Philadelphia district begins public meetings on the future of school buildings

There are more empty desks in Philadelphia School District schools - 45,000 - than there are seats in Citizens Bank Park, and the district is working on a long-range plan to solve the problem.

At Wednesday's School Reform Commission meeting, officials said the district would begin a three-step process with a series of public meetings beginning Wednesday to create a master facilities plan that will result in closing or finding new uses for some of the district's 284 schools and in upgrading others.

"We have more buildings than our current enrollment dictates, and our future enrollment needs dictate," Danielle Floyd, deputy for strategic initiatives, told the commission.

She and other district officials said it was too early to know how many schools could end up being closed or finding new uses, including providing space to charter schools.

The project, "Imagine Great Schools," is designed to mesh with Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's Imagine 2014 education-reform initiative and will consider grade configurations and academic offerings.

"Really, the bottom line here is we need to achieve greater efficiencies while still supporting the key academic reforms," Floyd said.

The district, which had 198,000 students in 2001, has 163,000 now.

Declining population in parts of the city, as well as the shift of more than 35,000 students to charter schools, has left the district with partially empty buildings that still need to be staffed, heated, and maintained.

Although schools in West and South Philadelphia are underused, buildings in the east and Northeast portions of the city are near capacity or overcrowded.

"I think that it's important that people understand the complexities of what we're doing," Floyd said.

In trying to determine its future space needs, the district is working closely with the city's Planning Commission, the Housing Authority, and community development organizations to discuss their residential development plans.

Floyd outlined a three-phase schedule of meetings that will begin with information sessions next week, followed by meetings to provide detailed information about individual schools and gather reaction to proposed options.

After gathering comments from parents, residents, students, and community representatives during more than 26 public meetings, the plan will be presented to the commission in April.

The draft, including proposed closings, reuse of buildings, and other changes, is expected in late January or early February.

As was the case with Imagine 2014 and the selection of the first Renaissance Schools, this planning process will provide multiple opportunities for public comment and the final plan will reflect those comments, Floyd said.

She said urban districts across the country are tackling the same issue. The district has talked to officials in Washington, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and other cities with shrinking school populations that recently have closed schools.

Noting the difficulties the district has had maintaining its facilities, commission member Joseph A. Dworetzky said the planning exercise was "long overdue."

And he said the effort that could result in closing schools will demonstrate to the legislature and others that the district is "willing to look really hard" to cut costs and improve efficiencies as it looks to replace the $250 million in aid from the federal stimulus program that ends July 1.

He and commission member David F. Girard-diCarlo also said the commission should consider ways in which the district could team with charter schools. They said that charters have difficulties finding facilities and that the district should consider offering them space.

"I think we have to be more flexible going forward," Girard-diCarlo said. "We're all in this together, and it's all about the kids."

The Philadelphia Schools Partnership, a new nonprofit organization aimed at raising at least $100 million in private aid to support all quality schools in the city, has called for improved communication and cooperation on facilities among district, charter, and nonpublic schools.

The first round of public meetings on the district's master facilities plan will begin with sessions from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Juniata Park Academy, 801 E. Hunting Park Ave. and next Thursday at Lincoln High School, 3201 Ryan Ave.

Additional information about the master facilities plan is available at www.philasd.org/fmp