West Philadelphia High still in limbo

At the last minute, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission opted not to make a decision on what will happen to West Philadelphia High in September.

The struggling school has been designated a "Renaissance" school, one of 14 that is to be radically restructured in the fall. The other 13 will either be turned into charters or run by Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, with longer school days and years, new programs and mostly new teaching forces.

The fates of the other 13 were decided two weeks ago. West was deferred until Wednesday to give the school advisory committee more time to make a decision.

According to a public resolution available at Wednesday's School Reform Commission meeting, West Philadelphia was to be run by Johns Hopkins/Diplomas Now, a Baltimore-based nonprofit. But commission chair Robert L. Archie Jr. said the resolution had been pulled because more time was needed.

No further information was immediately available.

West Philadelphia has failed to meet state standards for years, but has seen an improvement in school safety and atmosphere in recent years.

Many at the school, including members of its advisory council, had said they thought Hopkins was the best option for the school.