The public sounds off at school board hearing about CAPA, facilities planning, pools, and more
Follow along with Inquirer education reporter Kristen A. Graham, reporting from the Philly school board public hearing.
The Philadelphia school board hosted a public hearing Thursday, one of its twice yearly sessions.
Speakers testified on a variety of topics, from the situation at Philadelphia's High School for Creative and Performing Arts to the district's facilities planning process.
Meeting adjourns
And the school board's public session is over! For a full story on this afternoon's meeting, check back on Inquirer.com tonight.
Thanks for following along! We’ll see you back here next Thursday, May 29, for the district's monthly action meeting.
Watlington responds to concerns at CAPA and the facilities process
Speakers are finished now.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., responding, says he's aware that CAPA has a great history: "I am paying close attention as your superintendent to the fact that enrollment has gone down by more than 200 students."
Citing famous alums — Questlove, Black Thought — and the school's proud history, Watlington said "my expectation is that we restore that enrollment."
School safety supervisor wants bulletproof vests for all school officers
Douglas Neal, a school safety supervisor, said he does not feel safe working in the district. There's not enough essential safety equipment and training for school safety officers, he said.
He wants bulletproof vests for the officers. "I feel it is essential that we have some level of protection against attackers," Neal said.
Neal was standing feet away from a shooter outside Overbrook High. He's a disabled U.S. Marine veteran and former correction officer.
Retired teacher says kindergarten should be mandatory
Sonya Peck, a retired district teacher, said kindergarten should be mandatory. (It is not in Pennsylvania.)
She also calls for more parent involvement and mandatory after-school tutoring for kids who are far behind. This is more appropriate than special education placements, Peck said.
More CAPA parents speak out about their kids receiving fraudulent grades
CAPA parent Kathleen Mulhearn is talking about fraudulent grades received by her daughter and other students in a precalculus class.
"My children is a straight A student who wants to learn," she said. Having a fraudulent grade affects her longterm future, she said.
"I doubt my child will get real instruction in math or be ready for calculus next year," Mulhearn said. Students have been done a disservice, she said.
Former school board member recognizes awards program for students with disabilities
Cecilia Thompson, a former school board member, shouts out the district for the recent PhilAbilities summit, an awards program for students with disabilities. The program was very meaningful to families, she said.
"If there's ever a manifestation of what joy looks like, that's it," Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said of the PhilAbilities event.
Parents urge the board to grow magnet schools and pour resources into Philadelphia Virtual Academy
Lanique Goldphin, parent of a district student, talks about her child having difficulty getting accepted to a special admissions school because they had been homeschooled. She offers assistance finding additional space to grow magnet schools in the city.
Latonya Diggs-Clay, parent of a child who attends the Philadelphia Virtual Academy, the district's fully online school, said more resources and support are need for the school.
CAPA parent calls out 'negligent leadership' at the school
Matt Curtius, a CAPA parent, said his daughter, a sophomore, has empty seats in her class due to administrative mistakes. Curtius talks about "negligent leadership."
Some of Curtius' beloved teachers are leaving because of the "toxic environment of the school.
"We love CAPA. We want to see CAPA get the leadership it deserves," he said.
Parent urges the board to hire more full-time librarians
Lauren Popp, a parent, is speaking for school librarians. The district has just three full-time certified school librarians — and the schools that have them are elite schools.
"I want my children to have access to what other students have at these schools," Popp said.
» READ MORE: In Philly, school librarians are an endangered species. But the district could soon help lead a renaissance.
CAPA students' personal information was shared in a meeting, parent tells the board
Micky Devitt, mother of a CAPA freshman, loves that the school is economically and racially diverse. But she's upset that the school was set to lose teachers — and enrollment — and there are administrative failures.
Devitt said students' personal information was shared in a parent meeting. She has concerns about administrative professionalism and capacity. "Faith in CAPA's top leadership is plummeting," she said.
"We are not out of the woods and the problems with top leadership are more serious than mentoring may address," Devitt said, asking for close monitoring and better communication at the school.
Community member flags poor condition of football field in North Philly
George Stevenson, a community member, notes that Chalmers Field in North Philadelphia, is in poor condition. High schools sometimes play football games there. It's unclear who owns the field, Stevenson said.
Teacher asks the board: 'Who is supervising the supervisors?'
Kristin Luebbert, a district teacher, said the school should not be "a hand-holder and a cheerleader" to the administration. It needs to fix schools with toxic administrators, change the enrollment process, and manage unchecked teacher vacancies.
"Who is supervising the supervisors? That's part of your job," Luebbert said.
CAPA has subjected students to 'educational neglect,' parent says
Tara O'Brien, a CAPA parent, said students at the school have been subject to "educational neglect and fraudulent grading practices" in multiple classes.
"That is not a mistake, that is fraud," O'Brien said. One teacher said "I only give As, but that's our secret," she said.
"These grades are a lie — they are not just inaccurate, they are intentionally misleading," O'Brien said. Students were not taught for most of the year, she said. The grades are "fraudulent academic records" deliberately created.
