Focus on A Downsizing District
February 2013 Vol. 20 No. 4
“All I see is the possibility of somebody getting killed,” says Reggie Hall, a violence prevention expert in Northwest Philadelphia. Shown here on Germantown Avenue, Hall was speaking of the District’s proposal to close Germantown High School and send hundreds of students to nearby Martin Luther King.
Playing with fire
by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news Partner
Brickyard. Dogtown. Haines Street. Somerville.
For thousands of teens in Northwest Philadelphia, the names signify a potent mix of neighborhood loyalty, turf rivalry, and gang conflict that has been passed down for generations.
Take Dayton Melton.
The 15-year-old hails from Brickyard, in lower Germantown.
Melton says he’s fought kids from Somerville, on the other side of Chew Avenue, dozens of times.
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More in this edition
Charters loom large in school-closing debate
by Paul Jablow
Her neighborhood school was targeted for closing, and Dawn Hawkins was angry. As she confronted Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite at a community meeting, she was clear about one reason why.
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Closure savings are labor savings
by Bill Hangley, Jr.
Philadelphia School District officials say that closing buildings will save them millions of dollars a year.
But a closer look at the numbers shows that the lion’s share of savings will come from eliminating jobs.
Officials have been adamant that their Facilities Master Plan, which would close 37 schools and relocate seven more, is a financial necessity that will ultimately save the District $28 million annually – but less in the first year.
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Where displaced teachers will land is uncertain
by Connie Langland
These are days stretching into weeks of uncertainty for hundreds of teachers in the 44 schools slated to be shuttered or relocated under the Facilities Master Plan before the School Reform Commission.
Will their school be closed?
Will they be laid off?
Where will they land?
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The transition: More promises than plans
by Bill Hangley, Jr.
The Philadelphia School District’s plan for surviving its fiscal crunch is simple: Less must be more.
And while the proposal to close or relocate 44 schools makes it clear how the District wants to handle part of the “less” side of the equation, just exactly how it will deliver on the promise of “more” is yet to be explained.
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Change the dynamic
Common sense dictates that the School District should be looking for opportunities to close crumbling schools that are half-empty and underperforming. In a cash-starved system with a shrinking population and aging facilities, we can’t afford not to.
Officials acknowledge that closing schools is painful but say that once we get through it, we’ll all be better off with a streamlined system – and the District will be poised to improve its fortunes.
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Table of Contents
Theme articles
- Charters loom large in school-closing debate by Paul Jablow
- Playing with fire by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news Partner
- Closure savings are labor savings by Bill Hangley, Jr.
- The transition: More promises than plans by Bill Hangley, Jr.
- Where displaced teachers will land is uncertain by Connie Langland
- Timeline: Closings and controversy
- Quicktakes: What are your hopes and fears about the closings process? Interviews and photos by Kofi Biney
- Web Exclusive 40 years ago, Germantown-King pairing marred by neighborhood rivalries by Benjamin Herold, video by Kimberly Paynter
- A closer look: 44 schools to be closed or relocated
In our opinion
- Change the dynamic
- Budget: Red alert
Eye on special education
- District says services will follow students, but parents must be proactive to make sure by Sonja Kerr
News in brief
- Hite says transportation solutions will come after final closings list by Charlotte Pope
- First round of Keystone Exams: Much concern among teachers by Charlotte Pope
Activism around the city
- YUC makes six demands for healthier school lunches by Kofi Biney
- A new state budget proposal, another fight for education aid Wendy Harris
From our readers
- Tests should encourage
Notebook news
- Teaching, writing, and spreading the word by Kofi Biney
- Making moves in 2013 by Wendy Harris
School snapshot
- Students at Hill-Freedman participate in event promoting STEM
Other news & features
- Mass school closings: Why the numbers don’t add up by Helen Gym
- Quotes from the front lines
Cartoon
- February edition cartoon
En español
- Transición de escuelas del cierre no está clara por Bill Hangley Jr.
- Incierto dónde terminarán los maestros desplazados por Connie Langland
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