are underutilized. We have other schools where the buildings are overflooded. And then we have this reactive mindset that we've seen early on during the pandemic where we found out there was all this asbestos in all these schools that somehow, some way none of us knew about. Who was present and who governed our schools when the asbestos crisis hit the fan? Who was that? (Applause.)
I'm asking. I mean, because I remember voting for Board President Streater. I remember voting for Sarah. And I remember voting for a lot of other people. I don't remember you guys being there when the asbestos crisis was created, but I remember us having multiple meetings because we felt like the previous leadership had brushed some things under the rug as it related to the facilities crisis. So how do we now sit here and say that we have a facilities plan and no Councilmember has ever seen this facilities plan?
First, I would like to say you're right, we don't have a plan for, hey, this is what's going to happen with Strawberry Mansion, but I believe I did set forth the vision, that the building should flow from the mission and the vision of the institution to educate children, educational suitability, the amount of students that it requires in a school building to have all the things that our babies need. I did say that.
I mean, Board President Streater, you know how I feel about you, sir. Nothing but love for you, absolutely no 21 question about that. But that's not a plan. The Governor wants a plan. Harrisburg wants a plan. In 2022 of September I asked for a plan. It is 2024, and I'm being asked to vote for the same people that I asked for a plan that I did not get a plan from. I'm okay with that. We can move on. Let's talk about a couple other things that are really important. Councilmember Jones talked about treating charter schools the same way you treat public schools, right. That's not my area. My area is why do we treat White charter schools different than how we treat Black charter schools? (Applause.)
I want to be clear, I said in my opening statement this decision today is not about charter, public. This decision is about children. Nothing else but children. But we had a report that basically communicated concerns, and let's be honest when we were making decisions around who the lawyer was, City Council and the Education Committee pushed back on who the lawyer should be because we did not want the School District to be the client. Now, I'm no lawyer, but I know that if I'm the client of a lawyer, then that lawyer works for me. We wanted to be the client. City Council asked for this study, not you all. And similar to how you were reactive to the facilities crisis because I listened to Board President Streater talk about a swing space, a swing space in the facilities issue wasn't a part of the plan. It was a reaction because of what happened with Building and other facilities 21 and we seen children in limbo, so we said we needed a swing space. And that was a great decision, Board President Streater. But I want to be clear, we're talking about things that are reactive. So in the midst of looking at what happens with Black charters and White charters, one of the things you all said was you created 2,000 new seats. How many of those new seats are Black? First question while you look for your data. Second question: Over 80 percent of the charter schools that's been closed in the City of Philadelphia are Black. Somehow -- (Applause.)
Somehow some way over 80 percent of the charter schools that have been closed are Black. White charter schools like Franklin Towne and Northwood committed egregious violations and they're allowed to stay open. Fine, whatever, that's not my fight right now. But I'm wondering how are we going to sit here and say that we're okay -- I listened to a Board member say I can stand on every decision that I've made, and then you change your own vote. How can I say, Council President, that I'm proud of every vote that I've taken, but I switched my vote. You can't have it both ways. So somebody needs to help me understand how many new charter seats have gone to Black-led institutions out of your 2000. And how can we sit here and say that we treat Black charters fair when Black charters make up 80 percent of the schools that's been closed? Not under this Board. Let's be very clear, not under this Board. But there are people who were on the previous Board when over 80 percent of the charter schools that were closed were essentially Black when Black-led charter schools make up less than percent of the schools in the City of Philadelphia and then you're going to tell us that that's not racist. I'm no economist. I could do math. I'm very good at math, but I'm no economist. There has to be some metric that you're using that's totally different than us when percent 10 of the schools are Black, but they 11 represent 80 percent of the 12 closures. Help me understand this 13 information. 14
Yeah, I'm 15 happy to, Council Chair Thomas. To 16 answer your question, and I'm going 17 to actually include BIPOC schools 18 because I think they matter as 19 well, and I know you do too, good 20 brother. Keystone, 300 seats out 21 of 2000. I believe that is a 22 Black-founded, Black-led as been 23 defined charter school. We've also 24 added 368 seats to Esperanza and 25 Eugenio Maria de Hostos, 310 as well. So that's a big chunk I think of the 2,000, right. Number two, we are actively trying to --
Point information, I just want to agree to disagree. I don't think that that's a big chunk. So I hear your number, but I said Black schools. So I'm fine with what you said, but I don't agree that that's a big chunk.
Okay. I appreciate you, yes. And on top of that, we have tried to hold Franklin Towne -- actually I had to get special privilege to not be at a hearing right now where we are in the middle of hot litigation trying to hold to start the process to determine whether there should be a revocation of a charter, which I'm now being stopped, the tax dollars are being used to defend the school -
And I want to commend you that you're doing great work. But earlier you said that you -- not you, but earlier it was said that you all stand on every decision that you've made. So you stand on the fact that it was a good idea to give Franklin Towne more seats and now we have this retroactive problem that we do? So that wasn't a mistake to give Franklin Towne more seats?
I wasn't a part of that vote, but I'm talking about in particular issues around the closure of charter schools, the decision we have to make --
But with all due respect, Board President Streater, that's why I'm trying to remove you away from answering some of these questions because 90 percent of the questions I'm asking not necessarily are within your jurisdiction or within things that you've said in this hearing today. So I respect the fact that you want to have your colleagues' back. I'm a team player myself and I'll ride for my colleagues all day, but I think it's better if somebody else answer these questions because most of the things that I'm referencing as it relates to these comments and the data that I'm communicating, it's not necessarily you. So you could do a victory lap around the advocacy work you've done as it relates to Franklin Towne. I've stood neck-and-neck and shoulder-to-shoulder with you and I'm proud of you with that. But you didn't sit here and say that you're proud of every vote and every decision that you've made and you would not change any of them. That was somebody else that said that. And I don't understand how you could say on the one hand that I'm proud of every vote that I've taken, but then you've had to reverse your vote. I don't understand how you can say on one hand I'm proud of everything we've done, but then we got to go back and take action against Franklin Towne because that institution is looking to use a report that was supposed to address issues around racism to defend their stuff. I'll leave it at that.
Chair Thomas, if I could briefly respond. From my understanding, that data as it relates to schools that have closed, some collapsed on their own or closed on their own. So, yes, they might have closed, but it might not have been due to Board action. I want to put that out there even before my tenure as well.
So what are some of the schools that -- no, nope, never mind. If you can --
I wanted to respond because you asked about the comment that I made earlier standing behind my votes. Board members make the votes that they do with the best information available to us at that time. And if significant changes in the facts and the data are later found or surfaced, then in the best interest of the students sometimes votes can change.
And I thought you would say that. So my next question: Who gave you that wrong information?
I don't believe that we can characterize the information as wrong. Information is updated all the time -
I'm sorry. Your word was -- what was the word you used? You said misinformation, right?
So what was the word you used? You said things changed. You used the word originally. You said when people give you blank.
-- Charter School -- I'm sorry. Not you, Board President Streater. Who leads the Charter School Office?
Information about schools that enter into the decisions that we make are fluid and change all the time.
Who gave you the information that wasn't most up-to-date? You said the Charter School Office, right?
No, no, no, we're talking about old decisions. We're talking about previous decisions. Who gave you the information that wasn't most up-to-date? You said the Charter School Office, right?
We do rely on information provided by the Charter School Office.
Who runs the Charter School Office? Who runs the Charter School Office?
Who is the name of the person who has the Charter School Office?
Come on. Council President. Who is the name of the person who runs the Charter School Office? And what did you recently do with this person?
Chief Peng Chao. And can I please add this context? I think it's very important.
Board President Streater, I asked you not to answer the questions. Who runs the Charter School Office?
Our Charter School Office is led by Chief Peng Chao and a team of very qualified people.
And didn't the same person that leads the Charter School Office the person who didn't give you updated information and then you gave him a raise and a promotion?
Board President Streater, with all due respect, sir, you have my vote. I don't want you to answer the question. I will be voting for you, sir. Who leads the Charter --
Respectfully, Councilmember Thomas, I'd like to understand what the intent of your question is?
With all due respect, Council President, this is a City Council hearing and I don't think it's appropriate for them to ask me what the intent of any question I have is when I've already made a statement that my intent is to make a decision today that's in the best interest of the children. So I'm not quite sure, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson, how that works. But I don't think that's an appropriate line of questioning to be asking myself or any member of City Council in the midst of a hearing where we are here to take a vote that's in the best interest of the children. Am I out of line, colleague?
Thank you, sir. All right. So back to my line of questioning, because I believe that my original point in all of this was that we treat White charters different than how we treat Black charters. And I think the place that I was going specifically with this line of questioning is to identify racist behavior that existed before any of you all got here. So here's a question that you all can answer, anybody who wants to: Why are you so defensive about things and decisions that were made that are clearly racist that were made before your tenure?
I do want to add context, and I have to, to the question. What changed, the vote I was talking about was a Southwest leadership vote. Something -- it wasn't --
Board President Streater, I know it changed. My point of going to that line of questioning was to show that we all sometimes make decisions that we regret. And I think it's disingenuous to come before this body and say that you all haven't made any decisions you regret when you had to go and reverse your decision. To me that's disingenuous. But --
-- now we've moved on. We're now talking about racist behavior. So if you could answer the line of questioning that's being asked now, that would be appreciated.
I would answer all the questions. Yes, sir, Councilman. And I'm saying this with all due diligence and all heart, as a Black man I get it, right. I get when there's a feeling of something. But as a governmental agency, it'll be governmental malpractice if we did not find out whether the exact intent or the exact thing that is being discussed is actually causing the issue. And in the law we call this disparate impact and disparate treatment. An allegation can get you through the court door, but you have to find out whether there is actual intent, whether there's a smoking gun which we call in the law, and I think the Board has done that with its due diligence, right. Yes, we have embraced -- if you look at the press release, we are embracing the voices of the Coalition. We are embracing saying those voices matter, but we have to do our due diligence to determine whether someone actually did something because they're racist or was there a legitimate non-discriminatory reason why it happened such as breaking the law, such as financial issues, financial mismanagement of money, such as academic achievement that's been sliding for years. Those are the things that we have to look at. And there's records and things like that that show why the decisions were made. There's these things called adjudications in which every decision has set forth the reasons. And if those reasons, if you look at them and you take off any lens, you'll see that --
Board 13 President Streater, you're one of 14 the most intelligent African- 15 centered brothers I know. I complimented the Mayor on the lived experiences and the credentials of the people she selected. You have multiple lawyers, you have graduate degrees, you have very intelligent people who I know for a fact love Black people. I will put Sarah in that category as well too. 80 percent of the schools that's been closed in the City of Philadelphia are Black while they only make up percent of the population, yes or no? Those numbers aren't racist to y'all, yes or no? Let's just move it to another place. Let's move it to the law field. Let's move it to the therapeutic field. Black therapists only make up percent of the population, 11 but 80 percent of the people who've 12 been charged with crimes are Black 13 therapists. Black lawyers only 14 make up 25 percent of the 15 population, but 80 percent of the 16 people who are charged are Black 17 lawyers. Black people only make up 18 25 percent of the population, but 19 80 percent of the people who are 20 arrested are Black people. Those 21 numbers are alarming. 22 My son is 11 years old. He 23 just got out of school 38 minutes 24 ago. He's a math guru. If I gave 25 him them numbers, he would say, Dad, there's some statistical problems with that data. If I'm 25 percent of the population, how can I be three times the number of closures. And you looked at us and said that's not racist. I'm done with that line of questioning. Let's move on to School District stuff. Goals and guardrails, and again I'm voting for y'all so I'm not making a decision about that. We talked about the academic progress of the School District of Philadelphia and while we made a lot of decisions during the pandemic that Council disagreed with and the Board might have agreed with, we can agree that there has been some progress. But let's not compare us to other large schools across the country. Let's compare us to where we want to be. Are you happy with the test scores, math and literacy, of our children? What are those numbers right now and what number would make you feel like we've done the job?
To answer your first question, I am not happy. And I think that's the energy that the Board that I currently sit on and I believe that the new nominees of the new slate will sit on as well, and that's why goals and guardrails exist. In the past this School District, this School District did not focus on student achievement. It focused on everything else. And that's what the goals and guardrails do, where we actually progress monitor in public, we get national notoriety for doing it, to drive system change from a governance model. So I think that's to show you that we're not happy and that something was done with it as well.
I would agree with you. Well, how many of our children are reading proficiently right now and how many of our children are proficient in math? What percent?
You know what you can do, if you can get that information to the Council President, that'll be appreciated. I know other members have questions. Council President, I'll stop right now. I'll come back for another round. Thank you, Council President.
You're welcome. Chair recognizes Councilmember Kathy Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Council President. And thank you to our colleagues for all of your questions. I too want to commend Mayor Parker and her team for the hard work and the heavy lifting that was done to get us to this point in the process. I do recognize the importance of the work that was done and very appreciative of the group that we have before us today. And I'm thankful for the testimony that you all provided. And for those of you who I've had the opportunity to work with, thank you very much for your service. I wanted to start where I started this morning. I had the opportunity to be back at the Philadelphia High School for Girls for Career Day this morning with our colleagues and also was fortunate enough to be on a Town Hall last night of over 300 parents, alumni, teachers, students of the Philadelphia High School for Girls. So to see Joan Stern here, I am truly thankful and grateful for your work. I remember you very early on in my career, have tried to emulate your work in municipal finance. I've studied you since I've been here over the last 9 years. So thank you very much for 10 your service as a fellow Girls' 11 High girl. 12 You all know that I care 13 deeply about the public schools as 14 a graduate of Gompers, Masterman 15 and the Philadelphia High School 16 for Girls. Currently my oldest is 17 a graduating senior at Carver High 18 School for Engineering and Science 19 by way of she moved here when her 20 father and I got married. So she 21 came from the Chester public 22 schools and then went to Mastery 23 Mann Charter School and then 24 finished her academic career at 25 Carver High School. And you know that my two youngest are at Gompers Elementary school. And you also know that I taught in the Philadelphia public schools by way of Overbrook High School, so I care deeply about the public schools. So I wanted to start at Girls' High and then also talk about leveling. Thank you for the decision around leveling. It's something that we all work very closely on going together and it was extremely important to the success of our young people. No 15 major school districts in the country are doing leveling anymore. And so, I want to thank you for making that important decision and re-arranging the budget to do so. I want to start at Girls' High. I'm very concerned about the future of the Philadelphia High School for Girls. We have one class that only has 88 students. When I graduated, there were almost students and previous classes were much larger. We know that this is a result of unintended consequences with this new special admission policy around the special admission schools. And so, if you all could speak to how you were looking to course-correct around the implementation of the special admission schools, the admission policy to give principals and leadership, members at schools the autonomy to pick young people off the list, particularly when they are not at capacity. Girls' High was capped at 200 students that they could admit this year. And out of the 200, I think only 83 or 88 have chosen to go to Girls' High. I'm very concerned about the future of my 175-year-old alma mater. And we really want you all to do something to help Girls' High moving forward. Can you please speak to how you are looking at the special admission policy and how you will specifically help the Philadelphia High School for Girls?
I'll be brief, and I'm doing a lot of talking. I'm about to give other Board members an opportunity and nominees the chance to speak. I share your concern, and it is something that I know for a fact that the Superintendent right now is working on, want to be that close collaborator with you and the City and all the stakeholders. But with that, just again I think it's a strength to course- correct, right. And I know there was some conversation about that earlier. And I think I'm going to talk to the special admit piece, which I think is actually going to help and has already started to help Girls' High as one of our schools. We know the special admit process had flaws when we course- changed. The District and the Board didn't say we're the smartest people in the room, leave us alone. What we did, we leaned into it and tried to fix it and work it out by listening to our principals, things like that. And I'll be very brief --
I just want to say this in particular because I've been going to Girls' High once per month this entire school year after the incident occurred along with visiting a number of other CTE schools that I visited with some of you, and Girls' High is slated to lose six teachers that are integral to the IB, the International Baccalaureate program, and the advanced placement classes. We do not have the ability to maintain teachers because of the projected enrollment. It is all because of the new special admission policy that was implemented. No course- correction has happened at all. Girls' High has been without a permanent principal for a year since that incident took place. And all the alumni students and teachers wanted Principal Lisa Mesi back. She was one of the best things that ever happened to the Philadelphia High School for Girls. And so, we don't feel heard. We don't feel as though anyone cares about Girls' High, and I do have other matters that I will discuss, but it was 300 parents and alumni on the call last night. And I have to represent for my alma mater, the school that gave me so much, the reason why I'm a member of Philadelphia City Council today. Please do something to help us with the Philadelphia High School for Girls, and we need a concrete plan. We need concrete commitments. We need the ability to enroll additional girls for this upcoming academic school year. We have to do something. And I don't want everyone to think that I'm just focusing on Girls' High because a number of schools across the District need help and assistance, and this is happening at other schools as well, including my daughter's school at Carver High School. And I didn't even think that she was paying attention. She came home and said, don't you work in City Council, you need to do something about what's happening at my school and some of the other schools that my friends go to. So this is also impacting the children. And this is all about the children and all about the students and their future and their academic success. So can you please speak to what's happening not only at Girls' High but across some of the other schools and how you all will work to fix this?
Thank you, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson. I just want to let you know this is a conversation that we are having as a Board and this is not the only school as you said who is affected by the selection process. We believe that there is a place for the centralized admission but then also an important need to ensure that schools can continue to fill empty seats and not cap their enrollment at only the students who reserve or enroll during that process.
But they're not allowing Girls' High to do that.
We hear you and we would definitely take that back to the Superintendent. And we will work through this like we worked through other things with you, Council Gilmore Richardson, going forward.
And I just want to say that we hear you and we understand. We went through the same thing with Saul. I'm a graduate of Saul. Saul is going through the same issue right now. So we understand there is an issue, right. I want y'all to know that we do sit in meetings and hold people accountable, right. We do lose sleep over these kids that are not being able to get into these schools or whatever the case may be or not being re-engaged, right, because there's some kids that just aren't being re-engaged, and we have to work on it, right. So I want you to know that we are diligently trying to fix this issue and we will continue to work with you, but we hear you and we understand.
Please, this is a number one priority. In addition to that I just quickly wanted to mention, and I'll come back on the second round, two things: Services for our young people who need additional help, who may have IEPs like speech therapy or other services and also our young people reading on grade level. Since COVID-19 and a number of our young people who were either in PreK or kindergarten or 1st through 3rd grade during the pandemic, they are struggling with reading. And we need the ability to work with the District to provide additional reading resources for our young people. It's something that we are going through as a family. It's something I've heard from a number of other families. Our young people must be on grade level with their reading. You are learning to read from K to 3, and then you're reading to learn thereafter. And we need to help our young people get on reading grade level all across the School District. How are we doing that? What additional assistance will you all put in place to do that? And then finally, this Council has stepped up year over year since I've been here even back to when I was a staffer. I remember being in rooms in 2011 at the height of the economic downturn coming up with MOU with the District and former Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez working through some steps that we knew the District would take as a result of the Council body voting on additional funding for the School District of Philadelphia. We recognized that in the Mayor's proposed FY25 budget that there is a proposed millage shift from 55 to 56 that would give additional funding for the School District of Philadelphia for the upcoming school year. I do believe that we need to work together on a Memorandum of Understanding on some of the goals and outcomes that we anticipate and expect as a result of that continued increased funding that you all have seen from this body year-over-year. But can you please speak to the reading grade levels?
I'll be brief, and thank you so much. First, Accelerate Philly. I think that is the first answer to the question about English language arts and the valid and thoughtful points you made. Also, there's a new curriculum coming out next year. One of the issues in the School District of Philadelphia is for so long we've had fragmented curriculum where students over here are learning this and students are learning that. Also, the Superintendent is looking into the number one factor to move student achievement, high quality teachers, stable over time and well- supported. That well-supported part is very important and key as well. So that's something he's looking at as well. How do you incentivize our teachers who have shown the ability to help students -- all of our (inaudible) to the schools that they need to go to. And then number three, I watched the press conference about what's going on right now in collaboration with the City and the Mayor and Council. I saw Council President was there. Right now there's a program this summer for students who need a little bit of extra help to come to a School District school for the first half of the day and get your learn on, right. And then the second half of the day, you can have fun and do what children should do in the summer. So that's our answer to your question, but if Board members want to --
I'm going to respect the clock and honor the time, Council President. I am very well aware of that program. My children have attended that program. I know the program very intimately. We need additional resources for young people to get on reading grade level. It is not enough. They need specific instruction to help them get on reading level so that they can succeed academically in their future career endeavors.