'Several serious shortcomings' in facilities planning process, speaker says
Elaine Simon, a member of the community leaders' facilities planning process, cites "several serious shortcomings" in the process that she said must be addressed immediately.
"We do want a facilities plan, but we want one that prioritizes" the community — not just what the district wants.
Clouden family speaks to the board: 'It's time for a new leader,' says Horace, former district employee
"It's time for a new leader," said Horace Clouden, a former district employee. Clouden believes that the district needs to return to a junior high model and reopen pools.
He believes certain sections of the city are neglected, and said the district's facilities planning process is "dead in the water."
"The district is teaching around the Black student," Clouden said.
Parent addresses the board about an incident at her son's school
Parent Niama Joyner, whose son attends a district school, is raising concerns about an incident that happened to her son.
"It's being swept underneath the rug," Joyner said.
Charter school employee says schools should have checks and balances to get charters renewed
Mercedes Mason de Gómez, a charter school employee and member of Philadelphia Charters for Excellence, reminds the board that charter schools are public schools and must have checks and balances to get charters renewed.
"Charters do not take from the district, but enhance it," Mason de Gómez said.
Speakers ask the district to consider environmental protections in facilities planning
Katrina Eames, a Philadelphia parent, is also asking for changes to the facilities planning process and more environmental protections.
Melissa Duvelsdorf, a community member, asks for stronger environmental protections in schools, also.
CAPA parent says there is a 'deeper systemic breakdown' at the school
Cindy Burstein, a CAPA parent, is sounding a call for help at the school, describing a situation where an intruder — a former employee — entered the school, stayed there for four hours, pulling students to make disparaging reports about a current employee. The incident "was dismissed by the principal," Burstein said.
There is a "deeper systemic breakdown" at the school, Burstein said.
Former teachers call for changes to the facilities planning process, and for schools to stay 'open and fully funded'
Lisa Haver, a retired district teacher and founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, asked for more board transparency and supported the call for changes to the facilities planning process.
Katy Egan, a former district teacher, said the facilities planning process must be different than it was in 2013. "We want all schools to stay open and fully funded. A closure by another euphemistic name is still a closure," Egan said.
Need for district indoor pools is reiterated
Charisma Presley, whose children testified about the need for indoor pools, is amplifying her kids' pool.
She asked folks to join her in making "good trouble" and asked the board to commit to reopening pools.
Gloria Presley also spoke to the board, calling closed pools "potential hubs of hope," not just swimming spots, but violence prevention strategies.
Advisory board member for district facilities planning process calls for an 'immediate halt' to the process
Akira Drake Rodriguez, a Philadelphia parent and member of an advisory board informing the district facilities planning process, is asking for “an immediate halt” to the facilities planning process, deep and authentic community engagement, and more. Closures should not be on the table.
“You cannot in good faith say that this is a robust engagement process,” Rodriguez said.
Charlie Hudgins, a member of the teacher advisory group that's advising the facilities planning process, joined the call for a reformed process. The plan is on track to create a short-sighted plan, Hudgins said. He called for an immediate release of the data behind decisions, which has not yet been made public.
District alum calls for cleaner air in schools
Greg Windle, a community member and district alum, testified about the need for cleaner air and better environmental controls in the district.
Parents raise concerns about CAPA
Parents are raising concerns about the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, historically one of the city’s top schools.
“There is a serious leadership problem at CAPA that is affecting the morale of what used to be a highly regarded magnet school in Philadelphia,” said Barbara Adams, parent of a child at the school.
Adams also raised issues of grade fixing — students in a precalculus class had no instruction from October through February, but received grades based on no assignments, she said.
Northeast High student asks the board for help with his track coach
Damont Barber, a senior at Northeast High, is telling the board about issues with his track coach.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., responding to Barber, said the district's athletic director will follow up with the student.
Carver High student urges the board to provide more support for immigrant students
Xander Castellanos, a student at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, is asking for supports for immigrant students. There are not enough bilingual counseling assistants, he said. Kids "don't get enough help with English language. We need to know that the district is doing their best to support students" and keep its promises.
Castellanos said the district needs to open more Newcomer Academies (there are currently two, just for high school students new to the country) and more staff to support immigrant students.
"Change takes time, but we need you to not give up now," Castellanos said.
The value of indoor pools: Students begin speaking to the school board
Student speakers are up first.
Yusef Rawlerson is one of five students speaking about the importance of the Philadelphia School District's indoor pools. Rawlerson learned to swim at Pickett Pool, and believes access needs to be widened, and indoor pools need to be reopened.
"This isn't just about having fun in the summer. It's about life skills, safety," and more, said Rawlerson. The only pools where kids can train for lifeguard jobs are at Friends Central or Lincoln — too far for many families to get to.
Written testimony touches on Northeast and CAPA
Board member Whitney Jones is summarizing written testimony: Northeast High School students and teachers spoke out in support of their school, some parents from the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts talked about leadership problems at the school, and more.
Public hearing called to order
School board president president Reginald Streater has called the meeting to order.
"We look forward to hearing the education ideas you care about," Streater said. "While we may sit up here and appear stoic at times, I assure you the board is listening intently, and will continue to listen after the meeting concludes."