Philadelphia City Council aims to change how school board members are seated after controversial facilities vote
Philadelphia's City Council is going after the Board of Education. Specifically, how board members get their seats.
Just one week after the board approved the district's controversial facilities master plan, councilmembers approved a resolution to hold hearings on possibly changing the way board members are seated.
"The citizens of Philadelphia, along with the legislators who represent them, have lost confidence in this particular school board," Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said.
Currently, board members are appointed by the mayor and then approved by council. But now, City Council's Education Committee is set to explore alternate options, everything from a fully-elected board to a hybrid model.
Thomas, who chairs the Education Committee, said changes have been discussed in the past, as recently as 2022. But he feels that following the facilities plan vote, this was a move that had to be made.
"With the decisions we've seen recently and the level of resistance the public has, I think this is the right time to reintroduce this conversation," Thomas said.
In a delayed, heated hearing that saw two recesses and an ultimate switch to a virtual vote, board members approved the $3 billion plan that would close 17 schools and modernize 169 others in a 6-3 vote. Councilmembers and board members shouted back and forth at each other after council had asked for a pause and negotiations on the proposal.
Backlash to the plan has simmered over the last week, with lawmakers feeling as though they and community members were left out of the conversations.
"I watched our local appointed school board look at a room full of folks still begging and protesting and advocating for their neighborhood schools pay no mind to the cries of what feels like the whole city," said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who co-sponsored Thomas' resolution. "It was then that I understood, in real time, why we need an elected school board."
Board and district leaders have defended the plan as difficult but necessary, as the district struggles with declining enrollment, aging infrastructure and underfunding from Harrisburg.
In a statement Thursday, Board President Reginald Streater said in part: "Throughout this process, we have remained focused on doing what is in the best interest of all of our students. This includes making tough decisions that will help make our district strong and more sustainable."
But councilmembers have vowed to fight the school closures. Lawmakers say there are conversations on the next steps lawmakers may take happening behind closed doors, but he did not detail what those are.
"The mission is still the same," Council President Kenyatta Johnson said. "We want to get to the bottom of a school facilities plan that reflects the needs and concerns of all constituents."
Thomas, however, did re-up his call for the board president to step aside.
"I think we should be aggressive in calling on the board president's resignation because, to me, this is an example of failed leadership," he said.
Another item to watch is the future of Mayor Cherelle Parker's proposed ride-hailing tax. It has been pitched as a plan to provide $48 million annually to the district, to help stave off the movement of 340 teachers and staff to new schools.
Some councilmembers tied the ride-hailing proposal to the board vote. But on Thursday, those CBS News Philadelphia spoke with weren't tipping their hand.
"Now we starting the real discussions amongst ourselves on what that path forward is going to look like in terms of any type of support we're willing to provide," Johnson said.
Thomas acknowledged council cannot change how board members are seated on their own. They would need state approval to make the change. However, he noted that several area state lawmakers also opposed the plan.
As of Thursday, no date had been set on when the first hearing would happen.