Commentary: Hite's hiring is not a cause for celebration
The appointment of William Hite as our new superintendent has won praise from many in education circles. His performance in meetings with stakeholders, his credentials as an educator, high marks from...
View ArticleHope for program focused on new immigrant students
by Willie ColonThe School District announced plans in the spring to consolidate its Newcomer Learning Academies (NLAs) at one site at Benjamin Franklin High School. But there was still community...
View ArticleWilliam Penn Foundation bankrolling $160,000 communications campaign for...
By Benjamin Herold for the Notebook/NewsWorksThe William Penn Foundation has paid more than $160,000 for work being done by two private communications firms to support the School Reform Commission’s...
View ArticleCommentary: Advocacy lessons from Upper Darby
A wave of “people power,” has been spreading through the Upper Darby School District. Although it’s right in our backyard, many of us may not be aware of the struggle that has much to teach us here in...
View ArticleHite officially hired, will start Oct. 1
The School Reform Commission on Tuesday officially hired Dr. William Hite as superintendent, effective Oct. 1, at an annual salary of $300,000.All five members voted in favor of the five-year contract,...
View ArticleAmid charter growth and fraud charges, city leaders consider overhaul of...
By Benjamin Herold for the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorksEven as federal investigators were finalizing a massive fraud indictment against one of Philadelphia’s most prominent charter school operators, the...
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Job Roles Shifting for Districts' Central Offices
The Notebook has a content-sharing agreement with Education Week, where this piece originally appeared. It outlines the experiences of some other cities that have moved toward a system of "portfolio...
View ArticleReport detailing Boston Consulting Group findings and recommendations released
By Dale Mezzacappa and Benjamin HeroldThe School District released a 119-page document on Thursday that summarized the analyses and recommendations of the Boston Consulting Group, an outside firm...
View ArticleLessons on portfolio management, here and elsewhere
Can Philadelphia establish a robust, accountable "portfolio management" system for schools at the same time it faces huge budget shortfalls?Research for Action this week released an issue brief on...
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This year, it’s Philly charter schools’ turn to wrestle with budget cuts
By Benjamin Heroldfor NewsWorks, a Notebook news partnerLike a hurricane predictably making its way up the coast, the financial storm that battered the Philadelphia School District last year is now...
View ArticleExpansion of School Advisory Councils: Popular idea, but devil is in the details
By Paul JablowFor supporters of extending School Advisory Councils (SAC) to all schools in the District -- and there is virtually no outspoken opposition to this -- the devil is in the details.A...
View ArticleCommentary: BCG 'collective bargaining reform' and what it would mean for...
Among the recommendations in the recently released Boston Consulting Group report is a call that the District “undertake comprehensive collective bargaining reform” with the Philadelphia Federation of...
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Commentary: Will Mayor Nutter match his education rhetoric to reality?
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter took the national stage last night at the Democratic National Convention to deliver a key platform issue of President Obama’s agenda: education.I, for one, couldn't be...
View ArticleDistrict outlines plan to outsource more Head Start seats
One issue that has mostly flown under the radar in the frenzy over school closings: The District is planning to privatize nearly 2,000 additional Head Start seats, saying that without this move the...
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Nutter, coalition plead with Harrisburg for $120 million for city schools
by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partnerSaying it’s time for Gov. Corbett to relieve the pain caused by massive cuts in state aid to public education over the last two years, Mayor...
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Hite: School budgets down 25 percent without more funds
Facing a $300 million structural deficit and still uncertain whether it will get the increased revenue and labor concessions it is seeking, the School District is asking schools to prepare to operate...
View ArticleGuide to school budgets isn't pretty
The School District has published its 2014 "Guide to School Budgets" that lays out quite starkly what to expect next year unless new money can be found. The document is meant for principals, School...
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How low can you go? Leading schools into (or out of) ruin.
by James H. LytleThe School District announced last week that its budget for next year would be cut by 25 percent. When coupled with the nearly 20 percent reductions the two previous years, school...
View ArticleFull of questions, Council makes no commitment on more funds for District
by Bill Hangley Jr.District officials met with City Council today to warn that unless Council, the state legislature, and the teachers' union pitch in, next year’s “dire” budget will transform schools...
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Students march on District headquarters, protesting doomsday budget
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorksPhiladelphia School District students are furious that they may have to endure even more cuts after they've already lost several nurses, central office staff members and...
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