You're welcome. That's a good program. My kids were in the program too, but the buildings were hot. And so -- but I'm a hood kid. I grew up in the City so I'm kind of used to not having air conditioners going to Childs Elementary School and Edward Bok High School, but I am excited about that program because it's a summer slide that we want to make sure we address to make sure all of our young people are on the right path from an academic achievement standpoint. So definitely going to be supportive of those efforts. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. And thank you all for being with us this afternoon. We just heard the frustrations expressed by Chairmember of Education Isaiah Thomas. And as a member of that Committee, I share those frustrations. And, Board President, you're aware of that. I think I've been very clear in our meetings. And if those are the challenges that Black charter schools are experiencing, can you imagine Latino-led or bilingual charter schools, right? I think that often times we are left out of the conversation. And so, I'd like to hear a commitment from this new Board and from those of you who will stay on the Board that Latino charter schools will not be an afterthought, right. I represent the poorest zip code in the City. I represent some of the lowest-performing schools in the City. I represent schools in my community charter and public schools that are challenged with keeping qualified teachers in our spaces. I represent some of the schools that have or see the very serious conditions in facilities. I have -- the facilities in the 7th Council District and across the City are deplorable, right. And I've only been here months 15 and my colleagues have been here 16 much longer than me, and I share 17 the Education Committee's frustration on asking for a plan, right. I'm sure that as people were being asked to be a part of this new Board, they must have done their due diligence and probably have started to listen to the conversations during the Education Committee or doing this legislative body Council sessions. And so, I'd like to hear from the new members, right. What would they recommend, right? Based on what they have heard, based on them considering becoming a part of your Board body, what do they think needs to happen to better improve communication between not just the Charter School Office but between the school and the Charter School Office as well as better communication in the community? How do the decisions that you all make, how are they felt on the ground and in the neighborhood?
Thank you so much for the question, and it's really at the heart of why I'm even here. I do believe that we will speak up for all students, African American students, but also the Latino population which now consists a quarter of the population of the School District. And I also served in the community that you're talking about as a School District principal. I sat in a school that had not been painted for years and 6 started in a charter school that 7 was a 100-year-old building that 8 the School District left which was 9 the old Hunter School to start the 10 school there. So I'm very much 11 familiar with the deplorable 12 conditions in a school. 13 I cannot speak for the 14 existing facilities plan that the 15 existing Board has worked on, but I would tell you that if I am here and even willing to serve because I believe that our children deserve to be in schools that have a standard of excellence, we know that long term we're going to need new buildings and facilities plans, but just to open buildings that are clean, that smell good, that have equitable lighting, we need that in our schools and I will do my best serving on this Board to fight for that, not just for Latino students but all students in our City. (Applause.)
Thank you. How do you think -- and, President Streater, this is probably for you. We have some newer facilities like Kensington Performing Arts, who is a newer facility but is also experiencing challenges just maintaining the facility, right. That space has over 47 windows, something very simple, that are broken. And they have put in multiple requests for repair and they can't get a response to it. So if we're talking about the seriousness of facilities and we can't maintain the ones that are newer now, what is there to be said about the lack of response that we are seeing now and that we may see in the future?
Yes. Thank you for the question. And I share your same concern. I mean, I went to the G, Germantown, where it was very hot as Council President said throughout the year, and it did impact my ability to focus in the learning environment. What I can say is what we have done as a Board of Education. Through our goals and guardrails, we have something called safety welcoming schools as a guardrail, and we monitor things like work orders, right. We monitor things that actually matter and we monitor those things, and we see what the trends are, what the District is doing and how the District can better as the operator, operationalize this stuff and get better. And based upon the trend lines, it looks like the District has gotten better. And some of the stuff is actually because our buildings are very old. And some of the qualifications and the people who do the work, there's not -- some systems are so old and obsolete that we can't even find people who even have the expertise to fix those systems and those things slow down the process and the progress that we can get in, but we've beefed up our capacity and it's something that we monitor. And I do believe we're trying to make headway there. But, yes, it is a concern. I'm not going to gaslight you. This is real. And it's something that we're actually working on through our goals and guardrails.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jay Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Some of my questions are the same -- first of all, I want to say good afternoon. And I want to say I commend you all for your efforts to work for our City for free, right, and to do these things, a job that is thankless and a job that has the burden of our entire City. So I want to thank you all for wanting to step up to the plate to do it. My line of questioning or question rather is similar to what Councilmember, Chair of the Education Committee Isaiah Thomas was talking about when it comes to the Charter Office, particularly the pattern I see of the discrimination in the Charter Office. In the past life, I represented a property owner who was trying to lease a building to a charter school, a charter school that was excelling. But the process of trying to move from one location to the other and dealing with that Charter Office was a very interesting process I'll say from a perspective of an attorney. And, Mr. Streater, I know you said as an attorney I know there are certain things that have to be found for it to be discrimination. But 80 percent I think a court will find that's a disparate impact, right. The policy appears neutral, on its face it appears neutral. But when in reality when you're implementing these policies and you see that it only affects one demographic of people, something has to be wrong there. That's just not a coincidence. It's not a coincidence at all. And so, I think we need to take a deep dive at what the institution of our School District is doing when it comes to educating Black children, because the majority of students in that District are Black children. When you look at the things that are going on in our society, the issues stem from Black children. And if we are going to continually not pay attention to the issues, the bureaucracy that gets in the way of educating Black children, then I think we are doing a disservice to our city and to our children. So one question I do have is when it comes to holding folks accountable, right, so I do think that everyone needs to be held accountable. Charter schools need to be held accountable. Traditional schools need to be held accountable. And I do know it is a little bit easier to hold charter schools accountable because of the quasi independence that they have and just dealing with the structure of the School District. But why is it that when I see a school like Strawberry Mansion, like Ben Franklin with these abysmal numbers, why are they not held to the same standards when they're educating the same students, the same population base, why are they not held to the same standards as a charter school would be in that same community?
I'll take a quick stab at that. I think it's because we have two different metrics -- mechanisms under the law to hold accountable both sides of the sector. As you know, the Charter law requires that there's a five-year renewal window where there's five years of independence where the Board of Education, the District does not have the authority to go in and check things out and dictate what needs to happen. I guess to -- what that does is it trades away the ability to kind of have a different accountability metric, the independence comes with accountability and it's actually baked into the law. There are things we have to look at, financial wherewithal, the independence of the Charter Board, academic achievement, higher academic achievement than what is purported, is the school a Petri dish of education in a way that's new to the sector and can the District or the sector at large learn new things from it. Those are all the things that require us through the law to I guess hold accountable, right. For the District, the District has a lot more autonomy and agency and it uses goals and guardrails. And if we can get the charter sector to buy in goals and guardrails, I think that's a good move. Maybe that's something we can talk about going from here. But the goals and guardrails is for the first time in the history of this School District, we look at the data and we ask the question. And we've aligned the Superintendent's evaluation. And now, for the first time in history 440 is going to have an evaluation system that aligns with a shared vision and goal. And I think that's why we're seeing the academic achievement moves that we're having. But the Charter law doesn't give us the ability to do that. What it does is it says you got to wait five years. And sometimes you got to wait five years and watch something trend in a way that could lead to a collapse, which we've seen as well in the last two years, and wait on the sidelines and then do something in Year 5. And I think that's the thing I think that's missing in the conversation that we have different tools prescribed by law that's an above- me-now moment with the state that precludes us from doing the things that you're talking about. And we have tried. We created conditions. This thing called surrender clause probably has a bad name, those things were created to give charter schools another shot and then another shot. Some of the schools that have closed unfortunately have had maybe three or four charter terms where there were conditions that weren't met that those charter schools agreed to. And I think that -- and I know now that the Charter School Office hearing anecdotal information from other Black- founded leaders, and I'm not going to say any name on the record, this is the best they've ever had with Mr. Peng Chao, right. We're doing things, we're trying to give grace, we're trying to pivot. So that's my answer to your question. We're trying to balance our state-delegated duty, right, as fiduciaries of the School District of Philadelphia to these babies under the law with the grace that the law gives us in the gaps. And I think we're using the gaps now to be more gracious.
Thank you. And on those same lines, it's equity, right. We're trying to be equitable and treat every school the same way and treat every school fairly, because again the premise is the best interest of the children. And I think we have to keep that in mind. And so, I guess you gave me one recommendation on what we can do regarding how we can gain more equity I guess in the treatment of these schools. But can you discuss I guess when the School Board is evaluating these frameworks, potentially particularly like the goals and guardrails, what type of equity lens does the School District look at when evaluating equity in hiring, right, and equity in representation at the School District itself?
Well, I know that I can't speak for the Superintendent. But I know the Board has given a strict directive -- well, I won't say directive. Well, yeah, a directive to the Superintendent to look at things like equity, whether it's in our contracts and things like that, whether it's in how we actually educate. So, for example, in our goals and guardrails we just found out that there's 9th grade work happening where Black and Brown students are having higher student achievement in career readiness because of implementations that he's doing knowing that the Board of Education cares deeply about equity as well. As it relates to hiring and things like that, I know that as an attorney there's certain things we have to do under the law. You can't pick people based upon your race. You'll get sued. A reverse racism lawsuit is actually a win nowadays in court. And by the way, we're being sued as a city right now because of our attempt to change our framework for how students get into our special admit schools by an organization led by one of Donald Trump's alkalides in court right now, people know that, trying to stop us saying that we're only trying to help Black children out, we're trying to help out everybody. But getting back on point, I know that through the law the Board and the District is doing everything it can to diversify the whole District.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Nic O'Rourke.
Good afternoon. Thank you for being here today and testifying. I'm a freshman here on this body. And so, all of this that's going on today is a little newer for me, but I was an organizer before all this and the concerns I find as an organizer who was a part of the statewide school fight are kind of the same concerns that I have now. The thrust of our office's concerns are around the lack of consistent government oversight and accountability for charter schools in Philadelphia. My understanding is that a charter school, I think you just mentioned this, is only under official review during the renewal process every five years despite having reporting from the Charter School Office every single year, which means the charters can go years without much accountability as it looks to us, without much budget, you know, around their budget mismanagement around underperforming student outcomes. So I wanted to ask all of the new appointees to answer a few questions related to accountability. What is the actual plan to provide more active and intentional oversight to charter schools on a regular basis, if you can just detail that for me?
I think it's too soon for me to speak about a plan because I'm not appointed yet, but I do have a lot of experience in the charter school -- well, both, in the public. And I do think that accountability is important both ways. Accountability leads to outcomes. And I heard the previous Councilmembers speak about the difference of both traditional charter schools and traditional public schools, and I do think that there's a lot to learn from both. There's a lot to learn -- there's a lot of great things happening in charter schools. We tend to speak about the schools that are closing, but there's incredible work happening in charter schools. There's also incredible work happening in traditional public schools. And I think that we need to figure out, and this is me dreaming, I'm not appointed yet, I haven't sat in those difficult conversations looking at that data. But there has to be a way where we can equalize and look at schools for schools, whether, you know, I think that's part of the problem. It's always the charter schools, the public schools, but can we look at schools. I think that -- and the gentleman that was here, I don't know his name right now, but I think we should have good schools period, good schools period t-shirt, good schools period logo, because I do think that we need to start having that conversation. Can we have accountability for traditional public schools? Can we have accountability for charter schools? And can we celebrate the great things that are happening? And my dream will be that one day we can sit at a table and celebrate each other and hold each other accountable. (Applause.)
Thank you for the answer. I appreciate that. That having been said, I'm specifically asking about charter schools because of the point that we raised earlier about the regularity of accountability on that front. For those of you who come from working primarily with charter schools, how do you plan to advocate just as fiercely for the Philadelphia public schools as you do for the charter schools? If someone can answer that question for me.
I'll take that one. I advocate for all schools and all schools that are doing right by kids, that is charter, that is traditional. It doesn't matter. I want good schools for the kids in the City of Philadelphia. To circle back to your point just a moment ago or your question around five years in accountability, I think that window is important because having been an administrator in a charter school and having worked as an authorizer in D.C., one thing I know is that one or two years' worth of data is not enough to evaluate and really give a holistic picture. So I think giving five years to understand trends and what's really happening at the school is actually very important. Now, what I think it can inform, and I'm eager to work with my other Board members and the management and the Charter School Office, is how can we be very clear about their strengths because I think every school has an asset. One thing I want to be clear, one thing I've learned, nobody opens a charter school to do wrong by kids --
Nobody opens a charter school to do wrong by kids, so I'm curious to see what assets can we find in that community and in that School District where they are having challenges and opportunities and how do we build out charter conditions that are specific to support that District and to your point hold them accountable going forward so that the next renewal we have five years of new data, that hopefully shows progress.
Okay. Thank you. That was helpful in terms of the rate on why the five- year window is helpful for you all. Still focusing though on the accountability for the charter and really the detailed plans is kind of what I was looking for. Let me move on though. This also is to the new Board appointees as well. We all know too well that there is an ongoing teacher shortage and that teachers are leaving the profession for other careers where they are less scrutinized, paid what they ought to be paid and given more time off which I think is really good for mental health. How do you plan to support the District in enticing and encouraging new teachers to join in the midst of this kind of toxic educational environment I think that we're currently in? And how do you plan to make teaching an attractive profession again?
Thank you for that question. I run the Philadelphia Learning Collaborative, which is a collaborative of schools, some public, some private, some charter. And one of our initiatives this year was a community of practice where we introduced a curriculum for advisory, a period that's often in schools, a throwaway period, but can be used to transmit whatever school culture is and really strengthening the entire school environment. And in this initiative of ours, we really elevated teachers as professionals. We paid them generous stipends to explore this curriculum and implement it in their schools. We made them actually in charge of implementing the PDs that they -- they were teacher-led PDs. So I think we need to make the profession attractive. There needs to be the professionalization of teachers. And some of the other issues we talked about regarding facilities, regarding the selection process, it's the environment, it's the ecosystem. And I think we can't deal with making the profession attractive in a vacuum. We're going to need City Council for funds to make the environment better. There's policy issues at the state level related to certifications. I mean, I know people who have come from out of state. We have an initiative. I think Tamir's here in the audience some place, the Center for Black Educator Development. I know one African American principal that came up from down South, who was an amazing educator who had a hard time policy-wise, like what the rules are to become a principal in the School District of Philadelphia. So I think these are some of the things that we can push and pull on to make the environment more attractive. And then let's think about -- at SLA Beeber, for example, there's a CTE track now for education. What does it look like for students in schools right now, how do they see teachers. And this particular program is putting students on a track to become teachers, but we have to make the experience that students are having in schools attractive so they consider it as a profession. So those are some of my thoughts around what we might be able to do. I hope that answers the question.
It does. And I thank you all for your answers. Council President, I heard the bell. I'll come back around for next round.
Thank you. Just a real quick one as we talk about the recruitment of teachers. I remember early on when you first took your tenure and you gave your presentation among members, and we talked about a book that both of us like, Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy black Boys, Jawanza Kunjufu. I remember you saying that as a part of your presentation. And some time ago I introduced a resolution to host hearings when Dr. Hite was here around what are we doing with a sense of urgency to hire Black teachers, right. Let me change it specifically, Black male teachers, right. And from time to time, we'll hear parts of strategies, right. But what are we doing as a District to really aggressively come up with incentives as a part of the strategy moving forward, a plan? Is there a budget allocated to it? From that aspect, what is the Board working in partnership with the District to make sure we get as many African American male teachers inside our schools?
So right now the District is engaging with Brother Sharif El-Mekki, working hand-and-glove with him as well. I know Dr. Watlington has put -- well, the Board in partnership with Dr. Watlington in the Accelerate Philly plan, that is actually one of the things that the Superintendent is right now driving. In addition to that, we also have a paraprofessional program where paraprofessionals can actually go to college right now in the School District of Philadelphia, get their degree, the Bachelor's degree or if they have a Bachelor's, to get their teacher's certification and come right back to the School District of Philadelphia right now. We also have a middle college model, which is part of our CTE program at SLA, I think, Beeber where students right now are learning right now to be student teachers so they can come right back to the School District of Philadelphia. I know that we have a lot of -- Brother, we have a lot of work to do here. I'm not going to tell you that, but that is what's being done right now. And I believe this slate of amazing Board members and I would like -- if Cheryl Harper wants to add anything, she just came up here, but I believe this slate can take it to the next level.
Yes. We had a program when I was in the system of hiring Black males because there was a lack -- I think it was like 1 percent of the professional staff was Black males. But as you know now, it's like almost 90 percent or 85 percent of our students are African American, but back then most of them were African American. And what we did, and this is maybe something we need to look out after, is that we brought in people who had degrees who retired from their jobs. They weren't really old, like maybe retired when they were in their 50s. We were able to obtain emergency certificates from the Pennsylvania Department of Ed. with a guarantee that the male teachers would go back and get certified, permanent certification, by taking a few courses. And so, a lot of them did. One of the problems that the program eventually failed, it wasn't about the male teachers. They were excellent, but there was a movement by people saying it was racist. My answer to them was it wasn't racist when we only had 1 percent Black males and yet the majority of the teachers were White males. The White females were second majority and then the Black African American females were the third, but the Black male was 1 percent. So we may want to look into that again because we do need a role model for our children, especially our Black boys to see that. We also had a program where we brought in people from the trades, actually were teaching children carpentry, engineering, electricity, plumbing, sewing, cooking, male and female, and they had the experience, so all they had to do was get a few credits and get certified to do that, and that worked out well. But due to funding, that was tossed out. And I have to agree with Crystal when she said that we need to make this a professional job. You know, without teachers none of us would be sitting here. And if we do not start to pay our teachers for what they are worth, when I came into Philadelphia, we were the highest paid School District in the state. Philadelphia became the lowest. And so, people started going out to the suburbs, to other states, in Jersey, Delaware because they were paying more. We need to bring back professionalism. Teachers are the core. Without them, we have nothing. Our children will not learn if we don't have professional, adequate teachers. And when I went out and recruited, I recruited. And I interviewed everybody to make sure we had the right and proper teachers, so we need to look back at that.
Thank you very much for your response. Appreciate the enthusiasm.
While we're shifting seats, I'll just add a couple quick notes as well. I think there is a fundamental responsibility for us to ensure that school is a good experience for our Black male students. You don't get Black male teachers when our students do not enjoy school. So I think that's thing one. And then I think as a District we need to celebrate and surround supports to those people who step up into the teaching profession just like everyone said, but especially if they are representative of a population that's not representative among their peers. So I was delighted to celebrate principals. I believe it was this past week, but maybe it was two weeks ago, I don't know. I was just delighted to celebrate our principals with three Black men being there and to see the delight in their school communities as well. So I'll hand it over to --
So we talk about getting Black teachers into the profession and teachers period. There's a teacher shortage nationwide. Pennsylvania used to be the biggest producer of teachers. We're no longer that. And I think that we also have to give consideration. And it keeps coming back to money, to what supports, what mentorship, what ongoing assistance teachers get. So I know there's some teachers, and teaching is hard. It is hard.
And so, we need structures, like intentional structures that actually support them, and there needs to be some safety nets for teachers who struggle because it takes three to five years to make a really good teacher. And what's happening now, you've seen some of these laws. What's happening now is that, oh, you went to the Army, you can be a teacher. I myself, I will say that I transitioned into teaching. You know, like people call me all kinds of things, hidden figures all the time. And it was arrogant of me to come into teaching. I went to private schools. That was -- the list was a private school list because I thought I would try it out before I went to go get training. And it was one of the most difficult -- it was more difficult than working at NASA, so I can say that, right. And so, the mentorship that you get from more seasoned teachers, and you have to pick the seasoned teacher, are they advocating progressive models, are they student-centered, are they authentically getting students ready for success after they graduate from high school. So I mean, all of those things come with a price tag. But if we can be intentional about setting up the structures that will actually support teachers and having a long rewarding career in the profession, that's what it's going to take. A School Board alone can't do that. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Nina Ahmad.
