Future of Neighborhood Schools in Philadelphia

[annie]

District: Closings could mean end of neighborhood assignment, middle schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

In order to close up to one-fifth of the city's traditional public schools by the fall of 2013, Philadelphia District officials are considering some dramatic steps, including a move away from the traditional system of assigning students to schools based on their home address.

It's been known for a while that at least two of the SRC members want to eliminate neighborhood high schools entirely (with Lorene Carey on a leave of absence, there are currently only four votes on the SRC). There's less appetite, generally, for the same on the K-8 level, not the mention the mess of increased transportation costs.

I've long suspected that the Renaissance program, giving neighborhood schools to charter operators, was done without any thought towards the possibility of having to close close schools in the future but have had a difficult time visualizing their presence. This article provided the map:

Where charters run the Philadelphia neighborhood schools



Up to 40 schools may be proposed for closure in the next month or so and obviously none of them will be Renaissance schools. So will the Renaissance schools have their catchments expanded and enrollment increased as a result? Will they be impacted in any way by consolidations? Or will the district work around them entirely? I wish I knew.

[AParent]

As a parent of a 3.5-yr-old living in a catchment of a struggling school, the bit about doing away with the traditional system of assigning students based on their home address is very important to me. My wife and I are considering moving a few blocks to be in the Meredith catchment, but are concerned that we may sell our house, buy another (more expensive) home in the catchment, just in time to see the catchments disappear and be subject to a lottery or some such- exactly what we hope to avoid. Do you (or anyone else) have any additional information pertaining to catchment dissolution or adjustments, especially with regards to elementary schools?

[annie]

From the facilities meetings, it's apparent there's more interest in keeping the catchments for K-8. I know Lori Schorr of the Mayor's Office on Education mentioned at an SRC meeting that early on in the Great Schools Compact they considered doing away with catchment assignments for all schools and it went over like a lead balloon.

Before buying call the school to confirm the house is actually in the Meredith catchment. Though if you are in the Jackson and Nebinger catchments I wouldn't exactly call those schools struggling. If you haven't already, be sure to visit your catchment school before making the decision to move. I know someone that was expecting to like Meredith but found Jackson had more what they were looking for for their child. Whatever you do, do not show up at a SRC meeting asking for your current block to be included in the Meredith catchment as that actually goes over worse than a lead balloon.

[AParent]

We are South of Washington close to 7th and Federal, and in the George Washington catchment. We've considered moving into the Andrew Jackson catchment as we've been hearing promising things about the new principal, and home prices are more reasonable, but everything is still up in the air. We may just wait another year to make a final decision given the uncertainty of it all.

[Eastcoast]

As a parent of a 3.5-yr-old living in a catchment of a struggling school, the bit about doing away with the traditional system of assigning students based on their home address is very important to me. My wife and I are considering moving a few blocks to be in the Meredith catchment, but are concerned that we may sell our house, buy another (more expensive) home in the catchment, just in time to see the catchments disappear and be subject to a lottery or some such- exactly what we hope to avoid. Do you (or anyone else) have any additional information pertaining to catchment dissolution or adjustments, especially with regards to elementary schools?

Keep in mind that the premium you will have paid to live in the Meredith catchment will evaporate with the implementation of a city wide lottery system.

[annie]

Keep in mind that the premium you will have paid to live in the Meredith catchment will evaporate with the implementation of a city wide lottery system.

Not going to happen.

We are South of Washington close to 7th and Federal, and in the George Washington catchment. We've considered moving into the Andrew Jackson catchment as we've been hearing promising things about the new principal, and home prices are more reasonable, but everything is still up in the air. We may just wait another year to make a final decision given the uncertainty of it all.

Keep an eye out for the 40 schools proposed for closure in October or November as the schools closing will likely impact the catchments of neighboring schools.

[Eastcoast]

Not going to happen.

I certainly hope it doesn't happen.

[AParent]

Keep in mind that the premium you will have paid to live in the Meredith catchment will evaporate with the implementation of a city wide lottery system.

Exactly why I'm here, asking questions. If we move to Meredith and the catchment disappears, we may have hit the triple-whammy of enduring a stressful move, losing equity due to home prices possibly dropping, and possibly not even getting into Meredith.

[JakeL]

Exactly why I'm here, asking questions. If we move to Meredith and the catchment disappears, we may have hit the triple-whammy of enduring a stressful move, losing equity due to home prices possibly dropping, and possibly not even getting into Meredith.

There is no way that they would change up the neighborhood schooling for grade schools. The only change I could foresee would be high schools. If you think about it, there are thousands of parents out there who have purchased a home in a catchment area and paid a significant premium for it. These parents, the ones who camp out overnight at Penn Alexander, are not going to allow their $100,000 home price premium to be lost. However, once these kids make it to highschool, they're going to magnet schools, such as Masterman, so it doesn't make a difference to them at that point.

[billy ross]

There is no way that they would change up the neighborhood schooling for grade schools. The only change I could foresee would be high schools. If you think about it, there are thousands of parents out there who have purchased a home in a catchment area and paid a significant premium for it. These parents, the ones who camp out overnight at Penn Alexander, are not going to allow their $100,000 home price premium to be lost. However, once these kids make it to highschool, they're going to magnet schools, such as Masterman, so it doesn't make a difference to them at that point.

As schools close - and dozens will - by necessity boundaries will need to change. However, I don't see the neighborhood school system being done away with. Schools in undesirable catchments will disappear or merge, so that schools can get closer to a reasonable occupancy level. I don't see tremendous rocking of the boat with respect to the success stories; there is consensus that efforts will be made to put the failures our of their misery and help out the ones that are on the fence, with the success stories left largely alone. Whenever someone from the administration has tried to jerk around a success story, they end up getting their fingers badly burned, because the schools that have organized constituencies (i.e. the success stories) mobilize and ward off the threats. I think the administration has gotten the message; I'm confident that the Board certainly has - as a matter of fact, I sort of think it's their message - that is, let the good schools be good schools, focus on separating what can be salvaged from what can't among the rest, and get it done.

[Naveen]

So could kids living in one part of the city get stuck having to go to school in an entirely different section of the city with no option to get into a closer school?

[annie]

So could kids living in one part of the city get stuck having to go to school in an entirely different section of the city with no option to get into a closer school?

I am not at all confident they have really taken into account the potential increase in costs to transportation. Also, that not all kids have a really specific interest that they want to study by 8th grade. Philadelphia School Partnership people seem to hate that kids with no interest in agriculture go to Saul anyway.