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Facilities Master PlanFacilities Master PlanSRC Vote on FMP RecommendationsOn Thursday March 29th, members of the School Reform Commission voted to close eight of the schools recommended in the District’s Facilities Master Plan. The eight schools approved for closure included: Harrison Elementary School, George Pepper Middle School, Fitzsimons High School, Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology, Rhodes High School, Sheridan West Academy, Charles R. Drew Elementary School and William Levering Elementary School. Also approved was the relocation of the AMY Northwest program. E.M. Stanton and Sheppard Elementary schools were chosen to remain open. However, commissioners stressed that the work is not done, and that strategies to rightisize, address building condition, and improve utilization to best serve students must still be addressed. To read the full press release click here.
The ProcessThe Facilities Master Plan was designed for the primary purpose of creating an efficient use of school facilities that allows programs and resources to be aligned in a way that most benefits the education of students.
Phase one of the Facilities Master Plan process began in November 2010, when the District hosted community meetings across the city in order to collect feedback from stakeholders and determine the "must-haves" for schools. More than 1400 stakeholders from every area of the city participated in phase one of the process.
The District then used the data gathered in phase one to help guide the recommendations for school closure, relocation, and grade changes to the School Reform Commission on November 2nd.
Following the presentation, the District launched a series of parent and community engagement meetings to present recommendations, gather feedback, and answer questions. The District conducted 17 meetings beginning on Saturday, November 19th; the meetings are scheduled to conclude on Wednesday, February 15th.
The School District utilized several forms of communication to inform the public about the meetings, including advertisements in the Daily News and community papers; postings on the District’s website, Facebook page, and Twitter accounts; letters sent to the impacted schools; and prerecorded phone calls to student’s homes.
In addition to the community forums, additional school-based meetings were also held to ensure parents and stakeholders were informed about the District’s recommendation. A total of 1,165 people participated in the process. To view review the list of meeting dates and locations, as well as details on attendance please click here.
With the second phase of community meetings compete, The School Reform Commission (SRC) of the School District of Philadelphia held ten (10) consecutive special public hearings on Saturday, March 3, 2012, in the Auditorium of the School District’s Education Center. Materials from the SRC hearings can be found below.
SRC Hearing MaterialsBefore the hearings, the District provided the SRC with extensive portfolios on each school recommended for closure. The portfolios are available here: Drew, Levering/AMY , Pepper, Fitzsimons/Rhodes, Harrison, Stanton, Sheppard, H.S. for Business, Sheridan West
Draft transcripts of the hearings are available here: AMY Transcript , Stanton Transcript , Harrison Transcript , George Pepper Transcript, Fitzsimons/Rhodes Transcript, Sheppard Transcript , H.S. for Business Transcript, Sheridan West Transcript, Drew Transcript, Levering Transcript, Edwin M. Stanton Elementary School Hearing, Harrison Elementary School Hearing, George Pepper Middle School Hearing, Fitzsimons High School Hearing, Isaac A. Sheppard Elementary School Hearing, Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology Hearing, Sheridan West Academy Middle School Hearing, Charles R. Drew Elementary School Hearing, William Levering Elementary School and AMY Northwest Hearing
Following the hearings on March 3, the SRC submitted a file of questions to District staff to be answered before the final vote on March 29. Click here to read the complete Q and A document. Click here for attachments referenced in the Q & A. The SRC also requested a data sheet detailing the SPI, and estimated savings for each school. Click here to see the complete data sheet. Recommendations» View Recommendations Summary
» View Full Facilities Master Plan Report
» View Recommendation PowerPoint Presentation November 2, 2011
» Watch the District's presentation of the Facilities Master Plan at the November 2nd SRC Meeting.
» View Phase 4 Community Meeting Schedule
Additional ResourcesLetter to Parents and Community Members from the SRC The School Reform Commission is dedicated to ensuring that the Facilities Master Plan process is one in which parents, students and stakeholders have the opportunity to learn more, share feedback, voice concerns and operate as active participants. To read a letter from the commissioners inviting the community to get involved please click here.
Joint Letter from Philadelphia Leaders in Support of the FMP Click below to read a joint letter in support of the FMP from signatories: Bishop Audrey F. Bronson, President, Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Cynthia Figueroa, President and CEO, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Carol Fixman, Executive Director, Philadelphia Education Fund, Lawrence Jones, President, Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, Jill Michals, President and CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Rob Wonderling, President and CEO, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Joint Letter from Philadelphia Leaders in Support of the District's Facilities Master Plan Click here for a map of all Charter Schools in the City of Philadelphia
Green 2015 and Philadelphia 2035 To learn more about City initiatives in line with the goals of the Facilities Master Plan, read about Philadelphia 2035, and Green 2015 below:
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