Yeah. First, I wanted to echo my colleague Jay Young's comments about thanking all of you for doing a job that is not only difficult but not rewarded by I think a population at large, and that really speaks to where we value education in our culture, how we value teachers in our culture. I am the daughter of a teacher who was a social worker- turned teacher. She was a Montessori-trained teacher, and I watched how much work she did after she came home, how I helped her cut out shapes and this and that as she did the work. But it was a calling, it is a calling for us. And for you to sit there as a Board working with our School District to make sure our teachers, our students, our staff have the best possible circumstances is a yeoman's job given how little we value education in our country here. I think we need a Marshall Plan, right, just like we had after II World War about how we sent resources to Europe to build them. We can't send resources to our own school, our own country here, the first-world country with the most resources available. Yet we are having 5 percent rates of achievement in our children. That's criminal. That is absolutely criminal, and we are all accountable for that, all of us sitting here. Every one of us need to really put our children first and figure out what needs to happen to make them successful on a global stage. And I'm -- (Applause.)
Yes, thank you. I'm so happy to see a NASA engineer. I am a scientist by training. And I think we need strategic planning. So this was a question asked of you by my colleagues before, is to see what kind of a strategic plan do you have in concert with the School District from your vantage point to see how we are driving making our children ready for the global stage? Second part to that is what is your relationship with Council? So I'm very new, four months old, and all my colleagues who've been here have told me it seems to be non-existent in this real sense of knowing what's going on, right. Real sense of sharing and collaboration, real sense of making sure we are partners. We go into the community. We go -- I mean, there's nine of you. It's hard for you to do everything. We can be partners in taking your message out so we can have that cohesive look for our constituents to say, we got our -- excuse my language, S together, right. We need to show that amount of competency to our taxpayers to say, your dollars are being used equitably, your dollars are being used efficiently and we are going to be held accountable, all of us, for the use of that money to make sure that our children have the best education in this country that prides itself on being first world on so many other things. So that's just my comment. I really want to hear about your strategic plan going forward. By the way, all your bios are so impressive. Every one of you have extremely impressive bios. I had an intern in my office collate all of this and she's a Temple student, senior. She did a little synopsis of each of you. And it was interesting to see what she picked up as a young woman out of all your bios, and I compared it to your actual bio. Excellent bios. Now, how do we put this to work? How do we make sure that your best ideas are connected to what the community is looking for, what Council is looking for, what the Mayor is looking for, what the District is doing. We need to stitch that all together and to have a real cohesive plan going forward that you share with us, that you don't do in a vacuum. So I want to hear from all of you what does that look like? What do we expect? And give us timelines. Thank you, Mr. President,
I can take a a stab at this. First, we can do better. And I think that was the Mayor's vision when she put this slate together to have One Philly, intergovernmental approach. And I believe that that was in -- I know that was in mind central to the Mayor's thinking when she put this slate together. So I think that no 9 matter what we're doing is going to get better. What I offered as a suggestion last year in one of our monthly education committee meetings is that there needs to be a retreat, right. I think the Board of Education and the District in the summer -- I know the summer time, y'all, might be out of budget season. There needs to be a retreat because these once-a-month- fly-by things happen. I know somebody might be here, you might have to take your child because we're all busy people, and information sometimes go there and it might go there to die, right. So I think if we can have a retreat where we all could respect each other as we all do already, have a strategy session. And I know the Mayor's all about bringing people together. This is in line, I think, with her vision. I think this Board is rare and will go to do that. I think you'll see a different mechanism going forward. And I think that all of our good faith that we're all trying to move in the same direction will be further more collaborated. So that's something that I would hope that the Board be ready to do day 1. And I know logistics have to be -- and I know this is your chamber, Council President. I don't want to tell you, you know, stay in my place. But Board members, nominees?
I have some of the same questions. I actually wrote down and was wondering what our relationship is with City Council. I have had experience at the District. I was Executive Director of New School Models, and that wasn't in my universe at all, what the relationship looked like with the District. I had questions about what the District's relationship looked like with the Mayor's Office of Education, so those are things that I'm keenly aware of. Also in my work, I cultivate a lot of relationships and partnerships to pull multiple organizations in a common direction and I'm looking forward to bringing that skill to the work that we're going to do as a Board.
Just one more comment. Thank you very much. We would like some deliverables in terms of what that plan looks like. What is the timeline for that? Especially around the facilities plan, what does that look like? Who on your nine-member Board is going to drive that so we know that they have the competency with other support hopefully to put that together because all of this is strung together? So I thank you all for your energy. I thank you all for doing this, and I look forward to working with all of you. Now, I'm done. Thank you, President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you, Council President. Thank you all for being here. It's been a long day. And my colleague Councilmember Nina Ahmad did ask some of my questions. So I do want to start with thank you for the work you do. We are excited for the new folks. Thank you for the folks who've been here for a while. Thank you to the teachers. Thank you to the principals. Thank you to everybody who has been working to keep all of this functioning under very, very difficult circumstances. My grandmother, my aunt and my mom were Girls' High graduates so I do have to lend my voice to the Girls' High cheer. Please take care of that school. It is an incredible institution for the City of Philadelphia. My grandmother taught at Olney High School. There's a lot of tradition here and a lot of excellence in the City of Philadelphia and we need to make sure that we are lifting it up at all times. (Applause.)
I am new as well. I've been doing a lot of advocacy. I've been a legal aid lawyer and been doing a lot of stuff in the City of Philadelphia, but I am new as well on Council. So I want to tell you that I am cheering for you. I want to work beside you, we all do, and we will hold you accountable. And I know you expect that and I know that's part of the job just as we will be held accountable as well to the constituents throughout the City of Philadelphia. This goes to you. This goes to the District. This is all hand-in-hand. We must all be paddling the boat in the same direction because there's no other choice right now. We are in an urgent situation and we need transformational change, and we are at a moment where we're actually going to start getting some funding. So let's come up with the plan of what we are going to do with these resources to make the School District of Philadelphia, all of the schools in Philadelphia the most excellent places of learning that they can all be. (Applause.)
Over the past years I know that it's been critical to have leaders committed to safeguarding the District's fiscal stability, and I expect that the new members will continue that leadership. I am so excited about the new funding that will be coming to the School District. That is just years and years and years in the making and needed. What I am hoping that we see from the School District, some of which was just articulated especially by our new member, new-to-be member, hidden figures- covered Ms. Crystal, is that we need to not only work together and communicate, but do what the Mayor has been talking about doing throughout the City of Philadelphia, which is breaking down silos and also making sure we can do what we are doing even for the Commerce Department in Philadelphia. We're open for business. I want to see the School District of Philadelphia open for business for all of us. I want to make sure that teachers, community members, parents, students, everybody have equal access to engagement with the District and want to hear some of your ideas about that as well as not only are they going to share their ideas, but it will be listened to and talked about whether or not can you execute on it. We're getting amazing ideas. I've been here for four months. People on the ground, our community members are coming with ideas, they're brilliant. Let's take them, let's execute them. We cannot continue doing things the same way. As we work for the best interest of our children -- you did answer some of my questions previously. I do have just one question I want to ask very specifically. How will you prioritize the funding to support academic achievement and address resource disparities among our schools? While you're looking, I just also wanted to add, this one's important, that my son and my niece --
I'll say briefly the Accelerate Philly -- I know I keep saying Accelerate Philly, Accelerate Philly, but it was based off of not just what the School District thought, I think we've already kind of this piloted this mechanism in getting the District's muscle going as it relates to engagement where Dr. Watlington engaged with Councilmembers from my understanding, he engaged with parents, teachers and think leaders. He's actually used data and he actually used the best, you know, for example our math curriculum now is actually the best curriculum that you can buy, and that's an example of how our funds are driving the change. Another thing that I'm not proud to say, but I am the President of currently the institution that for whatever reason this occurred, there was an audit by the Council of Great City Schools that said that our science curriculum had not been updated in years and that's coming, right. 6 So I think that's what happens, we 7 have a chronically underfunded 8 entity. 9 And I like to use 10 analogies. It is a malnourished 11 entity that may have some PTSD that 12 it's working through right now, and 13 I believe we're getting better at 14 that, but we're trying to figure 15 out how to actually fix the problems that need to be fixed. Another thing that Dr. Watlington and I think the Accelerate Philly plan talks about is how do you incentivize the number one thing that moves the academic needle, which is a highly- qualified, well-resourced teacher, and we understand we can't do that. So now, what are we doing. We hired a Superintendent, and I believe the nominees would agree with this as well, who believes that we have to collaborate with our unions. They're not our enemies, right. Mr. Jerry Jordan and Dr. Robin Cooper and all of our other wonderful union leaders, 634. So I think that is the tax dollars in work, and I think it is also showing that there's been a pivot. And I know that we're fighting kind of Ghost of Christmas Past, and we know that, right. We're going to absorb that, but we're going to do everything we can to change the narrative around that. And that's why I'm even mentioning things like a retreat, right, things like that, right. And again, even the ideas are starting to flow out of us, right. So that's an example of how we've used funds to drive change as well. And I believe that there's many other things. For example, we want to have Algebra in middle school, right. It's too late in high school. It's too late, but that requires resources. And that's in Accelerate Philly. That's something Dr. Watlington is working through right now. The Mayor's all-year-round school, out-of-school time, that's in the Accelerate Philly plan and is going to cost money though, right, about $25 million extra per schools, but that's -- City 16 Council looks like they're going to 17 put their money where their mouth 18 is. So the dollars are working. 19 We have the Accelerate Philly. 20 There's a through-line, and then the Board on top of that has goals and guardrails where it monitors the stuff and holds the Superintendent accountable where everybody's evaluation is flowing toward the same goals. And I think that that piece is important to speak. And I think that this Board and the nominees, we're all primed to go, to keep this progress going forward.
Some of our more recent efforts, particularly affecting academic achievement, are our roll-out of comprehensive curricula. As a parent and even as someone who's taught for a couple of years before, I didn't appreciate how significant this was until I heard the same message being shared back with us school after school after school about the math curriculum and how it breaks concepts down and how it layers component pieces of information and skills in ways that were not laid out in that manner before and how it is the same at every school across the District depending on which grade level. So I can go to a 3rd grade class and then the other 3rd grade class across the hall will be doing the same work, and another 3rd grade class at a different school will be learning the same concepts, and teachers can collaborate on how they are working on their instructional plans because they're all working on the same thing. And I'm excited that we are working on the professional development this summer to roll out an ELA program that is a continuum across the K-12 grades and that build upon a lot of the work that has been done around the science of reading so that we can continue to accelerate reading across our District. Thank you.
I'd like to add that this is also a policy issue. We know that things are happening at the state level around the funding formula, and I believe that we have to work with bodies like City Council to galvanize our citizenship to activate them around these issues. I recall that Senator Hughes was doing some work and came to some nonprofits to ask us to galvanize our bases. I think that's part of what's going on here too, because I know teachers who create their own curriculum and it's amazing. So I don't think it's always just about the curriculum. It's about this holistic approach to what we're doing. And so, I think Sarah- Ashley and I were talking about how to get parents more engaged, and it has to be the parents who we know are disengaged and what are the efforts, you know. If we try one thing and it doesn't work, how do we try another thing and how do we work with City Council and other bodies in the City to move the needle on this. So I think that's part of reducing that disparity.
Can I make one quick plug feeding off of hopefully future Co-Board members? In the Accelerate Philly plan, there is -- not a plan, the work is already under way, to re-ignite Parent University, right. And I think and I believe Councilmember Phillips would appreciate this with the work that he's doing. Thinking about old ideas that went away when --
Probably separate from Constant Clayton to be quite frank, the most engaged I've ever seen parents involved and really meeting parents where they're at, not District/Board up here, parents down here, but actually listening to the parents in terms of the policies and direction that the School District is going into, so I think that's great.
Yes, sir. I just wanted to elevate that, Parent University --
-- and that is something that is being marked, that is being tracked and that is a deliverable that will soon be soon to come as well.
That's what's up. I'm getting ready to call on my last member before we go take a break and go into our second round. But I have just a real quick question. When you talk about working in partnership with the unions, which I think is great, it's good to hear that, right. Give me your perspective regarding the School District 3579 policy. The policy specifically deals with teacher absences for personal or family illnesses. And according to teachers who were advocating around this policy think it's unclear and causing confusion amongst teachers across the City and appears to conflict with and undermine the District's Collective Bargaining sick leave policy. Under the terms of the School District's Collective Bargaining Agreement, teachers are entitled to 10 sick days each year and we fully support teachers right to take leave as necessary to care for themselves and their families. However, the 3579 policy subverts the collective bargaining terms of the teachers contract by tracking these absences and subjecting teachers to escalating repercussions, including excessive warning memos, recommendations for suspension or even termination beginning within three absences. And I kind of paid attention to one young lady during one of the hearings talk about how she missed work because she was sexually assaulted, right. And so, I didn't really hear any feedback from the Board in terms of if there would be anything practical in terms of a strategy to actually address this issue. And obviously, it's a relationship between the Board and the Teachers Union. So have there been any progress since then or are we looking at possibly shifting and changing? From my understanding, and this is a letter that we sent to Dr. Watlington signed by Councilmembers Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Jamie Gauthier, Mike Driscoll, Chairman of Education Isaiah Thomas, Mark Squilla, Jeffrey Young, Quetcy Lozada as well as Kendra Brooks, Jim Harrity, Anthony Phillips, Cindy Bass, Rue Landau, Nina Ahmad and Nicolas O'Rourke, which shows that the body collectively has the interest in making sure teachers get their due justice in terms of sick leave policy.
Council President, I want to say that we hear you, the Board, and its current iteration hears you and I know that we all hear you today, and I think that we have the right Superintendent, just again whether it's leveling, whether it's taking a second look at our special admission process, which I heard from Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson needs more work and we understand that. So I believe that Dr. Watlington is definitely in tune with this and is doing the work to figure this out. He's very careful and thoughtful about unintended consequences. I think that's how we got here with the special admit piece. We didn't think enough about the unintended consequences, and I think it's important for the Board of Education, whether it's charters or others, to say we got it wrong sometimes, right. But we are also showing that we can get it right, right. And I think Dr. Watlington on this topic is the right guy at the right time on this piece as well. And I think it is an old, antiquated policy and I've gotten educated on it, right. It's an old, antiquated policy that needs to have a second look. I'm not sure exactly what Jerry Jordan and the PFT with Dr. Watlington -- but I know that relationship is warm and I do trust that. I have all my confidence in Dr. Watlington to ensure that this is addressed.
Thank you very much. Last question for this round. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Could I say a little bit more about that question you just posed?
I think this relates directly to the optics of teaching as a profession. If in the news you see teachers protesting because they can't take days off for medical needs, family needs, what have you, so I think it is integrated with some of the other aspects of the teaching profession that we need to take under consideration.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Council President, I'll be brief. My colleagues were very good with their questions today and I only have a few softball ones that I can ask. But one thing I wanted to -- I'm very glad to hear that you're going to be working with getting more parents involved because that's the one difference I seen myself between public school and charter school. So my son went to middle school at GAMP, great school, fantastic, right. And then another one of your schools, he went to Prep Charter for high school. But the biggest difference I saw was that when he went to Prep Charter, we had to go in, me and his mother, and we had to sign papers that we would be in that school so much. We had to commit not only that my son would be there but that we would be available to be there. So I'm glad that you're looking into that Parent University, and hopefully we can get some education for the parents in there also because I don't know if I'd be able to do the new math that they got out there right now. Thank God my son was -- he's now 12 so he graduated a little while ago. 13 But the new math that my grandson 14 is doing is really kind of crazy. 15 But just because of the -- 16 I live in Kensington and I've been 17 doing a lot of stuff with Memphis 18 Street Academy. And I went in and 19 I talked to the children themselves 20 about their experience of just what 21 they are seeing on their way to 22 school and the trauma that they're 23 facing on a daily basis trying to 24 dodge their way around the 25 neighborhood in order to get to that school. And it actually -- we partnered up. They are having the kids now do videos of their experience. And I have been posting them online on my Facebook page so that people could see what actually is happening. So I want to know does each school have access not only to full-time nursing but full-time counselors available at the schools? And if not, what are we doing in order to rectify that situation? Because the fact of the matter is that there's so much trauma out there right now that these kids are facing, that it's not necessarily the school's fault. We're going through a lot of things in society right now that are doomed. But from my conversations with these kids, they get it. They know what they're saying. They know what's going on. Their biggest question to me was what are we going to do about it, you know what I'm saying. They're thinking a lot different than we are. So what can you tell me about that? And does the School Board directly communicate with the teachers and the students on a regular basis; is that something that's happening?
I believe currently -- not I believe, I know currently that work happens at the District, on the District level. The Superintendent convenes various groups to have conversations. He definitely has students that he convenes with once a month, and with our Student Board Representatives they also engage in that space. And first, I want to apologize to all students who have to go through any of the trauma. I mean, I can't even say it was as bad as it was with some of the stuff when I was a student walking up and down Germantown Ave to get to school. This is different. It's a little different. And --
I went to school in Southwest Philadelphia during the crack epidemic when the JBM and the Jamaican Jerk were warring. So we had some trauma, but nothing compared to what these kids are facing today.
But what I can add briefly is that whenever there is a traumatic issue, whether it was the shooting of the young brother walking to school at our Mastery Gratz campus, the District gets involved. And at that time, it was Commissioner Bethel who was Chief Bethel, who gets in his car and runs there and offers all the trauma support that we can bear. This year we had this unfortunate situation with Imhotep, one of our amazing charter schools that is doing the work on academic achievement but doing the work around governance on financial wherewithal, has a great relationship, a good-working relationship with the Board and the CSO. But even in that context, I can tell you that the District and the Board send out all of the resources no matter what school it was, whether it was Frankford or whether it was Imhotep, right --
Yeah, I understand that we're reactionary so we react when a trauma thing occurs. You know, I'll just throw it out there. Me for one, I would like to see counselors in every school because kids -- (Applause.)
-- kids have problems daily. I found in my own life experience that it's not always the bigger things that get you. Sometimes it's those small things that you see on a daily basis. You know, the big shootings and all that kind of stuff kind of come together, the students together and they talk amongst themselves and they're able to work that kind of stuff out. But it's that underlying trauma, that trauma that they're not speaking about, the trauma that nobody's talking to them about. And for me, I know full well from my own lived life experience, I've been very open with that, is that that trauma I faced as a child is what ended up getting me as an adult. And I would like to see us try to cut that out. So it leads me to how can we help in order to get more counselors in the school, because I mean that's something I'll pay -- I'm willing to have the City pay for. I'm willing to vote to add money for counselors. (Applause.)
I think that if a kid needs to speak to somebody, they need to speak to somebody. Because if they're reaching out like that, we need to get them there.
So number one, we're going to get you that data so we can know what schools are needing nurses and counselors. I'm going to say this as a therapist. One therapist is not enough in a school, right. One therapist is not enough. So even if the school --
It is a start, but it's not enough. So let me say this, we do have a program called Kooth. Every student in the Philadelphia School District, public, charter has access to Kooth where they can talk to a licensed therapist. We need to do a better job with advertising that, right, that they have that access. So we partnered with Lane Johnson on that and we have big events to kind of talk about it, but we need to on a daily basis make sure that that information is getting to not only the student but to the families so that they know that they have access to Kooth. And it's free of charge to them and they're able to talk to a licensed therapist.
Again, I think that's great. But again, kids don't ask those kinds of things, you know what I mean. They're not going to seek out, but if they have a counselor that they see every day that they know is cool that other students have told them, hey, listen, you know what I mean, I talked to Mr. So-and-so, you know what I mean. So for me I believe that that has to be first and foremost. Because a kid cannot learn when they have this other stuff on their mind, it doesn't matter how good the teacher is. It doesn't matter. And I know we have a lot of great teachers in the City of Philadelphia. My concern again is the trauma. And again, I'm telling you I'm going to vote for whatever we have to do in that aspect of that. But I'm hoping that you're thinking on those kind of lines. Because, listen, being able to talk to somebody online is not the same as having that face-to-face interpersonal connection. (Applause.)
Test, test. Councilmember Harrity, thank you so much for lifting that up for us. You are absolutely correct, there's so much research about childhood -- ACES, childhood traumatic experiences, and the sustained trauma that you talk about is something that we believe is every bit a part of our guardrail around safe and welcoming schools. I would thank you also for the commitment to fund what it takes. We'd love to engage further as partners as we work to understand how we can better support all of our students, because the fact of the matter is if a kid shows up in a school and their mind is somewhere else, their body might be there but their brain is not, we can't do what we need to do to educate that child. So thank you again for lifting that up.
