Phila. taking back 6 privatized schools

In a blow to the Philadelphia School District's historic privatization experiment, the School Reform Commission voted yesterday to seize six schools from outside managers and warned them that they are in danger of losing 20 others if progress is not made.

"Hard decisions have to be made," said Arlene Ackerman, the district's chief executive. "Adults must be held accountable."

Of the 38 schools run by outside managers, 16 percent - the poorest performers - will return to district control, 53 percent will get one year to show accelerated progress, and 32 percent will get new, three-year contracts.

Operated by a variety of providers, such as companies and universities, the schools were evaluated on their academic performance and their climate, including attendance and violence.

Privatization, considered by many the core of sweeping changes imposed under a Republican-led state takeover, came to the district in 2002. The decision put Philadelphia in the national vanguard.

At one point, officials considered turning the entire district over to Edison Schools Inc., a for-profit provider that runs 20 schools, four of which will return to district control.

But in the last six years, the privately run schools have not proved to be a silver bullet. The schools failed to deliver higher test scores than district schools did, despite costly interventions.

Sandra Dungee Glenn, School Reform Commission chairwoman, said it was time for action.

"It's been six years, and it's time to sort it out," she said. "We need to be tailoring and matching models to the needs of each school."

Still, despite the hard line, the "diverse provider" model is a worthy one and here to stay in Philadelphia, Dungee Glenn said.

Schools that are performing well will need no district interventions, and their best practices will be shared with struggling schools, she said.

"We're also not closing the door to new relationships," Dungee Glenn said.

The six that will open in September as district schools - Gillespie, Harrity, Potter-Thomas, Stetson, Dunbar and Fitzsimons - have repeatedly failed to meet state standards and district targets. They will receive intense district support, including teacher coaches, targeted professional development, a parent-outreach worker, and a social worker.

Schools in the second tier, which have shown limited progress, will receive some of that support. After their year is up, the commission will look for significant improvement and may return them to district control or consider turning them into charter schools.

"It puts providers on notice that we consider they have made just limited progress for children, and that's not good enough," Ackerman said of the middle tier.

Each of the schools returning from outside management will retain its faculty, Ackerman said.

"We are not reconstituting any school," she said. "This is probably more support than they've gotten ever from the district."

The contract discussion sparked some controversy on the commission. Participating in the meeting via teleconference, James Gallagher urged his fellow members to wait a month before acting.

Gallagher said he was unclear on how schools had been selected for the three groups.

"Some of these schools were in horrific condition. Now they're in positive condition?" he asked.

Ackerman shot back that there was no time for delay. She said she needed all summer to prepare the returning schools to open in the fall.

Gallagher was overridden, and the measure passed, 3-1. Commissioner Heidi Ramirez abstained because she is a professor at Temple University, one of the outside managers.

Representatives of Edison, the largest provider, said they were disappointed to lose four schools. Todd McIntire, general manager, singled out two for making gains not reflected in the district's data.

And "a year is a problem" for 12 other Edison schools because it's not enough time to evaluate change, he said.

"Overall, Edison Schools brought significant progress to the reform effort in all of the partnership schools since 2002," he said in a statement.

The commission also took action on two other projects.

Sulzberger and Turner Middle Schools in West Philadelphia will close at the end of next school year because of low enrollment. The district is shifting most primary schools to kindergarten through eighth grade.

Also, the Parkway West and Middle Years Alternative Schools, both in a building at 49th and Chestnut Streets, will move to the Sulzberger site.

Of 38 Philadelphia public schools run by companies or universities, 16 percent will return to district management, 53 percent will be run under one-year contracts, and 32 percent were approved for new three-year deals.

Returning to the district: Gillespie, Harrity, Potter-Thomas and Stetson (Edison); Dunbar (Temple University); Fitzsimons (Victory).

One-year contracts: Alcorn, Barratt, Hartranft, Kelley, Kenderton, Locke, Ludlow, McMichael, Penn Treaty, Sulzberger, Tilden and Waring (Edison); Kinsey, Martin Luther King and Pastorius (Foundations); Ferguson (Temple); E.H. Vare (Universal); Pepper, Rhodes and Wright (Victory).

Three-year contracts: Anderson, Comegys, Huey and Shaw (Edison); Fulton (Foundations); Duckrey and Meade (Temple); E.M. Stanton (Universal); Lea and A. Wilson (University of Pennsylvania); Bethune and Pratt (Victory)

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