Philly school board considers renewals for 18 charter schools

Here ends the meeting — 4.5 hours in.

For more details on Thursday night's action meeting, visit my author page on Inquirer.com later Thursday night.

Meagan Macklin, a CAPA parent, told said: "This board continues to fail" CAPA students and staff. School staff have violated privacy laws, used staff as scapegoat for failures, invented fake grades, covered up a lack of instruction, lied to families, and more.

"This administrative staff at CAPA is a dumpster fire," Macklin said. Masterman and SLA families wouldn't be expected to put up with this, she said. "This is a complete failure, and we need the board to act."

Nadirah McCauley, a KIPP North Philadelphia parent and staffer — and educator. KIPP North Philadelphia embodies what kids need, McCauley said.

"School choice matters, especially in communities like North Philadelphia, where access to quality education has not always been guaranteed," said McCauley. "They are not just a choice, they are a premium choice."

Lawrence Jones, a school leader at Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, told the board: "I want to acknowledge that receiving a transparent renewal recommendation at an early point in the school year allows schools — especially a smaller school — to have a level of certainty, stability that allows schools to move forward, something that we haven't always had, and something that we think is important for schools," Jones said.

Jones said Richard Allen no longer has a hazardous school designation, meaning fewer kids get busing. A child got hit by a garbage truck recently, and Richard Allen wants to look at ways to do transportation differently.

Deborah Grill, a community member, told the board: "You cannot in good faith close" any district schools since you opened a new charter last month.

Janiya McQueen, attended People for People from 3rd through 12th grades. Now, she's a college graduate.

She just earned her diploma from Gwynedd-Mercy University and is on her way to a master's in counseling. People for People shaped her, she said. She supports its renewal.

Parent Honelia Mirabel Lopez, a parent with three kids at Mastery Thomas, loves the school.

She is speaking on behalf of many parents, she said. (Lopez testified in Spanish; her testimony was translated.)

"Families love Thomas," Lopez said. "On behalf of all the parents at Mastery, I want to thank you."

Cecilia Thompson, a former school board member, said she believes the facilities planning process is going well, and asks that students with special needs not be pitted against those without disabilities.

Cassandra St. Vil, who leads Philadelphia Charters for Excellence, applauded the board's decision to approve a new charter school last month.

St. Vil encourages the board to renew all charters in the cohort.

"Please, continue to support Philadelphia's families by supporting choices available to them, because expanding public school choices is good for Philadelphia," St. Vil said.

» READ MORE: Philly will get its first new charter school in 8 years

George Tomlin, a parent at Frederick Douglass Charter School, said his son has improved significantly since he began Frederick Douglass. "I think it's very important that this school board renews all Mastery charter schools," he said.

Selina Williams, a parent at Mastery Charter Mann, loves the school. "They created a plan, worked closely with me, and stayed in constant communication," Williams said. "I've never had a single complaint."

Janie Jones-Hurd, a grandparent whose grandkids attend Mastery Charter Mann, is pleased with the education Mann provides. "I wholeheartedly support the renewal of Mastery Mann Charter," she said.

Retired educator Lynda Rubin says the board's decision to grant a new charter was dangerous and will open the floodgates to further charters.

Keyshanna Parker, mother of a student at Mastery Prep Charter School said:

"My son wakes up excited for school; he talks about what he's learning, he tells me about his teachers like they're superheroes," Parker said.

Samaya McQueen, a graduate of People for People and now Villanova University, is speaking out for People for People.

"The confidence, discipline, and resilience I learned at People for People helped me every step along the way," McQueen said. She praised the "love, structure and high expectations" of People for People which "changed my life."

Eugene Haith, principal of Mastery Prep Charter School, is pleased about the recommendation of a five-year renewal for Mastery Prep.

Monique Dolcy, principal of Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter School, said the school has had challenges, but is on the upswing, with academic growth, strong teacher, and administration retention. Attendance is up, and enrollment has improved, she said.