Thank you. So we will break until 3:30 and we will see everyone back at 3:30 sharp. Thank you very much. (Afternoon recess.)
We will now resume this Committee of the Whole. Ms. Sarah-Ashley Andrews, hello. How you doing good? I remember when you were first nominated and appointed in 2022, and I appreciate your enthusiasm but most importantly your work as a therapist. And so, as a Board have we began working or strategizing -- it's a follow-up question that was already asked regarding how we address the issue of trauma. Gun violence is the number one issue here in the City of Philadelphia right now. And particularly amongst our young people who are going to and from school, they're experiencing a level of trauma which probably we've never seen in this lifetime in terms of young people being shot and murdered here in the streets of Philadelphia. So can you just give us an idea, but particularly you, from your perspective things we have been doing, things we can do in the future as it relates to addressing the issue of trauma that our young people are experiencing as a result of gun violence?
So the first thing I want to say is when we think about trauma, we think about the journey to and from school. One thing we have expanded is our Safe Paths program, right. So we want to make sure that there are police officers out there, there are community people out there, there are people that are keeping eyes on our children as they're going to and from schools, right. I think we're expanding now to 20 -- I can't -- 22 more schools this year. We're expanding that.
Yes. So that's one thing, right, making sure our kids are safe at least going to and from school. The second thing is, and I mentioned it earlier, is that we established a program Kooth which every student has access to, and then also teachers too but there's another program for teachers. And I can't recall the actual program that we have for teachers and staff members, but there is a program that they can access for free too when we're dealing with trauma. Do I think we're doing enough? No. I mean, we live in Philadelphia. We see the gun violence. We see not just the gun violence, the drug problem, right. We see the overdoses. We see all these things happening and we can't shield our kids from it because it's on social media, it's everywhere. So when I was in school, I could be shielded from some things. We can't shield them now. So I think we definitely have to make some investments in some more counselors and mental health resources for our District.
Thank you very much. Ms. Crystal Cubbage. Ms. Cubbage, you recently stated that your work at in education at the thinktank helped you gain insight into what healthy functional schools look like. Can you give us an idea what these healthy functional schools have that our School District lacks so we can better see how we can be supportive with the District and its goals?
Yes. To start, there needs to be a clear school culture that is responsive to the adjacent community with some clearly articulated core values that anchor the entire school model so that it is clear to school leaders, teachers, parents, students. A good example would be the SLAs. They have a clear -- there are five dimensions to their core values. I think it's -- I'm going to get this wrong, inquiry --
Can you elaborate what SLAs are for non-educators who are here today?
I sure can. It is a group of schools, Science Leadership Academy, it started off about 16, years ago. Chris 17 Lehmann is the current CEO. He's the founder of those schools. There's SLA Beeber, which also has a middle school, and one of the schools I help to open is SLA Middle School. So another component of a healthy school, I also worked with an organization named New Tech Network when I was at the District. That organization was hired to help the LINC, one of the innovation network schools to clarify what a school model was after so much turnover in leadership. And they too talk about a clearly articulated model. They talk about school -- the facilities. We had a lot of facilities conversations, so the facilities should be a reflection of the model. For example, if you want to get students together to do things collaboratively, there should be space to do that. And SLA Middle School is new and it has those spaces. Another component in addition to the model is the school schedule that supports that model and then PD that also bleeds into it. So the model and how well it is articulated allows for the rest of the school structure to be built so that it's beneficial for schools. It's a model that is clearly understood across the community. Those are some of the pieces.
Okay. Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Chair of Education, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. A couple things. First, I want to start with a little lesson in Black vernacular because I think that there are some people who take my tone, semantics or my energy around children as something that is different than what it is. As a dark-skinned Black man when you raise your voice and you are passionate about something, racist accusations tend to come out. So I want to be very clear. This is about children and education, families that we advocate for. And I apologize if my authentic Black self bothers some people. And I know for a fact that that's not the School Board members here, so I want to make it clear that I'm not talking about you guys. A couple quick questions that I'm hoping you can answer so we can have some things on the record as we educators try to put ourselves in a position to be able to have some expectations once the Board is confirmed. A facilities plan, we talked about that earlier, Board President Streater, do you think it's realistic that we can have a facilities plan that talks about where we're going as a city before the end of the calendar year? Do you think that that's something that's realistic?
When you say -- I know I'm not supposed to ask questions. But when you say a full plan, do you mean around a vision where we're headed or like this school right here, this is what needs to happen to it?
Yeah, I mean so it's a two-part thing in my opinion and I could be wrong because I'm no expert. The first part I think about is the change of population in the City of Philadelphia. You have some parts of the City where the population has grown significantly and that part of the City might need an elementary school. Then you have other schools where the building is underutilized and then you have other schools where the actual facility is dilapidated. We don't know how many schools are in a position where they need to be torn down, built new. We don't know how the change of a population has changed the demand for elementary schools. I think about Councilmember Squilla's District, the Council President's District. These are areas that have seen a boom in population. And so, when we think about a facilities plan, these are some of the things that we will consider. So do you think it's realistic that we can have a facilities plan that include all of those things by the end of the year?
Based upon my earlier testimony and to be, you know, not to be a hypocrite of what I said earlier, there's a process right now with the data warehouse that is going to be necessary to have that conversation. But I do believe it is fair to say that there can be a better articulation of where we're headed and vision and mission. And I think it's also very important for us, the District and the Board and I think our new colleagues who are coming, to understand that it would be disingenuous if we had a plan right now, I think, personally. If I was to walk into a community and say, this is what we're going to do to you now or come to you in City Council and say, this is what we're going to do to schools in your sector without talking to Brother Jones, Councilmember Jones as it relates to Overbrook, I think that would be a bad look. I think we've tried that in the past, and maybe we're overcorrecting too much and we're trying not to do that again.
So do you think it would be fair to say that we could have a facilities plan by the end of the next Calendar Year 2025, considering all those things that you just mentioned that need to be done before we have a plan that we all feel comfortable with?
Well, I will first say is definitely what we're trying to do is follow the lead of our Mayor, right, in collaboration with City Council. But I believe from what I know, which some of these questions are above my pay grade as it relates to making sure the timing is correct for the village to move forward, if all the stars align and with the Mayor who's bold and a Board that I think is ready to do the right work and be thoughtful, I think there's a good chance. I mean, as a lawyer it's hard for me --
70 percent, 60 percent, 75 percent chance, I think there's a good chance.
Can I get a point of information in here. I know our Mayor has a bold vision to address lead and asbestos schools and make sure we address facilities and even look at even consolidating some schools and building new schools, and I also know on the state level we have our representatives who are sitting by willing to be supportive. I know Governor Josh Shapiro, he started a facilities fund to address that very same issue. But I also know for a fact there's conversation saying when Philadelphia comes to Harrisburg, particularly around facilities and support, we want to see a plan. And so, I think what Chairman Thomas was talking about is a sense of urgency, right. Because at the end of the day, we share text messages on a group where schools are closing down or half the school building is open and the other half of the school building is shut down. And when you get those type of text messages, most important responding to our constituents, the parents, right, then we have a duty to respond in an urgent way. And I think that's where this line of questioning is coming from because it was about two years ago when we were down in the Mayor's reception room under the last Administration addressing this very same issue. And so, I think it's the urgency that a lot of us want to feel -- a lot of us are looking for that it's really critically important. I know the Board believes it's important, but it's that sense of urgency like come hell or high water we're going to get this done. Rather bringing outside consultants to help with the process, get everybody around the table. The same way we built the I-95 bridge, right. That bridge broke down and everybody in the whole world came together. They did press conferences. We had the Eagles, the Flyers and the Sixers. The Flyers, they all came down on trucks and they were celebrating, but they were in the room every single day trying to figure that part out of how we make a bridge, right, how they found thoroughfare to go to and from, but that was dealing with commerce. That was money-related. And I believe our children are just as important to receive that same level of urgency. So I think that's where Mr. Chairman is going. The Chair recognizes the Chair of Education Isaiah Thomas.
Council President, I couldn't have said it better myself. And I think the sense of urgency is not just the issues that we're facing with facilities, but some of us are concerned that Harrisburg's $14 billion surplus just won't last forever. And while they do have the surplus while the court ruling is fresh in everybody's mind that says our schools are severely underfunded, we feel like this is the perfect time to cash in on that, on that guarantee that the Governor made as long as we can provide a facilities plan. Next question, yes or no. 14 Board President Streater, you and the other returning Board members, I commend you because you did a great job with the UNITE HERE contract when that contract came up, and a lot of us on City Council was extremely worried about those workers, the wages and some of the issues that they presented to us. In the audience, we have Dr. Robin Cooper who's amazing. She leads our Principal Union. I seen Jerry Jordan who leads our Teachers Union. You have a number of other unions that are represented within the District whose contracts are going to be expiring pretty soon. Yes or no, do you think you'll be able to -- you and this new Board will be able to have that same sense of urgency around these contracts that are going to be expiring pretty soon as you did around the UNITE HERE contract?
Okay. I know you took some of my time, Council President. A couple more things real quick. Athletics, you guys know I'm really big in the sports space. We're very concerned about the lack of revenue for athletics. So I would ask can this Board give the Council President something in writing that speaks to how do you plan on dealing with the facilities crisis that we have with athletics? The PIAA is looking to make a new law that says that your facilities have to be up to a certain standard in order to host a home game. Based on this new law and based on our facilities, every athletic competition that takes place outdoors or in a facil -- I'm sorry. Every athletic event that takes place outdoors or that's not in a gymnasium, Philadelphia would not be able to host that home competition in the playoffs because none of our facilities would match the standard of the PIAA. So can you please get the Council President a plan in writing to be able to address the facilities crisis we're dealing with in a sports space because we're concerned? I also want to put on the record around special admission schools. City Council -- for those who don't know, City Council meets on a monthly basis with the leadership at the School District as well as the School Board. And one of the things similar to leveling that we've seen some issue with is our special admission schools. We want you guys to give the principals a little more autonomy to be able to fill vacant seats when they're not necessarily filled. Councilmember Gilmore Richardson talked earlier about Girls' High School, right. And I'm not going to ask you on the record to give us a decision around special admission schools today because I do believe the commitment is there to try to figure it out. But I do want to put on the record our advocacy to assure that every special admission seat is filled in our school unless our children don't want to go there, right. So whatever we need to do to fill those seats, we want to do it. Arts, music programs, big concern for us. Not enough arts programs and music programs in our school. So if you could get the Council President something in writing as it relates to a plan to get more arts, more music programs in our school. I'm no artist. I can't dance. I can't paint. I can't sing. But I'm sure that there are young people out there who are great at that. And it's unfortunate that most of our schools do not provide those types of programs. So what are we going to do about that? We're very short on librarians. We're struggling with librarians in our schools, right. So what are we going to do to make sure that our schools have librarians? We have a ton of people who always want to donate books and things of that capacity to us, but it's unfortunate that some of our comprehensive schools do not have a library to go to. Last but not least is my shameless plug. I would like our schools to teach financial literacy and civics in government the senior year of high school and give young people the option to get registered to vote. I'm a former teacher myself, so I would never ask you to implement this in a testing grade because I understand that the state creates standards as it relates to standardized tests that make it hard for teachers to abide by while simultaneously trying to teach things like civics and government and financial literacy when we don't provide any standardized testing on that. So the reason I'm asking for that specifically in the senior year of high school is because I know that the senior year of high school is not a year where we use standard testing to determine the amount of revenue you get from the state, which is wrong, Council President, but it is the way it is. So my last comment as I close out, and I'm hoping you can get all this stuff in writing, Council President, please provide us something in writing as it relates to your opinion on civics and government and financial literacy.
And my personal recommendation is to make that mandatory to senior year in high school so every child graduates with some level of financial literacy as well as civics and government with the option to get registered to vote. Council President, that is it for me today. Thank you, sir.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes the Vice-chair of Education, Councilman Anthony Phillips.
Thank you, Council President Johnson. I've been sitting here listening attentively to this discussion. Why? Because education is vital and critical to one of the reasons why I'm here, right. And I just want to have a -- I'm noticing a dynamic. The dynamic is very different than even how we're governed. Our Council President, right, is very -- he's a facilitator. He allows us to make ideas, he allows us to come together. He's not like the person that is like my way or the highway, right. But it's leadership and you can see it and you can observe it and you can feel it. The dynamic that I'm observing with this particular Board, which a lot of people have been concerned about in the community, is that Chairman Streater, your influence is so high that the rest of the Board members don't have a feeling to kind of move or they're not as involved or as engaged. Like, they move when you move. Is that true or things can be better? Because thus far what I've been seeing is that Sarah's been trying to grab the mic, other people -- everyone's been trying to grab the mic at some point, and every time you'll say, let me grab it back. So how can we make sure that this is a Board that is very inclusive as opposed to there's a level of we move when Streater moves and he has all the knowledge?
I'm going to show my act of listening and I'm going to let the current Board members who are allowed to speak today to speak. Thank you.
I recognize your observation. I'm not going to debate with you about your observation. But I don't think it's true that we just move when he moves. I think he's a leader. We're all leaders by nature. So we're all going to want to say something at one point, but he is our President, currently our President. And so, I don't think the culture is though that we just move when he moves or we're not involved. We all have our own areas that we're involved in --
But he does seem like he has more knowledge around all of the systems and things than what I've been seeing lately. I'm just saying, I watch people like, oh, wait. Is it one or two people only have all the knowledge? Is that the dynamic that we're going to be looking forward to in our future?
I would say that President Streater has been our spokesperson and he has a lot of experience being our spokesperson, has spoken to many of you in this room about many of these issues, has a lot of context as to the discussions that have occurred around these two issues or several issues. And so, we trust President Streater's leadership in these conversations because we know that his answers are our answers too.
Is it on? Okay, yes. I'd like to add my observation is that a lot of the questions have been about what's happened historically. And so, as a newly-appointed nominee --
Oh, yeah, that really wasn't for you. That was for --
I have high expectations for the new folks. But I also want to make sure that the new people understand that this City Council is really collaborative and we want to make sure that there's a level of listening and collaboration as well with this particular School Board too. And once you guys get your feet wet, we expect so much more, right. So that's what -- all right. Quick things. If you had to go on some level of excellence of what you can bring to the Philadelphia School Board or things that you have done successfully, this is for our new appointees as well as our returning appointees, what would that be? What is the new innovative thing that you hope to bring to the Philadelphia School District this particular year? The Parent University is an amazing thing, but are we going to have by the end of the year, are we going to see X, Y, Z, that's going to be held accountable by the School District? Bullying has been rampant around the School District of Philadelphia and we have not figured out any particular campaign to -- what is going to be your innovative thing that you could say by the end of the year we can highlight this to the general public saying the success of our District has been this?
It's impossible for me personally. Maybe some of my other colleagues here can speak to that, so we're stepping into this role really not knowing the level of bureaucracy that we have to navigate. We certainly have ideas, but can we move those ideas forward. We don't know yet. I know in terms of the skills that I hope to utilize in this position, they include collaboration. It includes engaging employers for workforce development at the high school level with the passing of Act 158. That's something that's really, really important to me. And I think really can be developmental for our students. And then I personally have skills and operations so I am not completely clear not knowing the landscape, not being briefed on all the things, budgets, facilities, so on and so forth on exactly how I'll be able to utilize my skills to innovate. But I know that there will be some innovation.
I'm sorry because I'm a current Board member but I'm speaking as an individual, not even as the Board President, and I know a little something about what's going on. I think around the charter piece, I think there's some things that we can do. So I was an Eisenhower fellow when I went to Finland and Kenya to learn about public education. And one of the things I noticed is that there is a policy cycle around public education or education in general. And I don't think in Philadelphia we have a cadence from when we need to go back and look at the framework and see is something that we agreed upon five or six or seven or eight or ten years ago needs to be revisited. I think that's something new we need to do with our charter framework. And right now there are three Board members working right now, one being Board member ChauWing Lam and Board member Joyce Wilkerson working through the kinks to figure out how do we create a policy cycle where there might be an RFP or something like that comes out for a neutral third party to help us engage around the academic domain of the framework. That's new, right. That's where we're headed, right. Number two, I think that we need to be more transparent in many ways around charter stuff, the topic. I think there needs to be more public hearings where we can hear from our providers in a way that is enshrining our policies so that everybody knows what to expect in public where we can hear from the providers, but also maybe the Board members can ask a few questions at some point in the process as well. I think it has to be public. I think it can't be behind the scenes as well. That's just a couple of things. And I think we have to empower our parents in the charter sector as well. We're talking about Parent University on the District side. Even though we might have the same tool on the charter side, we can think about, well, if we have the same ideology around student achievement we're using different tools. But with this tool, I think we have to find a way to empower parents so they can go to their Boards and hear from the Boards of the charter schools to hear their concerns and get into the know and advocate and rally against a decision that might be made and say, wait a minute, we see in your Year 3 of your H(ph) Report, there might be something going on and we want to be able to help you, help the leader of the charter school get what they need so that when Year 5 we're not out here looking crazy -- not looking crazy, but out here looking like, well, what's going on. And I think if we do those three things I've just said, I think we're going to get through a lot of the things. And one more thing I'll say as well, after talking to personally the drafters of the Ballard report, one of the things that I heard was your issue, right, might be communication, transparency. Your decisions might have been legitimate, right. But if people don't know why you're making them, it can feel and as Black folks, you know what I mean. It can feel like someone's doing something to you. And just because you weren't the one who was there who made that decision or one who wasn't there who started the process, that doesn't mean that you should still not engage with the community. So I think that will help all of us to kind of have a shared language around what a quality seat is by way of an ongoing policy cycle where we talk about what the framework is and how it should evolve based upon lessons learned over the last four or five or ten years, whatever that policy cycle would be. Two, if we empower our parents on both sides of the portfolio is one portfolio to me. And then three, we got to do a better job of having tough conversations that are data-driven, law-driven and based upon our lived experience collectively and make the best decisions for Philadelphia. That is my vision as a Board member, right. And I'm dealing with the tools I have.
And I think we have a slate of individuals who can get everything I just said done, done. But we're going to need your help as well. Thank you.
The Chair recognizes -- you want to make a comment? Go ahead.
I just want to quickly -- that's such a great question. I've been asking myself the same question, because I think especially the new nominees, we bring a lot of knowledge, a lot of ideas, a lot of experience. But it is just like Crystal said too soon to tell. I can just offer you my dreams, what I would hope would happen and the skill set that we all bring to the table. Specifically I can speak for myself. My last experience was actually in a private school. And one of the things I have noticed whether we're talking about a traditional public school, traditional charter school, a private school where I met with a single mother who could not afford the tuition but was still having three jobs to pay that tuition because she cared about her child's safety. And I believe that at the end of the day, whatever school setting we're talking about, we are talking about, I am dreaming that we have safe schools, that children are challenged and not just told what to do by a new textbook, but that they're critical thinkers, that they're able to navigate a changing culture and that we, the School District of Philadelphia, prepare them for that. Someone mentioned earlier, I think it was one of our Councilmembers that we're all guilty of this. So if there's a problem with our schools, we can't just blame each other. We just can't say it's the Mayor, it's the Superintendent, it's City Council. No, we all have a piece. We all have a responsibility. And it is my desire that I would learn whatever it is I need to learn to get this job done. But the truth of the matter is that everyone in this slate comes with experience. We're smart, we're critical thinkers, that you put us in a room together we'll be able to get the job done.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes -- I felt that energy too. The Chair recognizes Councilman Mark Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. And I just wanted to add one question, and it was the education and we see the passion for education on the Board and we're talking about facilities. Who is the facilities person on the Board that really understands the ins-and-outs of the school, and when the District's able to say things to you, you're able to push back on the District about those things?
In the two years that I've been a Board member, we've not had a facilities committee. I think it's time we have a facilities committee.
Once the nominees are confirmed to collective Board seats, I'm sure there will be energy to -
Okay. I think that's really important. Because as we talk about the educational pieces, part of learning is being in safe facilities in order to learn. And I think we need really need to look at somebody who can look at the facilities, understand them and has a way to when the District tells us things or even you guys, be able to push back and say, no, this isn't the case, we need to do better. So I would really love once this Board is situated to be able to create a facilities committee and then have somebody who really understands the facilities to lead that. So thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President. How does the District determine -- so what is your role in determining the curriculum of the District?
