19 top Phila. schools to add students in September

Nineteen top Philadelphia public schools will expand this year, offering 2,300 new seats to students citywide.

The high-achieving schools - including Greenfield Elementary, E.M. Stanton Elementary, Girls High, Carver High of Engineering and Science, and Franklin Learning Center - will all add seats in September.

The expansion "lets the city of Philadelphia know that the School District of Philadelphia is investing in the growth of high-quality, high-performing school options," Penny Nixon, the district's chief academic officer, said at a news conference Tuesday at Girls High.

In all, 1,802 new high school spots are opening, and 470 elementary and middle-school seats. The high schools are all citywide or magnet schools that already require an application for admittance; elementary schools will be open to students who qualify for a transfer under No Child Left Behind guidelines, and then for any student who applies for a voluntary transfer.

The 19 schools were selected for additional students based on performance and available capacity.

Not all top schools will grow; at some, space is at a premium. At prestigious Masterman, for instance, it's already overcrowded, with no room to expand.

Nixon said it was possible such schools would add students as part of a facilities master planning process. She also stressed a commitment to replicating strong academic programs.

District and city officials have vowed to aggressively cut 50,000 seats in the city's lowest-performing schools over five years, replacing them with seats in high-performing schools, regardless of whether they're run by the district or by charter organizations.

Philadelphia has received $100,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support this effort, and officials hope to win more money.

Nixon said she did not believe the expansion would cost the district extra funds, which is crucial to a school system grappling with massive financial problems. The district must still close a budget gap of about $26 million by June, and faces an additional $189 million shortfall for the 2012-13 year.

Depending on their enrollment boost, some schools might need additional teachers or other resources. Those will come from existing resources - school budgets are tied to enrollment.

The full list of schools to expand is: AMY Northwest, E.M. Stanton, Fell, Fox Chase, Greenberg, Greenfield, Middle Years Academy, Nebinger, Academy at Palumbo, Carver High School of Engineering and Science, CAPA, Franklin Learning Center, Girls' High, Lankenau, Philadelphia Military Academy at Leeds, Parkway Center City, Randolph Skills Center, Saul, and Arts Academy at Rush.

"The commitment," Nixon said, "is to make sure all these seats are filled."

Parthenia Moore, principal of Girls High, said her school was ready to welcome 334 new students - the largest planned expansion. Girls and the other high schools' admissions criteria will not change.

"The rigor will not be watered down in any way, shape, or form," Moore said.

High schoolers will be chosen from the pool of students who applied for admission to those schools earlier in the year.

It's possible, though, that the admissions process might be reopened.

At the elementary-school level, students will first be accepted through a No Child Left Behind school choice program, which allows students in low-performing schools to ask to transfer to better schools. Parents whose children are eligible will soon receive notice.

Any additional spots will be up for grabs for voluntary transfer from any school in the city.