"The game changer," she said, is that more than half of students at the K-2 level are now reading at or above grade level. That will soon translate to state test scores, she said.

Kristin Luebbert, a district teacher, is "really appalled that the solution to difficulty meeting standard is to jettison three grades of students." She's referring to People for People.

Luebbert disputes the notion that charters do not cost more than district schools. Many charter school CEOs earn high salaries — some over half a million dollars to run a few schools, she said.

Superintendent Watlington is paid about $340,000 to run 216 schools.

Ayo Akinmoladun, principal of Mastery-Harrity, is speaking out for the school's renewal.

"Harrity is a place where students feel safe, celebrated and supported everyday," Akinmoladun said. Academic expectations are high, he said.

Barbara Dowdall, a retired Philadelphia educator and member of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, says the board and district are advantaging charters and outside-managed schools.

Lynn Miller, a Mastery Frederick Douglass grandparent and member of the parent action team, is presenting a petition from parents who want the school renewed, along with letters of support from elected officials.

"For me, the story is deeply personal," Miller said. "My granddaughter, Chloe, is a student at Douglass. She receives special education services, and I cannot express how much progress she has actually made since attending Mastery Douglass."

The board is in a short recess before speakers begin.

There will be 30 speakers, plus 1 student speaker and two elected officials scheduled.

Board member Crystal Cubbage, speaking generally about charters, said: "I'm carefully evaluating renewal decisions for several schools based on their performance and outcomes."

Vice President Andrews asks about People for People, which has been open for 20 years. She wants to know how they've done over the years.

Chao said: "This is a school that has experienced some challenges over time." It was a K-12, moved down to K-8, and is proposed to go down to a K-5.

Chao goes over the details and recommendations for the final five schools listed here. They include:

The next group of charters to be discussed are:

Board member Joyce Wilkerson asks about the Renaissance schools: She wants to know how these Renaissance schools are doing. We made a promise to neighborhoods that these schools will improve, she said. This is a model that has, by and large, not worked; we don't want to drift away and leave these neighborhoods without a school, she continues.

Wilkerson said she's excited about the rethinking of the charter framework, in part because "I am concerned that we have set up a system that accepts lower standards for children who are minority, English language learners," have disabilities, etc.

Up now for board evaluation is a cohort including five Mastery schools:

Two schools are recommended for straight five-year renewals, with no conditions: Community Academy of Philadelphia and Mastery Charter School-Thomas.

Community Academy of Philadelphia is one of the original Pennsylvania charters: It received its charter in 1997. In 2013, it issued a notice of nonrenewal, so is for sure a triumph. It approached standards in academics, and meets standards in compliances and finances.

We're onto the charter renewal cohort now. We'll go through the 18 schools in groups of four.

"We are going to spend some time — just a few minutes – on each of these schools," Chao said. But there are 50-plus page reports about each school on the charter office's website, Chao said.

"We had a very diverse set of schools that serves students across the city," Chao said. Among the cohort are four Renaissance charters — district schools that were given to charters to run, continuing as neighborhood schools.

Peng Chao, the district's chief of charter schools, is presenting "some really critical charter school matters that wrap up our school year."

There are 18 schools in the 2024-25 renewal cohort, but the board will also consider a mid-term charter amendment from Green Woods Charter School, which is asking for an enrollment increase.

(Chao reminds the board that, by law, it can take no action on the charter amendment request. Green Woods, in Roxborough, has 675 students. It wants an enrollment increase of 67 students to accommodate siblings on waiting lists. It has "aligned with the board's expectations for student achievement," and the charter office is recommending the board approve the request.)

Shelley Wolf, who leads PSTV, the district's public access station, who's responsible for bringing meetings to the public via the livestream, is being honored by the board.

Wolf dedicated herself not just to the technical aspects of her work, but to exposing students to possible careers. Lots of cheers for all Wolf has done for the district, kids, and the board.

Board president Reginald L. Streater called the meeting to order a few minutes after 4 p.m. The purpose of today's meeting, he said, is to deliberate charter school renewals. There will not be any votes today.