We're governance, right, so we have a Director of Curriculum, right. So we get briefed on things. We ask questions. And all those -- we get briefed on all those things. We ask questions, but Dr. Watlington, that's his role as far as the curriculum.
So are you able to provide advice and feedback on the types of things that our kids are learning? And I ask that because we all know that in order for success in our children like 8th graders need Algebra, right. So in a lot of schools 8th graders are not being taught Algebra. I went to a school in my District, a charter school in my District and I saw that the 9th graders were doing fractions, right. Fractions was their math in 9th grade. They're set up for failure, right. And so, again that's my question, how can we -- if we know that the data says that certain curriculum and certain grades can lead to higher outcomes, why are we not doing what the data says that needs to be done as far as particular types of curriculum being taught in certain grades?
It is absolutely the Board's role to set expectations for what we want our students to know and be able to do and by when. As a Board, we expect students to be reading at grade level. We wish and are pushing for Algebra in 8th grade and we expect and direct that students even if they are not at grade level be exposed to grade level content. But in terms of the materials, the learning plan to get there, that is our Superintendent's role. And we have authorized him and his team to do the research and make those decisions and let us know what they've decided and why so that we can better understand how that will align with the expectations that we've set as a Board.
So how do we then hold the School District accountable, right? Because if the Superintendent is setting those expectations and we're seeing year after year that those expectations -- from my understanding I think that for this particular Superintendent, they've lowered expectations to meet standards in certain areas. Like for around attendance, for example, right. Now, to have satisfactory attendance they lowered the percentage of days that a student needs to be there in order to meet that particular mark. So how can we then hold the School Superintendent accountable, I think, to enable the students to achieve higher, right, because I think it's your job to hold him accountable? But if he presents a plan to you and you just say okay, that plan still gives us this mediocracy that we've been given over and over and over again.
That's a great question and there's a difference in what we expect and what we monitor. So attendance being a really great example. If our expectation is that students are in school 100 percent of days and that every single school has 100 percent of students 100 percent of days and we monitor at the level of percentage of students at school 100 percent of days, it won't give us a lot of information to go by in terms of what we need to do to get closer to 100. But when we monitor at a level of here are the schools that are not meeting this benchmark of 90 percent of students attending, then we get to see patterns and have better, clearer information to drive the practices that will change the data to get us to what we expect.
It seems like you're manipulating data in order to reach the goals that you want to reach rather than using what's actually happening to make the decisions. I mean that -- I just don't understand that. (Applause.)
Can I say one thing? You're right. I understand the sentiment. But our goals and guardrail meetings once a month I think will answer a lot of these questions, right. We asked the Superintendent -- we put the data up -- and Algebra is one of the things. Algebra, English language arts and we also look at math -- I mean, science, and we progress monitor and we have goals, right. And if the needle is not moving up, that's when we intervene. But we've seen consistent growth in academic achievement and the Superintendent has gotten us here and we put that data out there and we do progress monitoring. So I'll just add that once a month we do progress monitoring. And I think we're actually doing the thing that you are telling us to do. And one more thing I'll say as well, that stuff is in this evaluation. And he's making everybody's evaluation at 440 reflect his evaluation. That's the dream where we're headed so that we can hold everybody accountable from the top to the other side of the pyramid.
Thank you, Council President. We heard in Round 1 a lot about charter, non-charter. I mentioned earlier that some of the public schools in my District are amongst the lowest performing. And so, for some parents in my District charters are the best option, right, because it's where they feel their child is going to receive the best academic journey or because they feel that their children are in the safest spaces, right. And so, while we work towards improving the public schools in my District, charter is what they have. But we've also heard from my charter providers the challenges that they experience when they're dealing with the Charter School Office as well as with the School District. And so, my question is do you all support separating the charter approval function from the School Board and why or why not, right? And do you support separating the CSO function from the District? Why or why not?
I will say no. And what I will also add is that we have a history, right. And I mentioned earlier that there are things that we have gotten better at and more things we have to get better at. But I know the current leader of the Charter School Office is doing everything he can to kind of get over that -- I think the apprehension of engaging with us is due to the history. So, for example, he does these things called professional learning communities where he tries to bring in charter leaders to understand how to understand best practices, things and ways to get better. That's something that never happened before. There's this thing called an early window where charter operators can come in and engage with the Charter School Office and try to figure out ways to say, hey, there's a mistake in my data, can you fix it. So I'm going to stop there. But I do not believe that the -- because this is one system of public education. And I think when you separate the two, you may have two systems going in completely opposite situations. At least now it's housed in one house where we can come here whenever this process happens and you can hold us accountable in one place. In addition to that, that's what the law provides for and that's what's contemplated. So I would say that I think that we just got to get better at what we do and I think once it's a public education piece, I think that's the way to do it. Once you split it out, it can get I think a little murky.
But don't you think that is almost like the judge and the prosecutor being the same person, right? It's difficult to evaluate expectations or some of those goals or guardrails, it's almost like the same person, right? And I think that's some of the challenges that I consistently hear from some of my charter providers. How do we get the School District to understand that charters are not competing against you, right. I think that charters are providing just another opportunity for children or another option for families to choose for their children. How do you get us to that point, right, where we stop -- I think Wanda mentioned it earlier, right. How do we stop competing and start trying to make it about the children and families being able to choose the best option for themselves, how do we do that?
And I think -- I've mentioned some things earlier that are pieces. One, this body and the District have to have more engagement, whether it's through retreats and things like that, one. Two, there needs to be a shared understanding of what a quality seat is in the sector. And I mentioned earlier just as Reginald Streater, former Eisenhower fellow, we need policy cycles so that things that might have been okay with the sector 6 years ago may not be okay with the 7 sector now. And I think once you 8 do those things and you get 9 everybody engaged to bake the cake, 10 no one can say I didn't like the flavor, right. We were all there together lockstep. And not only did we do it once, we'll do it again in 5 years, we'll do it again in 5 years or we'll do it again in 10 years. I think when you do that, you'll start to see the synergy. Even though there's different mechanisms on both sides of accountability and things like that. But I think we are all aligned on student achievement, student-centered approach. Just because the tool is different doesn't mean it has to have a different outcome. So that's where -- I think that's my answer to your question. Board members, nominees, please I don't want to hog the mic. I heard you, Brother Phillips.
And while you're at that, right, I agree with what you're saying. But how do you ensure that there is no 12 conflict, right? What are some examples of that, that you believe walking in as Board members that have been there for a while or new Board members coming in, how do you ensure that there is no conflict, especially in the renewals or the non-renewal decisions?
I think what the Board of Education has tried to do is be more nuanced even with holding our legal obligations, and I think our record over the last few years demonstrates that we are trying to be nuanced because we're thinking about it for students first. Two, we have the framework, right. I know people are like, well, what is the framework, what is the framework. It is a way for us all to look at what's going on in a charter school. And I think what the Board has tried to do is say through a student-centered, academic achievement, educate-the- whole-child model, this is the tool that we're using. So I think that's how we do it. And I think we got -- again, I think what I heard is we have not done a good enough job communicating and being transparent about what things exist and what things ought to exist. And I think once we do that, I think we'll all start having that shared language piece as well.
My last question: There was a situation in my District where a charter school provider became the manager of two of our schools, right. Olney and Stetson, I'm going to use them as examples. And while we saw a better performance in student attendance, in teacher attendance, in math and reading levels, the School District still chose to take those schools back under their management. We have seen a decline in both of those schools as a result of that. I believe that impacts negatively on student learning, on teachers morale and on the community in general, right, because now families are trying to figure out what do they do. Those schools originally were considered some of the most dangerous, right, and they changed for the better and are now back to what they were prior. So how do we avoid situations like that, that impact communities and families?
What I'll say is it is unfortunate that that has occurred as well. But I think this is where the other side of that nickel matters. The reason why the charters were taken from my understanding, I had just got on the Board, because there were some issues with mismanagement of funds. So I think the onus is not only the Board of Education and the CSO to work with charter providers, because it's high stakes so we all got to dot our I's and cross our T's. And I think that because the stakes are so high and there's certain things that the Board of Education at that time or even now can't look away from, we all have to do a better job leading up to when these decisions have to be made. Whether there have been warnings and attempts to try to work with the school and those things might have been ignored, that's the piece, the accountability piece that I think we've tried to implement but we're so quiet about it. No one knows about the work that was done behind the scenes to try to really massage this stuff, because if we are seen as not being good stewards of public dollars and allowing some of the financial mismanagement that occurred there, that can hurt us in Harrisburg, and that makes the whole City look bad, right. And I think that's the crux of being a Board member in Philadelphia. You are an unelected Board, which we say is fine because we have the Mayor, City Council, but you have to make sure that I'm a financial steward of public dollars. I can't be seen as being willy-nilly with it because that's what's led to us losing local control. We don't want that to happen again. And I need to -- but I also have to make sure these babies are okay, which is one of the reasons why the Board of Education was trying to interview with Math Civics this year and try to compel them to find a new operator. And I heard four operators showed up through a process that isn't covered under the law that would have gave us the flexibility we needed to do the conditions that you mentioned earlier. So we're trying to use the tools that we have, but I think we all have a job here because it's about the babies. It's about students. And I think unfortunately they're the innocent byproducts -- bystanders of some of the stuff that's going on when all the adults need to get it together.
I appreciate that response, but people -- I'm sorry. I'll go in the next round. Thank you -- or can I --
So the Auditor General who investigated this case said that there were no mismanagement of funds, right. So is that an example of the judge and the prosecutor? Is that one of those examples or what is it? And I'm new to this role, right, so I'm learning, I'm hearing from parents, I'm hearing from providers, I'm hearing from you on a regular basis. So I'm just trying to figure out how do we eliminate that?
Well, in addition to this, it's not just the Board of Education, which people have said is adverse to the District and for whatever reason affirmed us. So it's not just the Board of Education saying it. There was another statewide body that said that we see this as a problem, right. And so, I think that's the -- that's why I keep bringing the law -- I'm a lawyer, right. I keep bringing back the law. The straight jacket sometimes that it gives us, but I'm compelled as a fiduciary when I take that oath to follow. So I think that's again another example of we got to do a better job of telling the whole story, all of us, right. And I think when we do that, we'll have more shared language and shared understanding of what happened, so it doesn't happen again, right. So I'll just leave it at that.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember O'Rourke. O'Rourke.
Praise the Lord. All right. Hello. Sorry y'all. I forgot where I was.
Going back to my original questions around staffing, how do you think the School District can raise wages, create a better quality of life, incentivize retainment for our already existing teaching staff? And this is again towards the new members coming on. How are you thinking about that? The question is around raising wages, creating the conditions that will make sure that we're retaining good staff and good teachers in our schools. Just as we think about losing teachers to the suburbs, other states, things like that, how are we thinking about ways that we're able to retain them?
Okay. A lot of that has to deal with funding, the funding that we get because teachers need to be compensated for the jobs that they're doing and it is hard out there. Part of what I've done throughout the state is get out into the community, get out into the schools and see what's going on. Because if you don't see what's going on, you don't know what's happening. And it's difficult teaching. But you do need the funding for that. And another thing for retaining teachers, we used to have a program where new teachers had to have staff development a week before they went into the buildings in the summer. If they were hired during the year, they still went through staff development. And if they weren't certified but had a degree because of a teacher shortage, they had to go through three to four days of staff development, but also the coaches or supervisors would get out at least once every other week or once every month to help coach those brand new teachers so that they feel like they're important and feel comfortable teaching. And the coaches can see what's going on, see what's happening and help guide them into being able to teach the children and to make sure that we drive instruction and that we get achievement through the teaching, because some of it is teaching, but we have a lot of great teachers out there, we're all here. But then you have some that need help and some of them are weaker. But it's the finance and it's also they need to have some coaches that can be out there helping them to stay so we can continue to retain teachers.
Our Chief for Professional Learning has been doing really great work with building communities of practice and with doing PLC's, professional learning communities, across the District. And I used to work at the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders. And School Leaders is an organization that convenes and chooses cohorts of principals into cohorts of about 20 to 23 principals at a time who support 24 each other, who are experiencing 25 similar things across Districtmanaged charter and parochial schools. So it's sector agnostic, but they are all school leaders who see the same things, serving the same students and it gave them a way to have shared experience and then also have professional learning together. And I do believe that being part of a community, being supported, having a mechanism where teachers develop their profession, develop their skill and have people to lean back on, that helps. It's not the only thing, but it certainly helps.
One of the other things I wanted to add is that we have to make Philly attractive, attractive for teachers to come and work here, right. So when I think about that, I'm thinking about subsidized housing for teachers. I'm thinking about making parking accessible for teachers. I'm thinking about all those things we have to make Philly attractive for people to want to come and work in Philly and not the suburbs. So what are we going to do to make Philly attractive.
Well, I think under the great leadership of our new Mayor making sure we make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest city with economic opportunity for all, we will attract more teachers here in the City of Philadelphia.
-- that I do believe that Philadelphia has a marketing problem. I think our Mayor's campaign has done a great job in making sure that we have been clear, and we have to do the same thing with our School District in retaining and attracting teachers. We have to be proud of the School District and we have to stop talking badly about it. And then we need to have teachers who want to work in that District. But if we keep saying that this is the worst district, that we don't have this, that we don't have that, teachers will not want to work here. I was the principal and CEO of Pan American Academy Charter School and I was tasked with having to hire 80 percent of our teachers not only needed to be certified, but they needed to be bilingual and they needed to come from a Latin American country, either Central America, the Caribbean or South America, and that was really hard to do. But we had clarity that we were going to pay our teachers, we were going to have incentives for them. And teachers need to be proud of where they work. And guess what? We had teachers of all nationalities. And it still exists if you want to see a great school and see it. But you have to be proud of where we are. So our job is to change how people are perceiving our School District. It is a beauti -- we live in the best city. We live in a beautiful city. We need to start saying that, where our children walk into schools where teachers work really hard. And we talk a lot about the teachers that are not doing a good job, but how about all of the teachers that are doing a great job. (Applause.)
The same thing with our principals. How about all of the principals that are working 24/7 and have given their life for the District. (Applause.)
We don't say that, so we need to start changing how we're speaking about the School District of Philadelphia and come up with a plan. Whoever helped Mayor Parker needs to help us, making sure that we have something clear, something precise and let's do whatever we can to get the best and the brightest here in our District.
Council Pres, I have one more. I know I taxed my time, but I have one more. I know this is the last round. Would you --
No, this is a very, very important issue. Go ahead, young man.
Thank you, Council President. And this is again -- first, thank you all for those responses. That was wonderful. Again, to the new Board appointees only and then this is it for me. Many of you have deep histories in the education landscape here within Philadelphia. Could you -- you know, mindful of time, could you detail the scenarios or organizations for which it would be a conflict of interest, this is an ethical question, for you to vote on a particular matter? What's your proactive strategy for recusing yourself when there is clearly a conflict of interest, something as a hot button issue? How do you go about doing that?
I can give you a direct example. I'm a therapist in Philly. I have clients. There was one client that came up and I had to make it known to our chief of staff, our legal department, the relationship and I recused myself from the vote. So it's a real simple process where we have to be honest, right, and let people know when it's something that might be a conflict of interest. So it's a real simple process. You just let it be known to Legal and then we recuse ourselves on the vote.
But, Sarah-Ashley, you were on the previous Board, correct?
No, you're fine. I appreciate the response. But particularly for the new appointees for those that we have, I don't want to tax my time too much longer, but could you just detail that for us for the record?
So I worked for the KIPP Philadelphia Public School Network between 2018 and 2022. I also sat on the Board of Global Leadership Academy Southwest between August '23 and I'm in the process of resigning. I also am the CFO of the Children's Crisis Treatment Center that does receive some School District kids in one of our partial inpatient programs, and we have a small reimbursement contract with the District for the teachers we provide to those students while they're in our program. To Sarah's point, those are known in my application. They're now on the record. And if any business comes up, I will submit to Legal and go from there.
So the collaborative of schools that I lead, Some of the Board members run schools or run nonprofit organizations that may want to pursue contracts with the District. I've brought this up to the Mayor's Office of Education. The Board and I, we had a very clear discussion on exploring these conflict of interest issues associated with me being on the Board, and I've been assured that I will be able to share any perception of conflict of interest, anything that I think may come up as an issue of conflict of interest with Legal to help me navigate what that looks like.
Thank you very much. I think that's sufficient. I just wanted to make sure we got that on the record. I appreciate you.
Thank you very much. Councilmember Cindy Bass.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon. How's everybody. So just a couple of things. Number one, I do want to assure you that I caught all of the testimony today. I'm a little bit under the weather today, but I wanted to make sure I caught all of the testimony because I think it's very important, these appointments that we're going to be making. And the one thing I just wanted to say before I go into my actual question was around the way we speak about our schools and how important that is, and I could not agree with you more. I could not agree with the narrative that we put out. And, listen, we're all cheerleaders. That's what we do down here. We cheerlead for Districts and we cheerlead for the entire City. That's what we do. But at the same time we also recognize that we have a constituency that to some degree they don't want to hear it, okay. They don't want to hear it when you're in a school with a 1.4 percent proficiency in math and an 8 percent proficiency in English and those numbers have been the same pretty much since 2014, 2015. And so, how do we address those particulars when we look at how our children are performing or not rising to the occasion? And through no fault of their own, I do want to say that. And I just want to be clear, I'm for schools that work. I'm for the traditional public schools that work. I'm for non-traditional charter schools that work. I'm for schools that are going to be educating our children and providing the quality of education. That means that they're not going to be stuck into a lifetime of poverty and a lack of opportunity. We talk about our Mayor and how she wants economic opportunity for all. That starts with education. I mean, I'm just preaching to the choir. I know you all know this, but those are the kinds of things that we really have to be focused on. And so, I wanted to go back to the school -- I'm not going to say the name of it, I've mentioned it before, but I'm not going to say the name of it right now. But in my District there's a school that has a -- it was a 0 percent proficiency in math and 8 percent proficiency in English, and that was in 2015 and a charter school provider offered to come in and take it over, and there was pushback. And so, the charter school provider walked away. And what happened between, say, 2015 and 2023, the last year of reporting, those numbers stayed the same. And so, you had kids who started at kindergarten, went through 8th grade or started in 1st grade and went through 8th grade and we really locked them into a system that did not work, and this was a traditional public school. And so, I'd like to know what kind of decisions are you all going to be making that's going to change that trajectory? Because the decisions you make -- I mean, I don't think of this as a one-and- done, we're going to make appointments and then we're kind of stuck with each other until the next time comes around for us to make more appointments. Because the decisions that you make around the School District will inform and affect the decisions that we make around the School District. So I'd like to hear from you all about how we're going to address matters like this and make sure that we're not locking our kids into something that's not working? So it's easy to say, well, this model of school doesn't work, these models don't work. But we have our own situations right here in the School District. And I'd like to know what are we going to do to make sure that they work for every student no matter what school you're in?
I think goals and guardrails. And I know I keep saying it and you're like, okay, all right, we get it. But Councilmember Bass, actually my Councilmember --
-- for the District that I'm happy to live in, Germantown, I think goals and guard -- when did they come to be? Joyce, what year?
2019, 2020 goals and guardrails during the pandemic. The goals and guardrails again is what we're doing. We are looking at that data and we're asking the Superintendent and progress monitor whenever that indicator comes up, what are the trends, what's happening. We're also going deeper now into the data, what about Black children, what about Brown children, what about our children who have exceptional needs, right, our special education population. We're asking that question from a governance perspective to drive the change that you are talking about. One of the things that I've heard from Joyce Wilkerson early on was that she was so flabbergasted when they were asked the question why does public education exist. And she said the Board at that moment, fresh off looked back in local control, said everything else but to educate children. That's what goals and guardrails does. And what the Board has tried to do for the whole sector of public education is use the framework to drive academic achievement as well. That domain matters to us. And I do believe we see trends going up. And you're right, we're not patting ourselves on the back. We got a long way to go. But we're also changing culture too, right. And we all know that institutions, it takes a minute to change that culture. So that's our response.
