Watch CBS News

Draft List Of Philadelphia Schools Targeted For Closure Has Parents Upset

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The leak of an internal document listing Philadelphia schools up for possible closing has district officials firing back.
For months the district has been working on a plan to close or consolidate under-used school buildings, but it hasn't disclosed which ones. The education blog, The Public School Notebook, posted a draft of the plan listing 20 schools identified for possible closure.

Activist Helen Gym told the School Reform Commission that she thought parents would be part of the decision process.

"People put up $53 million worth of taxpayer money to stand up for this school district. And we were there to say that they should. And in response, at the very least, we deserve to know where the direction of the school district is going," Gym said. "We're not the enemy and we deserve to be treated better than this."

However, Deputy Superintendent Lee Nunery says the plan is a draft, and no one should jump to conclusions.

"To have somebody take, quite frankly, a work document, and call it official is more than a leap," Nunery said.

Nunery says the official proposal should be ready by the fall and the public hearings on any building closure will follow.

Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.