So I would say that we've been at this since 2019, and a school that has seen, in my opinion, really no improvement, to go from 0 to percent. And, listen, people are seeing our schools as an investment where we have high-performance schools. People do anything to move into a catchment area. And where you have schools that are not high-performing and are struggling like this one, people are just like we'll take it if we have to, we don't have a choice, there's no 12 other options for us. And no one wants to feel that there's no other option for their child. No one wants to feel like their child is a test case and maybe goals and guardrails will work. And, listen, this is not a test case. You know, this is my little one, right. She's no test case. We want our children to be educated, we want them to receive the quality of education that you get if you cross any one of our City lines. And I don't know that goals and guardrails is doing it. I don't know that it's doing it.
Test -- let me say that I have the privilege of choosing a school for my daughter not because there was anything lack -- or to choose a different school other than my neighborhood school not because there was anything lacking at all in academic achievement. In fact, they're one of the best achieving schools in our City and not because there was anything wrong in terms of safety or culture or anything like that. I had the privilege of choosing a different school for my child because of what I wanted for her and for her education. And I think that that is so important for our families and particularly for the families that don't have the privilege of how I got to choose a school for my child. And so, what I will tell you is in terms of what does the Board of Education do in scenarios where schools are not moving, right now Dr. Watlington's plan, his Accelerate Philly plan, is addressing that. And we are pushing to make sure that he's successful and has what he needs to address it. In terms of how do we weigh the decision when there is a potential other school that a child can go to that a parent might want their child to go to, how do we make that decision, I always, always look at the catchment areas that that charter draws from and compares the data of what the other schools look like.
So let me say this real quick, just really quickly, the privilege that you just spoke about, the privilege that you have is the privilege that every single parent in the School District of Philadelphia wants, to be able to make a decision for their child -- (Applause.)
-- where their child's going to go, they can receive the same quality of education. And assuming that you will be confirmed, just assuming that you will be confirmed, when we have our next go-round, the next conversation that we have, whether it's a year from now, two years from now, whenever, that's going to be my question to all of you, is what have you done with the privilege that you all have to make sure that everyone has access to that same level of privilege? So thank you.
Thank you, Councilmember Bass. Chair recognizes Majority Leader Gilmore Richardson. I'm sorry, Majority Leader. Councilmember Bass, were you done? I'm sorry. I thought you were done.
Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I just seen your look. I didn't want to cut you off. Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Leader Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. And in the interest of time and thinking about those who has signed up to give testimony and being respectful of all of your time, I just wanted to list some of the matters and issues that are important to me that I'll be focusing on moving forward. And so, obviously the School Finder app, something I've been talking about for four years that we're trying to work with the District on to ensure that we are getting our young people to their closest local public school and then giving them their additional options. Okay. In addition to that, career in technical education, particularly ensuring that we are able to expand our CTE programs with schools like Mayfair CTE, where we have the only middle school CTE program, Mr. Evin Jarrett, he's doing a phenomenal job with our young people. So definitely want to lift up more middle school CTE programs and early career exposure for our younger students. In addition to that, driver's ed. for CTE students. One impediment we find when seeking to connect them with opportunities in construction trades and in the building trades is they are not able to take the opportunity because they lack a driver's license. Okay. Lastly, I'll mention two things. One is a dream, a building trades high school in the City of Philadelphia, a high school that solely focuses on the skill trades in preparing our young people for jobs in labor. And finally, of course infrastructure, ensuring that we have adequate infrastructure in school buildings to support the work that our young people will do in the 21st century. Lastly, I will say again that I'm certainly very appreciative of the time that you all have extended. I look forward to continuing to work with you and ask that we have continued partnership for all members of Council. I know that Chairman Thomas and members of the Education Committee meet with you all quite frequently. But we want to engage with you all on a more regular basis. And I know we've had the opportunity to visit some schools and we've done some breakfast meetings and other things, but we want to ensure that we're able to engage with you all as a full body more frequently so that we're all on the same page and rowing in the same direction, which is ensuring the success of our young people and our children. We all want the best for our kids. We all want to get to that same goal, and we have to work together in order to get there. So thank you very much, and thank you to all of those who are here to testify, which is why I will hold the balance of my questions for the School District budget hearings that are forthcoming. Thank you.
Thank you, Majority Leader. I definitely agree with you around driver's ed. And Mr. Jarrett is somebody who we had in City Council. We honored him and his dope student podcast, and that's a great school that's in Councilmember Driscoll's District. All great points. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, like my colleague Katherine Gilmore Richardson, would like to leave you with a homework assignment for which there will be a quiz when you come back for budget. And the first, it's seven subjects that I care about. Let me start with Overbrook High School, which is a -- although Katherine Gilmore Richardson had the honor of making Girls', she taught at Overbrook High School, and loved those students so much that she developed lifelong relationships with them. So we have started a plan. I didn't want to say it in front of Chairman Isaiah Thomas, that we work with them. And they're working on a modest to aggressive plan for Overbrook. And we thank you for Cassidy, which is one or two brand new stick-built schools and one of them is in the 4th District. So the first one is Overbrook. That will be an extra credit grade for you. The second one is to reduce the dropout rate in those zip codes that occupy 19 90 percent of the inmates on State Road. If you reduce that dropout rate by 10 percent a year, corresponding dropout rates will reduce crime rates. So that's Subject No. 2. No. 3, I'd like you to increase the school-to-paycheck pipeline. You did a great job with the vehicle facilities piece working with Randolph. We have 5,000 jobs that we could name right now that we could grow the inhabitants right out of school. Everybody's not going to college, but that municipal college that the Mayor is talking about is an intriguing proposition that will be something we will grade you on. We'd like you to reduce the friction between the Recreation Department and you guys on facilities fees, like some of our nonprofit -- I'm a track coach by nature. I'll be at the Penn Relays next week. But we charge some of the nonprofit groups designed to reduce gun violence $5,000 to use a track that they already paid for. So we have to work that out. If it means, President Johnson, puts a little more in your budget, so be it. The other subject -- liberal with his money, right. We'd like to get that facilities plan that Member Thomas wants, but it should be juxtaposed with the right-sizing plan that says if you have more population here, you need more facilities corresponding. And we need a plan so that we can appropriate correctly. And what else -- oh, how many was that? I went to public school.
We're on six. Examine creative programs like Overbrook works with the Mann Center who works with Live Nation. We put a $2.5 million studio in there and those young people now are getting internships with Live Nation, like a real job at the end of the rainbow kind of thing and doing the things that they love, writing, producing, acting, scripting, building stages that are industry-certified. We need more of that. And if we can do those things, we can give you a grade on those things, I will ask these exact same questions. I might allow you to self-grade your own tests. But we will hold you accountable for those answers. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
And very quickly to Councilmember Jones' point, the young man who runs --
The young man who runs the Live Nation Urban program is a graduate of Masterman High School with Overbrook High School. And so, it shows you the talent of our young people and the talent we're producing in the School District. And we're committed to Overbrook High School, Councilmember Jones. Thank you.
Sounds like a Wynnefield thing to me. That's what's up. Chair recognizes Councilmember Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. I just wanted to echo what my colleague said about amazing students that come out of the School District. I happened to visit Lankenau High School and was completely blown away with their presentation. They were about to go to a national conference, and it was just very heartwarming. I had a few students from Sankofa visit my office, and we had real spirited, engaged debates around reproductive freedom. The other young man was about cancer research and these are Philadelphians. And so, kudos to our School District. I know we have work to do. I know we have to improve our proficiencies but we need to work together to figure out which direction we need to go. My question is for Joan Stern if she's still here. I can't quite see her from where I am. Given -- she's still here, right. Given your public finance expertise, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions around school funding from the state and then a question about the facilities and sort of floating bonds around that issue. But the first question is about, is this Board going to be actively engaged in advocating for those dollars from the state to come as mandated by our Commonwealth Court? I know there's been some recommendations from the School Funding Commission. I wondered where are you going with that in order for Philadel -- first of all, to get it in time. And I think the Governor's budget, 2025 budget, has some money set aside. I wondered what the role of the School Board is going to be in advocating for that? That's the first question.
I wouldn't have asked to join the Board if I didn't want us and the Mayor and City Council to sing one song to Harrisburg. We have more schools in our county than any other county in our Commonwealth. I can tell you that when I began representing the School District in the '70s we had no 2 market access and we were not eligible for state capital funding because we were not building new school buildings. We were renovating the buildings that we owned, so it took quite an effort to persuade the legislature to amend the PlanCon rules and to allow school districts of the first class, ours is the only one, to get state funding. It's been a constant struggle. For the first time in my 50 years of working with the School District we got state federal grants, federal grants, which we have used to build new schools in the District, the first time we have ever received funding to my knowledge to build new schools that we didn't have to pay back. So -- (Applause.)
-- we want to -- I will do my best to persuade my colleagues and I don't think it will take much for me to persuade them, and to persuade all of you and the Mayor who's already cheerleading for this, for us to go to every government funder, federal, state, local and persuade investment in 21st century buildings for our children. Thank you. (Applause.)
I look forward to being a part of that team doing this because we have no 15 option. We are a city of eds and meds and our children are not ready to get those jobs. If you're not reading at grade level, that's not going to happen, if you don't do math, it's not going to happen. So we have to push very hard for this to make sure that a state with a surplus of $14 billion needs to make room. In addition to the formula funding that they're going to give us, to make sure -- because we drive the economy of the state. And so, we need a commensurate return specially invested in our schools. So count me in as your --
-- champion, yes. And then I had a follow-up question. You mentioned capital expenditure. Because we're probably going to have to do a lot of new schools, some of these are not going to be able to be saved, does the School Board look -- I know you haven't started yet, I understand that, but you have a lot of experience. Are we going to be looking at putting a plan forward which again will have a buy-in from state, federal and any philanthropic entities to create enough resources to do that? And we would love, as Councilmember Chairman Isaiah Thomas has said, a real plan around that issue.
Yes. And I just want to add something to put context to our facilities. We have some beautiful facilities too, right.
And some of our facilities, it is a mixed bag. And I think that is the byproduct of uneven funding or being $1.4 billion right now underfunded, 1.4 billion. And I've actually done a little research on this. When immigrants moved into Philadelphia -- yeah, a little history lesson in Philadelphia -- there was a marked change in who was sending their children to public education because they didn't want to go to school with Irish immigrants. They didn't want to go to school with Italians, right. And I actually saw that the superintendent and the board at that time sought to get the political wherewithal for the School District to get the bonds necessary to do the work on facilities. This is not a 10-year issue y'all. This is like a hunnit-year issue. I'm sorry, hundred. The Germantown's coming out. So that's part of framing for us. But we have some beautiful edifices of learning. And we have newer buildings. And so, our whole portfolio isn't dilapidated, falling apart, but we do have issues. And I think that me putting that context out there makes this even a more doable exercise, right. It's not all 212 schools. It's not. It's a subset of a subset. And I just want to posit that in this chamber to invigorate everybody to say this could get done, and every school in Philadelphia isn't dilapidated. I'll keep it there.
-- it's great that you're saying that. We need numbers, we need dates, we need when because then it gives us confidence to tell our constituents, yes, the ones that need work will get work done, and we haven't had that yet. And as our Chairman said, he's asked for it in 2022, so this is 2024. And so, we're all nice and good, but we need actual concrete things to come through. And I thank you all for taking all this in your stride. I know we've been hypercritical at times, but this is the only forum we have. So this is why what you said about having ongoing relationships, doing a retreat or whatever it takes for us to be on board so we don't have to wait until now to do this. So I thank you for your time, all of you. And thank you, Council President.
Thank you. Surely all the schools aren't the same because I just had a Budget Town Hall at MLK High School in the Northwest, the great ol' Northwest. It does not look like South Philadelphia High's auditorium, very different experience. And so, yes we do have some good schools out there with some very, very nice facilities. And so, we want to accentuate some of the good ones. At this time, I want to acknowledge Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Thank you, Council President. So while I'm new unlike some of my other newer colleagues, I actually was here last budget and last time that we had conversations. And just for a point of information, we did ask for you guys to come up with a facilities plan for when the money comes from the Governor's Office. So I'd just like to stress on how important it is to be prepared so that when the money comes, we're able to start right away of building new schools or fixing the schools that we got, but that's not my question. My question has to do with children who are English as a second language. We're having a -- we are a sanctuary city and we are taking in different nationalities all the time, which is great. That's what we're about. But we still have to give them an equal opportunity as our Mayor said. So how are we dealing with getting more bilingual teachers -- well, first, do we have enough bilingual teachers? And secondly, what are we doing to try to recruit more bilingual teachers?
Thank you for that question. We have approximately percent of our 10 students who are English language 11 learners and that number is 12 growing. 13
And often times 16 English language learners within 17 our system, and particularly the 18 families that they are from for 19 whom the home language is not 20 English, that number gets masked because as soon as English language learners achieve a certain level of proficiency, they're no longer counted in that 20 percent. So the School District has bilingual counseling assistants, and the bilingual counseling assistants are allocated to schools based on the populations that are there. So a school that I was recently at has bilingual counseling assistants in Spanish, in Mandarin, in Cantonese and two other languages I think, and we have bilingual counseling assistants. We're needing to hire more and more bilingual counseling assistants in Portuguese, which is one of our highest, fastest growing populations in need. I don't believe that we have enough bilingual counseling assistants to support all of our families, and we have restructured the way in which we are offering supports so that supports can be more streamlined and coming out of the same office for supports to the student as well as supports to the families.
So with that being said, when they get to a certain level of knowledge of the English language, then they're no longer considered bilingual? That's kind of --
They're no longer English learners and they no longer show up in our data as English learners.
How much time does it take on average do you think, is it a year, two years, three years, before they're ready to be done with the counselors for the bilingual? And is that actually feasible? Are they actually able to understand the language enough to succeed in order to pass their grades? Because in my own experience, I know a lot of people who are English as a second language and while they speak very good English, they don't understand all of it, you understand, you know what I'm trying to get at?
Absolutely. The supports do need to be there not just for the students, but for their families as well who will help in supporting a lot of the decisions that we expect families to be able to support and be engaged in.
Like I said earlier, I see the new math and for somebody that's speaking English his whole life, it's still a little crazy for me. So I would love to see what we could do about actually fitting more in and maybe giving them more time because I'm completely vested in the Mayor's vision of equal opportunities for all, because that's what we are about here in Philadelphia. And since our population of new citizens is growing, I'm glad to hear that you're looking at it and you're able to grow with it. It's all about being able to grow with what we have going on, right. But I also know that you have to work with what you got. And sometimes that's just not enough, right. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes for last question Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Really quick, can you tell us what the Board's role is in developing policies that allow outside organizations to use school facilities or to come in to help provide additional services to children in those schools?
The Board's role is through our policy powers. As you know, that's one of the powers that's outlined in the law, one of the levers that we pull. We have a policy cycle where the Co-chair who's right now ChauWing Lam and the other Co-chair is Joyce Wilkerson, there's policies that come up for reconsideration as well, but that's not the only mechanism. The Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, as long as a policy is silent on something or gives him autonomy, can implement administrative procedures. And usually that work happens in consultation with the policy committee work, but he convenes students, he convenes parents, he convenes individuals to let him know what he needs to know. And then there's a policy hearing that's public, of which you all are free to come to as well to voice your concerns or support something that we're doing and putting on the record. And then the policy comes up multiple times, and then eventually the full Board votes on it and then it becomes a policy. But that's the process. I think Co-chair ChauWing Lam wants to add something.
I think your specific question was about use of facilities for supportive and enrichment activities.
And it is absolutely the Board's role enacted through the policy committee to determine whether or not and under what guardrails to allow such use. Typically there are administrative procedures that accompany policies and that helps to guideline -- or helps to define the District's role in allowing that policy to happen. So, for instance, in the example that you mentioned, the District would also have to determine what level of staffing needs to be involved to make that facility available, what are the hours that the folks would need to work, what kind of memorandum of agreement would need to be made in order to ensure that there's clarity on how the facility is being used. But certainly, we can take a look at it as a Board.
Thank you. I only ask that question because I think that we are -- with our education system as well as other things, we're in a state of emergency. And I think we need an all-hands-on-deck approach. And so, we have outside organizations that are willing to come lend their time to our schools to enhance the quality of education to help educate the entire child. I think we need to make it a little bit easier for some of those organizations to come in to help turn around some of those schools and provide those opportunities to our students. Thank you, Mr. President.
You're welcome. As we wrap up, just one last question. So, Mr. Streater, as we move forward in the event that nomination goes through, voted, your peers vote you again as Chairperson, how do you want elected officials to engage with the Board when we're coming to advocate as it relates to school issues in our District? In the past, and this is based upon I have to represent my members, I think that sometimes when they have come down, things come across a little adversarial between the Chair and the members, other elected officials as well felt that they come down and everybody gets passionate, but we're all professional in the same way so nobody should walk away feeling like there was something improper about advocating. And classic example, I haven't been in front of the Board under your administration, but I'm responsible for helping to save E.M. Stanton in South Philadelphia. They wanted to shut E.M. Stanton down at one time, build condos. I worked with the Goldenberg Group, come in, do a public-private partnership, came down to the District -- I mean, came down to the Board, advocated, and that was it. And so, just for members of this body, right, because it's been mentioned several different times, I just want to go on the record so we all can be professional. Folks don't feel like because they're advocating, there's anything improper or some type of undue influence we're trying to do other than just coming down there and advocating for our school. So give us from your perspective how would you like for us to engage so it could be a cooperative relationship?
Well, thank you for opening that door. I actually want to address something on the record, and this is a point of growth that I had. And there was a legislator who came early, I think it was my first action meeting chairing or my second action meeting chairing, and there was an exchange. And I'm not proud of it. I believe I have learned from that, and that event did not occur again. I actually went out to lunch with that individual and we broke bread, we talked it up. I had to, you know, eat some crow. And it is what it is. That's part of this process. I apologized and we kept it moving. And then later on I was able to work with that same legislator offline to talk about a very tough issue that was very successful. So that's my style and my leadership. I'm a human, right, and I react. As it relates to any assertions that the Board of Education has not been welcoming, I will say that we have -- so for example, there's a very tough vote that we had to take in February where three of our amazing legislators, some Councilmembers and the legislator came down, and I actually used Chair's privilege of the Board, I actually checked with the Board, and this is a City Councilmember. I'm going to amend the process and let the City Councilmember -- not even let, give him the floor to speak. I think my actions speak louder than words. But I also heard that there was some angst about maybe something I might have said on the record. I think I've coordinated -- I felt like I triangulated what it was. I actually have the transcript of the meeting of the portion that it was. I was not talking about your City Council, Council President. I was talking about the independence of a charter board and why I was making the decision I was making. I was not talking about the independence of the Board of Education. We are part of the process. We want to be hand and glove as much as possible while also ensuring that we maintain our fiduciary duty. So thank you, sir, for my --
Thank you. And look forward to doing that retreat in the future. And so, Jim Harrity said he's going to help write the budget for also making sure we get them counselors in them schools. And so, I back your play. And we can talk to our Chair of Appropriations. He's not here right now, but nevertheless make that -- we have our Vice-chair here, Ms. Moneybags. She knows that budget inside out. But it's a good day today. So we want to thank all of you for taking time out of your schedule. Listen, you're not getting paid to do this. You're signing up and we recognize that. And so, the questions that we asked from I guess whatever time we started today, like 11:15, 11:20 to 5:19, is just because at the end of the day we're very, very passionate about these children here in the City of Philadelphia. Most of us, we're semi- professional. And some of us got kids in the District, some of us got kids in private school, right. We're probably slight middle income and so forth based upon our professions and the work that we do, but there's a population of people out there, right, that don't have lobbyists walking the halls of City Council, don't have lobbyists walking the halls of our State House, don't have lobbyists in Congress. And so, we're the last line of defense to advocate on their behalf. And so, when we take these lines of questioning, there's nothing personal about any of it, right. It's just a passion and commitment to represent the people who actually sent us here in the first place. So we thank you all for taking time out of your schedule and being here today. Looking forward to working with you. And now, I would like to call up public comment, individuals who are here from the public to actually talk about this process and their issues and concerns. At this time, we have public comment to address, the resolutions that we have heard thus far today. All speakers must sign up in order to testify. If you have not already signed up for today's session, please do so now by giving your name at the table outside the rails to my left to Mr. Stephon Johnson. Once you have signed up, you will be called in the order in which your name appears on the sign-up sheet. Public commenters will be given one minute to speak based upon the volume of this sheet. Once the time has passed, we want you to yield the podium to the next speaker if you have not done so already. And I will work with you on time based upon who showed up and who didn't show up on this public commenter list.
Okay. We will now proceed with public comment. The Chair now recognizes Lisa Haver. (Witness approached the podium.)
Pardon me. Prior to beginning, I apologize for the interruption. For all those who are here to give public comment, please limit your comments to a minute-and-a-half, if possible, okay, and summarize your testimony if possible, as much as possible. We're trying to hear from every single person on this list. And we appreciate you being here. We thank you for the time you've extended all day. Please get all your remarks in, but we do want to accommodate every single person that's on this list front and back. Okay. So, Lisa Haver, please proceed.
Good evening. My name is Lisa Haver. I'm a member of the Grassroots Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools. I taught in Philadelphia's public schools and now advocate for public schools to remain in public control today. We are near the end of a process in which the public has been shut out almost completely. We have had no say in who serves on the Board of Education, the governing body that oversees a $4.5 billion budget and makes decisions that affect school children and their families and communities. There was minimal notice of the convening of the Nominating Panel in February. There was no 23 public testimony taken at that first panel meeting. In fact, when I asked to be heard, I was silenced. The panel in violation of the PA Sunshine Act conducted all of its business in executive session. The panel did not release the names of the applicants so there's no way for any parent, student or educator to speak out for or against any potential nominee. This hearing is being held at a time when teachers, students and most parents are not able to attend. We did try to meet with Councilmembers, and I do thank those Councilmembers who did listen to me when I approached them, but it seems that some people were heard, those with a more financial interest in public schools, those who seemed to want to go back to the days of state control and the School Reform Commission when neighborhood public schools were closed and replaced by privately managed charter schools. The richest man in Pennsylvania is Jeffrey Yass. He does not live in the City, but he has had by virtue of his wealth and political connections a lot of influence on the City schools. He's a political and financial supporter of Donald Trump and other right-wing Republicans. Yass has poured a lot of money into supporting the privatization of public schools and into the campaigns of elected officials who support that. At the same time public was shut out, the dark money forces moved in. As a member of APPS, I've been a critic of the actions of the Board on many occasions. Councilmembers should understand that Board members who vote -- that Councilmembers who -- excuse me, I'm sorry. Councilmembers should understand that Board members who vote against any new charter application are simply being fiscally responsible. I did send copies of our APPS report to some Councilmembers that shows that over half of the City's charter schools are underenrolled. Years of data shows that charter schools have consistently performed below District schools.
Okay. Did you ask me to summarize or -- okay. The vote is in your hands. Make your decision based on what is best for the City's children, not on what will make Jeffrey Yass and his beneficiaries happy. Thank you very much.
Okay. Next witness we have is Coleman Poses. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Coleman Poses. Dear members of City Council, thank you for the opportunity of speaking with you today. Based upon the recent calculations from the state's Basic Education Funding Commission and Governor Shapiro's '24-'25 budget proposals the state of Pennsylvania shortchanges Philadelphia schools by over $1 billion annually. The problem of lack of revenue has only been compounded by excessive expenses associated with the maintenance of the charter school system -- with the maintenance of the charter school system in the District due to the directives that exist within this current state Charter law. Philadelphia is not alone in this problem. Nearly 470 elected school boards in Pennsylvania, almost 90 percent of all the school boards in the Commonwealth have signed onto a resolution calling on the General Assembly to enact meaningful charter reform that would rectify many of the extreme financial burdens charter schools have placed on the District. But the law has been deficient in other ways. The law allows for a rather long and convoluted charter revocation process where underperforming schools continue to run while the District spends exorbitant amounts of money to defend its intention to close them. Poorly-performing charter schools therefore continue to operate within this system. There's also data that indicate how the law has affected our state. A recent report of the National Assessment of Educational Progress underscores Pennsylvania's problems by finding the Commonwealth charters to be close to the bottom in reading and math scores of the 36 states included in the study. I, therefore, come here today to ask you to only confirm School Board nominees who will deny all new charter applications until the state law demands more accountability, transparency and reimbursement only for services provided for these schools, and the School District of Philadelphia is properly funded. Regardless of what your feelings are about school choice, does it make sense for the School Board to approve new charters with money that the District frankly does not have? The District to that -- the answer --
Mr. Poses, please summarize your testimony.
-- to that question may very well dwell in this room. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Thank you very much. The Chair now recognizes Linda Rubin. (Witness approached the podium.)
This isn't right. I just need to say that. This isn't right. Hello, my name is Linda Rubin. I'm a product of Philadelphia public schools. I worked --
Can I start over? Hello. My name is Linda Rubin. I'm a product of Philadelphia public schools. I worked in the District for 41 years. Three years as a teacher at Walton Elementary, 27th and Huntingdon where I had student taught. 38 years as a K to 8 counselor in D.N. Fell Elementary School in South Philadelphia. I am passionate about children, their families and supporting them. I was a member of Mothers in Charge for five years in support of mothers of murdered children. I worked with other groups on anti-violence, including with Councilmember Johnson. As a counselor -- no, I'm going to skip that. There are so many private interests out there that want District money and make promises that don't work out. On February 1st, Chalkbeat had an article, Philadelphia tax break program fails to deliver benefits to students. Big sums of money were lost just because that didn't happen. Privately-run charter schools are another example of dollars leaving the District schools, as they keep returning for more and more schools but don't accept the Board's oversight. Many are underenrolled. Most charters are approved and re-approved. School Board members have to keep all of that intact to be fiscally responsible. I just heard a disturbing piece in the Inquirer about a move to deny retention of Reginald Streater and Joyce Wilkerson. I can only assume that's because they have both followed their jobs to do due diligence on charter renewals, creations of new charters. The Board's job is to oversee charters, their practices and how children are learning. Charters are not in a vacuum. There are 217 District schools for whom the Board is responsible. In addition to overseeing 85 charters, the Board is responsible for District students who also deserve an education. That is something that the Board must take into account as well as the status of existing charter progress. If the article is correct and there is a move to deny seasoned Board members Joyce Wilkerson and Reginald Streater's retention, that sounds personal to me, not educating. I hope this Council will not -- will be complying with all restraints on them. I hope that this Council will not bend to this pressure and for two Board members doing their jobs with all competing restraints that they have on them. Thank you.
The Chair now recognizes Dr. Cassandra St. Vil. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Dr. St. Vil had to go for her daughter, but if I'll leave testimony on her behalf.
Sure. And I'd also like to ask all the witnesses if you have written testimony that you'd like to submit for the record, please do so. Dr. Cassandra St. Vil had to depart? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes.
Okay. Thank you very much. The Chair now recognizes Corey Hinson. (Witness approached the podium.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good evening. My name is Cory Hinson. Honorable members of this Council of the great City of Philadelphia. I stand before you today with a deep sense of pride and conviction as I advocate for the confirmation of current Board President Reginald Streater to continue serving on the Board of Education and to be re-elected as its President. I do so not only as an affiliated stakeholder of this City's public school system but also as someone who has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that he has had on our education in our communities. Reginald embodies the essence of serving leadership in every facet of his work. His character exudes humility, integrity and a deep-seated commitment to uplifting our youth. Through countless hours of dedicated service, he has determined a -- he has demonstrated, sorry, a steadfast resolve to prioritize the needs of children above all else. His leadership style is not about commanding authority but about serving with empathy, compassion and a genuine desire to effect positive change. Under his leadership alongside the Board and Superintendent Reginald has demonstrated an exceptional ability to navigate complex issues and contentious issues with grace and efficacy. From addressing challenges of educational operation to ensuring the Board's practices are grounded in fact and law, he has consistently prioritized student-centered approach to decision-making. Perhaps most important to note, Reginald has with the working assistance of Superintendent Watlington systematically delivered results where it mattered most, in student achievement. Under his leadership, 13 of the 17 student achievement indicators are on the rise. A testament of his effective stewardship of our educational resources and unwavering dedication to the success of every student in Philadelphia. Honorable members of this Council, you have the power today to commit to the further transcendence of our systematic educational future. I urge you to confirm Reginald's continuous service on the Board of Education and to re-elect him as its president. Confirming him is not just a vote of confidence, but it is a commitment to excellence, equity and the limitless potential of every child in our city. His track record of achievement, his dedication to our community and his embodiment of values make him the ideal candidate to lead our educational system into the future. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no better choice than Reginald Streater to serve this City and its children through the avenue of service on the Philadelphia Board of Education. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes Marquita Ross. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. (Witness approached the podium.)
My name is Marquita Ross. Greetings Honorable Members of the Philadelphia City Council. Today you have a historic opportunity to approve non-School Board members who will do right by our children. Your decision will directly impact our families now and for years to come. What we are asking for is simple. What we're asking is that each one of the nine School Board members will treat charter schools fairly, which has not always been true of the current School Board. With your vote you have the power to change that. Again, my name is Marquita Ross. I not only serve on the Mastery Charter School Board, but I'm also a part of the Parent Action Team. I'm here today to stand on behalf of 12,000 families whose children attend Mastery schools. These public charter schools are some -- some are Renaissance charter schools, which means that prior to the Mastery turnaround, they were some of the lowest- performing schools in the City, mostly underenrolled as families were opting out of attending their neighborhood schools. Not anymore. Mastery schools serve all children, including many who have special needs. Our children are learning and thriving in our schools and community anchors. We are filled with hope for the future. This is not an abstraction for me. This is my reality. I have seven children, five sons and two daughters. I have witnessed firsthand the positive transformation at Cleveland Elementary and Simon Gratz when they became Mastery Renaissance charters. My daughter was floundering in school and they soared. Having a choice of a good school to send your child is fundamental. It has been a right denied for too long. Too many Black and Brown families, especially in lower income neighborhoods --
Ms. Ross, please summarize your testimony.
Okay. Charters are providing assets and equity. Values I believe you all hold dear. We're delighted that Ms. Parker, Mayor Parker, is calling for an end to this versus us and them. Thank you.
Thank you. And you can submit your testimony for the record if you'd like. The Chair now recognizes Ashley Redfearn. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. (Witness approached the podium.)
Hi. Good evening, and thank you for having us here today. I'm very encouraged at the idea of one Philadelphia, one voice and I'm encouraged by the thoughtful questioning of City Council. As the CEO of American Paradigm Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization that serves 4,200 students and employs over 500 staff members in the City, we are excited to work with whatever Board the Council recommends and we will roll up our sleeves next to the new nominees and any returning nominees and work side-by-side. We share concerns however that the conditions of having been exposed all of us, traditional schools, public charter schools to unfair funding has placed us in a situation where we are pitted against each other for scarce resources. I'm also concerned and our organization is about the crisis in public safety, the teacher pipeline and post-COVID needs. All of these things have changed how we understand our student data. Yet the metrics by which charter schools are judged have not altered since that time. In May of 2023, we became very confused as we were emerging from COVID when unexpectedly going through the renewal process, Memphis Street Academy was invoked our surrender clause by the School Board. We did not know before the public meeting that this was happening. We had proceeded in a renewal process. I agree that communication could help ease some of the struggles we're having. I agree that if our teachers had communication ahead of time we wouldn't have lost some quality teachers for students that are still in the District. I encourage you all to really take seriously coming together. That's more than just saying it. It's going to be hard work. There are issues in the metrics that we need to be aware of and come together. There's issues of inequity in how we look at the SPREE goals and guardrails versus the ACE framework, charter school renewal. One is supportive --
Ms. Redfearn, please summarize your testimony.
Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Lawrence Jones. Lawrence Jones, Jr. (Witness approached the podium.)
And, Dr. Naomi Booker, you are next. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Lawrence Jones. I'm here to talk about the process of evaluation and the School Board. So we have two types of racism. When you have intentional racism against an individual, that is often hard to prove and it's also a very bad thing, but it's easy to be fixed because you get rid of the bad actor and the behavior stops. But systemic racism and systemic bias are significantly different things. They're like a virus that eat away at a community, at an organization and at the people it serves. When the Ballard Spahr report came out and identified that there was no 16 intentional acts of racism, the School Board took that as a victory lab. But they minimized the fact that there was systemic bias. And one of the biggest areas of that bias was the framework that you consistently have heard this Board today talk about. It's an answer to many of the questions that you have asked. The fact of the matter is that report said that the framework is disproportionately impactful to Black schools and stand-alone schools. It specifically said that with regards to the domain of organizational compliance, it is not fair. And from 2016 to 2022, there were schools that got it 11 does not meet standard on 12 organizational compliance according 13 to the framework. 12 of the 13 were Black. In addition, we have a national report that says frameworks like the ones that are continually being used by the District, that they told you today they are standing behind are disproportionately disparate to Black folks and stand-alone charter schools. This is systemic racism. And if you're going to sit back and support this School Board, you've got to put something in place to make sure that we can work together to come up with a form of evaluation where we can all be confident in it. And that's all we're asking for. And it would also be great if somebody would stand up and say, we did wrong, we'll do better. But I've never heard that. Kind of feels like slavery and (inaudible) and everything else. We just want an apology and acknowledgement. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes Dr. Naomi Booker. Please proceed with your testimony. State your name for the record. (Witness approached the podium.)
Okay. Good evening. My name is Dr. Naomi Johnson Booker. I am a retired educator from the Philadelphia School District having served for 30 years and now as a charter school leader serving for the last years. I have a number of 10 awards and I served also -- when I 11 left the District, I was a 12 principal and then I became a 13 Regional Superintendent/Cluster 14 Leader. And one of my most 15 greatest prizes of awards is that 16 City Council named me as one of the 17 living legends. So here I stand with you today to talk about 200,000 educated -- I mean, children in the City of Philadelphia, of which more than 70,000 belong to charter schools. And there are things that I want to say to you that you need to know and that we need to understand. And, that is, yes, I tried to get a high school for the last three years. Yes, my parents wanted to get it. And, no, it was denied again. But I want to say for that our children certainly were not able to reach those high schools they needed to go. I heard today where they were talking about Masterman and Girls' High and Central, but I did not hear where they were talking about Overbook and West Philly and Bartram and those schools that do not have a decent graduation rate. I want to say that also public schools are -- public charter schools are public schools and that we use the same tax dollars as public schools. And parents are given a choice, and we do not have the right to take the choice away from them. I have some 45 children returning from the South right now as we went to a civil rights tour. And during that tour, we told them to please take your voice and use your voice. Well, this is what we're trying to do now. We here in the charter school community need a School Board that values charter schools. We need a School Board that will agree to overhaul a system. I heard someone talk about a professional learning communities. I've never been to it, never heard about it at the Charter Office. I also heard someone talk about growth and not knowing the growth. Well 19 percent of the District last year 20 showed growth and this year was 21 down to 15 percent. Global Leadership Academy showed 100 percent growth in reading and 85 percent in math. We need the School Board to commit to growing seats in high demand charter schools and allowing new schools with innovative-community driven --
Dr. Booker, please summarize your testimony.
Charter schools are tired of being at the back of the bus, and we need to be right alongside. We need to collaborate with District personnel so that we can come up with the great plan which is to educate our children in this City. And I'm asking you what Gandhi said, Be the group that will change the world that you want to see, make a difference today, make a difference and show us that. Thank you.
Thank you. Please submit your testimony for the record. The Chair now recognizes Keira Wesley. And next up will be Pri Sabjoree. (Witness approached the podium.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Keira Wesley. Good evening, Honorable, Distinguished Councilmembers and citizens. In brief and in short, my name is Keira Wesley. I'm a voice from the Heartland to Harlem, and I'm resonating with the pulse of Philadelphia's aspirations. Although my roots lie firmly in the heartland of Kansas where Brown challenged the Board of Education, and my uncle was the architect of the desegregation plan that was widely spread and from Harlem where decades later we took on the challenges with a million families to climb out of an education crisis such as Philadelphia's facing today, but my spirit is intertwined with the fabric of this great city through my work alongside Bishop Darrell Robinson of Yesha Ministries. I have witnessed the resilience and hope that defines Philadelphia. I heard him deliver the community prayer with the historic inauguration of Philadelphia's first woman Mayor. I've been sitting here today listening to teachers and parents and to the Board members and City Council. And I just implore today that the august chamber transcend the mundane and embrace the extraordinary, that as you deliberate I urge each of you to measure your decisions against the yard stick of the constitutional promise. And as we align ourselves with history and we march towards justice, it's very important that our kids just get a fair shot. Will you be the architect of change or will you acquiesce to the status quo? The weight of equal protection and due process rests upon your shoulders --
Ms. Wesley, please summarize your testimony.
Thank you. Thank you. And I'm just urging you to rise above partisanship and embrace the mantle of leadership with courage and conviction. Thank you all very much.
Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes Pri Seebadri. (Witness approached the podium.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Pri Seebadri. I'll be brief. I'll just follow up on Keira Wesley talking about the constitutional promise. The allegation against the current regime of the School District is an allegation of racism. Ballad Spahr was commissioned by the current regime to investigate the allegation of racism. About two years later a report was produced. The two key things about the allegation is that it's a 14th Amendment issue. It's about the equal protection clause. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment has two critical components. The findings of the Ballad Spahr report are scathing and they are damning. What we want to implore is that as we go towards a One Philadelphia, it's a One Philadelphia with justice. The second component is the due process element of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, and that basically addresses issues of procedural and substantive due process. The School District right now is contesting in federal court being transparent and providing discovery to the claimant. Memphis Street Academy is trying to get information that Ballad Spahr has. We spend hours with them as charter schools walking them through all the data around inequity and systemic racism. They are spending public resources to fight and resist transparency. The last thing I'd say is this, is that Luther King said that, you know, the arc of history is long but it bends towards justice. A special master has been appointed and by the 20th of June, information will be made available and this administration can get a black eye because of what will be revealed.
Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes John F. Street. (No response.)
Okay. Chair now recognizes Pat Smith. After Pat Smith is Loree Jones. (Witness approached the podium.)
Pat, please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes. Good evening. My name is Patricia Smith. I live in the 4th Councilmanic District. I'm a retired CEO of a national nonprofit. I respectfully urge the City Council of Philadelphia to approve Mayor Cherelle Parker's slate of nominees to the Philadelphia Board of Education. At the outset of the process, Mayor Parker made clear that the City of Philadelphia deserves a school board with the diversity of skills from different neighborhoods, sectors and communities. She has delivered on this promise. The nine Mayoral nominees collectively possess the requisite knowledge, experience and wisdom to effectively govern the Philadelphia school system. The nominees includes incumbents and newcomers. Their skills and experience complement one another. Although the nominees come from different backgrounds and career paths, they are values aligned, each totally committed through equity and ensuring that our children receive the best education. I especially want to shine the spotlight on a particular nominee Joyce Wilkerson, a former colleague. I had the privilege of working with Joyce at Community Legal Services, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and as Director of the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative under Mayor Street's Administration. Joyce is an exceptional leader and seasoned public servant who has worked tirelessly on behalf of the City of Philadelphia. She understands what it takes to implement authentic system change. We live in turbulent times. The multiplicity of issues are complex and controversial. In Joyce, you will have someone committed to finding the best path forward. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes Loree Jones. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. And after Lori will be Elbert Sampson. (Witness approached the podium.)
Good evening. Are you guys still there? Good evening. (Good evening.)
I am Loree Jones Brown. I'm here as a private citizen. I am a graduate of public schools. I am the daughter of a 40-year educator from the School District of Philadelphia, serves as a teacher, a curriculum specialist in AfricanAmerican studies and a charter school principal. I am a former employee of the School District in the School Reform Commission having served as Chief of Staff and Executive Director there. But here today I'm here as president of the Joyce Wilkerson fan club. For years, 10 like many of you I served in this 11 building, I served in public 12 service. And I had a chance to 13 serve with Joyce Wilkerson when we 14 worked for Mayor Street. 15 I watched and benefited 16 from her brilliance competence, her 17 solid balanced approach, the way 18 that she modeled leadership, how 19 she coached, supported and mentored 20 so many people like me who've continued on in public service. I benefited from her tutelage. I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed that you didn't get to see and hear from her today and hear her brilliance and her commitment to the thousands of students across the City of Philadelphia that she gets to serve and has served on both the School Reform Commission and on the School Board. Joyce is a lifelong learner. I've seen her at the School Board and on the School Reform Commission spend her own dollars to invest in and learn more about what's happening in education, not just here locally but across the globe. I know a number of people who served on the School Board and on the School Reform Commission. I know a number of the nominees, including one of my mom's classmates who's nominated as well. I have to say that Joyce stands top among the people who for the last several decades have volunteered selflessly to serve the students across the School District. And I can't think of a better person for you to consider really not just nominating, and thank the Mayor for that, but supporting. It's not my place to suggest to this body what you should do, but it is my role as a citizen and as an informed citizen to let you know that in my opinion Joyce Wilkerson is one of the most qualified people for this job. And I am grateful for her service and hope you will agree that she would serve again. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony. Elbert Sampson. (Witness approached the podium.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Elbert Sampson. I do not have any testimony but I will submit written comments.
Thank you so much. The Chair now recognizes Ira Coates, Jr. (No response.)
Chair now recognizes JaNeil Larue. You can state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. After JaNeil Larue will be Dr. Robin Cooper and then Keisha Wilkins. (Witness approached the podium.)
Good evening everyone. Good evening, Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson and members of Council. Thank you all for the work that you do for our city that I love so much and I know you love so much, and for the opportunity to speak this evening. I am honored to stand here today to offer my highest commendation to ChauWing Lam for re-appointment to the Board of Education. I ensured I was present when ChauWing invited me to attend this session. I don't often get to support a dear friend in this capacity publicly. She is someone whose thoughtfulness and integrity have left an indelible impression on me. I've known her for six years. And during this time, I've had the privilege of witnessing a woman of remarkable character. We met while working in different departments at the School District of Philadelphia. She worked in the Office of Evaluation Research and Accountability and I worked in the Office of College and Career Readiness. My office worked closely with ERA to gather data on FAFSA completion, on track to graduation status, high school graduation and post-secondary enrollment data. Our relationship started when she stopped at my desk one day and we had a conversation about the work my office was engaged in with the middle and high schools. From that day I found a thought partner and strategist in my colleague, someone who supported preparing our young people for post-secondary education. I also found a friend. ChauWing is a woman who embodies honesty, integrity and compassion in every aspect of her life. She serves the community with her whole heart and with excellence. I wholeheartedly endorse ChauWing as a woman of outstanding character to continue on this Board. She takes to heart the decisions she makes and cares deeply for the children, youth and staff and faculty served by the School District. She cares for the community in which it resides as well. She does not take this or any position lightly. Her goal is to always do what is right and best for students. And I am confident that she will continue to positively impact the lives of those around her and contribute meaningfully to this body. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you for your testimony. Dr. Robin Cooper, please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. (Witness approached the podium.)
After Dr. Robin Cooper will be Keisha Wilkins.
Good evening everyone. Hi. I am Dr. Robin Cooper, President and principal officer of Teamsters Local 502, Commonwealth Association of School Administrators. Just giving you some of my background, I attended Philadelphia public schools. I attended Meade School, Conwell Middle Magnet School, and I was the first graduating class of Parkway Center City. I didn't just stop at Philadelphia schools. I extended it across the state. I attended Pennsylvania State University for undergrad. I attended Cheyney University for grad, and I did the Jesuit thing and attended St. Joseph's for my Doctorate. I have been a teacher assistant, principal assistant to the cluster leader of principal, Teamsters Black Caucus, chairperson of the Eastern Region and a Lindback Award winner for principal leadership award. I say all of that to say I represent principals, assistant principals, climate managers, facility managers. I work with all of those folks to help keep the School District of Philadelphia moving. The School Board -- this decision that you make will be the most important decision that you will make outside of the gun violence pandemic. I am asking you to please use your voice, use your vote. Our Mayor has given what she feels is the best and I wholeheartedly stand behind her. And I am asking us to please support our Mayor and to nominate to support the nominations of these nine individuals. That is not to say that any of the other individuals are not great, but I am asking for us to support our Mayor. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes Keisha Wilkins. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. And after Keisha will be Danny Cortes. (Witnesses approached the podium.)
Good evening. My name is Keisha Wilkins. I am the proud principal of Martin Luther King High School. I have a statement that I'm going to read and then hopefully I'll have enough time to just say a few short words after that. I'm writing to express my heartfelt support and recognition for the outstanding leadership of Board President Reginald Streater, Esquire. Mr. Streater's commitment to the educational welfare of our community, particularly the underserved comprehensive high schools such as Martin Luther King High School, has been exemplary and deserves our collective acknowledgement and appreciation. As a proud alumnus of Germantown High School, Mr. Streater brings a unique and valuable perspective to his role, his understanding of the challenges faced by schools in underserved communities is profound and his actions consistently demonstrate a genuine commitment to addressing these challenges and actively working toward meaningful and lasting solutions. Under his guidance, we have seen an enhanced focus on not only maintaining and exceeding educational standards but also on nurturing an environment that fosters educational growth and opportunity. His efforts to understand and advocate for the needs of underserviced schools have contributed significantly to creating a supportive and effective educational atmosphere in Philadelphia schools. For the past two years, Mr. Streater has honored Martin Luther King High School with his presence at our graduation ceremonies. His participation is more than a ceremonial duty. It is a powerful demonstration of his personal investment and belief in our students potential and futures. By standing with our graduates, he sends a clear message of hope and confidence that resonates deeply within our community and bolsters our spirits. Mr. Streater's presence at these events also highlights his leadership in fostering supportive and inclusive environment that acknowledges the achievements of all students regardless of their backgrounds. His involvement goes beyond mere oversight of policy and extends into a genuine heartfelt engagement with the students, educators and communities he serves. I will say this really quickly. It is important that we do not pit charter schools against public schools, and that is what I felt sitting here today. We are to serve children. What about the children? We have not asked one child to speak today about what they feel when they walk inside of our school buildings, what violence they see on a daily basis. And I want to explain to you all or at least say that we are still in a pandemic. I will be brief. We are still in a pandemic. Also, in reference to Black male educators in our school, in September of 2022 the Chair of the Education Committee put forth a resolution for Martin Luther King High School. I'm proud to stand here and say that I'm the first principal in Philadelphia to recruit and secure four Black males in core subjects to teach our children. And you know what happened from that year to this year, a 13.5 percent increase in our Keystone scores in Algebra. (Applause.)
Let us do the work, but ask us about what we need. You coming to Martin Luther King and seeing how beautiful that school was, it took a lot of ass-kicking, excuse me, maybe I shouldn't have said that, but it did for it to get here. I am standing -- people who know me know I run through my neighborhood and anywhere that I go, you will know who I am and you will understand the power of Martin Luther King High School. So let us please remember the children in all that we're doing. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now recognizes Danny Cortes. State your name for the record. Proceed with your testimony next. Will be Alfredo Calderon.
So please state your name for the record. Proceed with your testimony.
Collectively we represent 5,000 children in North Philadelphia in several charter schools. I'm here today to implore you to appoint members that have a demonstrated history that aligns with the Mayor's commitment to a traditional and charter public school ecology and have shown they accept this reality. Charters are an asset to our children, parents and to Philadelphia. They reside in all your Councilmanic districts and offer hope to parents who would otherwise have to subject their children to schools that can do an injustice to their futures and squash their parents' aspirations. Appointees that consistently ignore the opportunities charters offer Black and Brown students that have a record of past and demonstrated rejection of all things charter around growth and expansion and have eliminated Black and Brown charters that could produce highperforming students of color do not show a commitment to the Mayor's vision as she has articulated. Charters are statistically verified best option for Black and Brown students. A person with a philosophical commitment that is an unequivocal commitment against charters is doing a disturbance to that vision. We need appointees committed to a new practice. And I quote Mayor Parker of diversity of thought that supports quality seats in both traditional district and public charter schools. Know us, first (inaudible) a united city. And I will conclude, let's treat all of Philadelphia's children with the same level of dedication and tenacity they deserve. No matter what sector they attend, public charter or traditional, parochial or independent, they are all your children. A vision is only as good as those tasked to make it happen. We need a passion to serve all children and appointees that acknowledge what is demonstrated best for Black and Brown. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Alfredo Calderon. I was here to testify about our concerns with some of the nominees. However, my testimony has changed since Mr. Streater decided to make a statement as erroneous. Two of the schools that they took back, which was Olney and Stetson, he mentioned that they were done because of misuse of funds. That is incorrect. Those two schools -- all five schools of our schools were audited by the Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. He found no 23 dollars missing. All of the schools were audited by the City Controller. They found no issues. Also, the Department of Education audited one of those two schools that they took back and they found no missing money, not $1 missing. Also, there were third party auditors. He also stated that the Charter Appeals Board had actually found with them -- they voted just to uphold their vote and they did not give us an opportunity to present any evidence to show to the country. In a subpoena that we did in our fight, there was a current Board member that was asked why you wanted the schools back, so you expected them to say something such as because they're failing, that they're failing the children or what he said missing funds, none of that was said. All she said was they want the schools back because they want them back into their inventory. That was her statement on the record. All right. They see it as an inventory. They see our children as subjects or objects of an inventory that this District maintains. That's unacceptable. Thank you. (Applause.)
Leonard Wakefield. (Witness approached the podium.)
Okay. I'm here to represent the Board of candidates carefully selected from a pool of 27 individuals by our new Mayor Cherelle Parker. This team has been chosen as the new School Board under her leadership. I urge you to vote in favor of this Mayoral-appointed team to ensure the continuity of crucial work while welcoming new esteemed members to the Board. Let me address the recent smear tactics surrounding the debate on charter schools. It's essential to recognize these tactics for what they are. Nothing more than attempts to distort the facts. Contrary to how it's been portrayed, our Board has supported charter schools. Some may urge that it has leaned more towards pro-charter than pro-public schools. As Board members, we often confront contentious issues regarding public versus charter schools. Union matters, community interests and special interest groups. However, as long as our decisions adhere to Charter School law, they should be respected. Consider, for instance, the tenure of Joyce Wilkerson, during which several charter schools were approved since 2018. The return to local charter has seen a 90 percent renewal rate for charters, yet there are attempts to paint Ms. Wilkerson, a highly accomplished individual with over 40 years of stellar career in government as an anti-charter without acknowledging her record of charter school appointments and expansion. Perhaps the real issue isn't about being anti-charter, but instead about being against poorly- performing charters. This misfortune being spread is nothing short of lies and it's essential to demand proof for those who propagate such falsehoods. The previous School Board undoubtedly had some errors to improve upon. However, holding them accountable for not approving expansions for operations whose existing schools have alarmingly low reading and math scores is unjustifiable. The debate should not dissolve into charter versus public. It's about ensuring the presence of high-quality schools regardless of their classification. Thank you for your attention, and I urge you consider the facts when deciding.
You're welcome. Shawn Aleong. Did I pronounce that right? (Witness approached the podium.)
-- Councilmembers. Thank you for this opportunity. I am here today to speak. My name is Shawn Aleong. I'm here to speak today for the current Board President. There has been numerous improvements, particularly engaged in school and community members under the present (inaudible) of the follow initiative: Removal of physical barriers such as (inaudible) from all of the auditorium and we position Board members closer to the community for a more inclusive atmosphere, atmosphere. We let the realization of the two men that speak the rule to allow for increase community input, (inaudible) of engagement structure members of the Charter School Office, CSO, team instructor assignment, a member of the Charter Office, CSO, (inaudible) as the point of contact for each school, introduce of office hours program, provide overopportunities for engagement with SC-based service managed experts, doubling CSO's staff, currently 22 full-time employees, better support schools, enhancement of community, include update monthly newsletter format, provide updates on school organizational process, operational requirements and engagement opportunities. Additionally, this newsletter highlights students and schools' success. While many compliments are not listed, the highlights above on the school shows commitment to support the charters by implementing the strategies to help them meet standards, outline Charter School law and have leaders who will act as responsible stewards of all funds allocated to the Philadelphia children. Thank you for attention. (Applause.)
Next up is Amy Hollister. Amy Hollister. (Witness approached the podium.)
Without glasses, I'm going to make this work. My name is Amy Hollister. I've been a proud Philadelphia School educator and administrator in Philadelphia for years. 6 Thank you, Rue, but I got it on the 7 computer. 8 Today I'm here representing 9 Philadelphia Charters for 10 Excellence also known as PCE. We 11 are a nonprofit membership 12 organization founded in 2011, and 13 today we represent 80 brick-and- 14 mortar charter schools here in our 15 City. We collectively educate 16 one-third of the public school 17 students in the City. That's more 18 than 62,000 children. They come 19 from every single one of your 20 Councilmanic Districts and we 21 shared that information with you 22 today. 23 As others have stated with 24 the new leadership in the Mayor's 25 Office, on City Council and in the School Board, there is great opportunity to create our One Philadelphia that we've heard so often, and I've heard it today. That it's not public, traditional and charter. One Philadelphia, and I applaud Mayor Parker for that theme. Real change starts with ensuring that every member of the School Board is committed to fully supporting charter schools and District-operated schools, but it does not stop there. Others have spoken about deep challenges charter schools faced under the previous School Board and detailed the recent Ballard Spahr investigation. There are some important fixes that can be put into place to address those problems. Today I want to outline four of those. One, continue to welcome public charter schools as leading collaborators in innovation. I've walked through 80 of the 83 schools in this City that are charters. I've walked through the halls of most of them, and I can tell you that the unique and innovative spaces that I've seen are just amazing. We have everything from Afrocentric education, careers in STEM, Freedom schools, language arts immersion. These are the reasons that people are staying in Philadelphia. Two, we need to reform how charter schools are authorized and evaluated. The Ballard Spahr report laid bare reasons we need to develop a new authorizing framework and model charter agreement until a fair, unbiased and transparent evaluation can be created in collaboration with leaders. All nonsafety charter renewals should be paused. Three, we should hold all Philadelphia schools in the same regard. Often we'll hear great things about our traditional public schools, but we will be left out of those awards or those announcements. And as charters, we think that that should be across the City. Four, we would like to stand with you and support budget reform so that all schools are adequately funded. We definitely have a great opportunity in front of us with the new funding hearing. And in closing, I would just like to say that with a new School Board, new authorizing policy and fiscal financial equity on the horizon, Philadelphia schools can be what we want them to be a true opportunity for our City's children to achieve and be the people we all know they can be. Please make this a reality by appointing and holding accountable nine new Board members who accept the challenge of fairness for all schools. I thank you and good night.
Thank you. Horace Clouden. (Witness approached the podium.)
I'm also going to ask for -- is it Tina Kluetmeier? Is there a Tina Kluetmeier? (No response.)
Yes. My name is Horace Clouden. I did apply to be on the School Board. And my reasoning is because I am experienced with facilities. Okay. For the last 12 years I worked in over 100 schools as a building engineer, plus was four newly-built worksites. I also have training in different CTE courses. Plus I developed a training manual for engineer trainees. And I did push back on facility action items. You know, with all the years of 7 research that I have done, the one 8 thing I can say to everybody in 9 this room, bring back junior high 10 schools, 7th, 8th and 9th. I've been saying that for the last 12 years. Okay. We have 123 middle grade locations. You're never going to get parity in any of that stuff. You're never going to get an equal education out of 123 locations. Downsize it to junior high 19 schools. You have the facilities 20 already. These schools can handle 21 the load. It's not that you get an 22 elementary school and you make a K 23 to 8. Now, you got 7th and 8th 24 grade in there and everybody's 25 crying about you don't have enough electrical to supply it. You do have it in 25 junior high schools, and you still have the buildings. When you talk about facilities master plan, right now a facility master plan doesn't list the schools that have pools in it or they don't list the schools that have athletic spaces attached to them, okay, inaccurate facility master plan. When we talk about testing of students, I said to the Board, you should test every 3rd grader to 12th grader in 3rd grade math without a calculator and English language arts. What we don't understand is this: That test is the same entry-level job -- is the same test for an entry-level job, 3rd grade level math plus English language arts. Now, you have schools -- now, we talk about school safety. I don't know if you know, we have some schools that's 200, 300, 400 and 700 over building capacity. These schools are not safe. When you talk about the school budget is grossly underfunded. How can it be grossly underfunded when 90 percent of the budget goes to salaries and benefits, you know? What we need is better productivity out of the staff. Now, you talk about teacher shortage. Philadelphia does not have a teacher shortage. Philadelphia has a 96 percent teacher fill. The problem with the teachers in Philadelphia is they don't come to work. We have a $10 million substitute fees that the District is paying for teachers not coming to work. We talk about swimming pools. There's five pools that can be put back online right now because this Board has approved $10 million worth of materials for these spots, plus $8 million in maintenance support. So you don't have to worry about adding additional money for the pools to bring them back online. Plus I submitted a pool plan, you know. The District -- let's see, okay. The District always focus on the best schools -- okay. I'll do it real quick. This is important. The District is always focusing on the better schools. The schools above the river get the support. The schools below the river do not. I gave the School District a map to show them the divide in the City. Now, with the one Board member that might come on that said, well, I'm going to fight to get what the students need. You're a Board member. You don't need to fight for anything. Policy 000 gives you the authority to tell the Superintendent what you need to have done. So get this fight out of here and just start demanding from the Superintendent to do a better job. Thank you. (Applause.)
Peace and love family. I am standing here in honor of those that came before us. I stand here declaring, decreeing and claiming that we go back to the basics for new beginnings. That's what the ancestors are calling for. Our children have been cheated too much. You heard my husband. This man almost died. He was the engineer that got poisoned by carbon monoxide in a school. It took six years after he was sick for a year to get his pay, and we were told he was one of the best in the District. We were told they wanted 100 more men like that man. What is it about that man that he can't serve? I'm just asking you. Family, a lot of stuff is criminal. There's no reason in this world why our children in Philadelphia can't read, can't write, can't do math, can't read a clock and can't sign their names. I call it criminal. If they're going to school from the beginning when everybody says kindergarten, if they're going to school from kindergarten to 12th grade, they should know those things. I don't have a lot to say because this is not the place. If I'm talking to you as I've talked to them all these years, I've been at Board meetings from the parkway, all right, sitting with Dr. Clayton. If we don't do something -- see, I was in a tornado a week and a half ago. You got a earthquake feeling. If we don't do what's right by these beautiful beings that God is sending here, you have not seen anything yet, I'm telling you. The storm he showed me years ago that's coming if we don't do right, it's nothing like it's ever been seen before. We seen all kinds of stuff all over the world. You have not seen what's coming here to this City. This is a very spiritual place. There's a reason why it was the beginning, let me tell you. When I say the beginning, y'all know, government, everything started here. Went to D.C. and Washington, but it started here. Wall Street, everything. Family, we got to get it together and we got to work together like never before. I don't care who sits in those seats. If they sit in those seats and they keep saying yes to amendments, to contracts, people come and they say, this is what I want, this is what's voted on and come back and there's an amendment, amendment, amendment, amendment. Come on, they might not have been the lowest bid, I'm just saying. There's oversight that's needed at the School District of Philadelphia. I'm not talking about hiring firms to come in from East Giblip. I'm talking about people doing their jobs, people saying you're not doing what's right. And the other thing I talk about all the time is the lies. The lies, that half truths. And I'm telling you people in management position have got to stand up and really pay attention. Enough bringing all these people in from everywhere else. Let's deal with what we have. There's no reason why our young people can't get these jobs. I talked about South Africa. Years ago I talked to Dr Ackerman, I talked to Dr. Hite. Why is it still that our City looks like South Africa when it comes to construction? Something's wrong. You're welcome. Something's wrong. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mama Gail. Is there anyone else here for public comment? (No response.)
Okay. Hearing none, I want to thank all our witnesses for their participation today. We value your opinion. We will now go into our public meeting to consider the action to be taken on Bill Nos. 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240260 and 240262. Mr. Christmas, could you please call the roll and take attendance.
Present. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Councilmember Gilmore Richardson for a motion on Resolution Nos. 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240260 and 240262.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Resolutions 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240260 and 240262 be reported from this Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended as to permit consideration of these resolutions at our next session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
The Chair notes for the record that Councilmember Thomas seconds the motion. It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution 11 Nos. 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240260 and 240262 be reported from this Committee with a favorable recommendation that the rules of Council be suspended to permit consideration of these resolutions at our next session of Council. All those in favor will signify a motion by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and Resolution 2 Nos. 240254, 240255, 240256, 240257, 240258, 240259, 240260 and 240262 will be reported from this Committee with a favorable recommendation with a suspension of the rules to permit consideration of these resolutions at our next session of Council. This concludes the business for today of the Committee of the Whole. We thank everyone for being here. (Committee of the Whole concluded at 6:30 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