// Timestamp 01/29/26 7:07pm
Board approves all the items on its agenda and adjourns
And, that’s a wrap on the board meeting. (At three hours, it was a quick one.)
// Pinned
// Timestamp 01/29/26 7:20pm
Recap: Parents, educators, and organizers urge the board to reconsider school closures
The Philly school board held its first action meeting of 2026 on Thursday, lasting a little over three hours.
Before the meeting, dozens of organizers rallied outside the school district headquarters to protest the proposed closure of 20 schools in the district’s school facilities plan.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. will not formally present the plan to the board until Feb. 26, but the topic took center stage at Thursday’s meeting as parents, educators, and other community members shared their concerns.
Here are a few takeaways:
- Many people spoke out in support of Lankenau High, an environmental sciences magnet school slated to close under the plan. One parent said the closure would be a “death sentence.”
- Many also spoke in support of Conwell Middle School, including its principal, who said closing it would “erase a legacy that still matters.”
- Some also pointed out that the proposed plan would disproportionately harm Black and low-income students in the city. Schools in the most vulnerable sections of Philadelphia would also be disrupted, an Inquirer analysis found.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 7:05pm
Board moves onto its agenda
Here ends the speakers list. Now we’re onto the board tackling its agenda, which usually happens very quickly.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 7:02pm
Former school board member shares concerns about Robert Morris closing
Cecelia Thompson, a former school board member, is concerned about Robert Morris closing.
It’s a special education hub, she said. What will happen to its students? “There’s nothing addressed in it,” Thompson said of the plan.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 7:01pm
Roxborough High school psychologist says the facilities proposal ‘appears to be a workaround’
Paul Brown, a school psychologist at Roxborough High School and member of Stand Up For Philly Schools, shares his thoughts about the facilities proposal.
On paper, he said, Roxborough will benefit from the plan because it will take in Lankenau High, a high-performing magnet.
“Lankenau would have to phase out their environmental science program” if it merges into Roxborough, Brown said.
“This proposal appears to be a workaround to push our students out of public education, rather than give them what they need,” Brown said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:52pm
Retired district teachers share concerns about the facilities plan, with one calling it ‘a moral failure’
Lisa Haver, a retired district teacher and founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public schools, calls the plan “a moral failure.”
Blankenburg Elementary, in West Philadelphia, would be closed under the plan; it sits across the street from a large charter school in a new building. This plan does not represent the public’s will, Haver said.
“None of these schools has to be closed. It’s not a budget issue,” Haver said. She taught at Harding Middle School, which is also on the closure list. “It hurts my heart.”
Barbara Dowdall, also a retired Philadelphia teacher, said: “Let us not mimic the crowbar removal of buildings, or history.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:46pm
Retired teacher says the community input process for the facilities plan was performative
Retired teacher Diane Payne says she can’t believe what the district says because she sees what it does. Community input on the facilities plan was performative, she said, and the blueprint feels top-down.
“We the people do not have buy-in with your top-down plan,” Payne said. “We do not want our public schools sold out from under us.”
Payne calls the plan “extremely flawed and disruptive.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:44pm
District parent asks board to consider what brought them to this moment
Colin Hennessy Elliott, a district parent, is speaking about the facilities plan broadly. The board must consider what brought the district to this moment, he said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:39pm
Closing Lankenau ‘would be like a death sentence,’ parent and district teacher says
Dana Williams, a Lankenau High parent and district teacher, said her son, who has autism, is thriving.
“Closing Lankenau High school would be like a death sentence to so many students’ social, emotional, and academic” lives, Williams said.
“This is the highest form of inequity,” Williams said of Lankenau’s closure. “I do not need my child going to a neighborhood high school. That was never an option.”
Williams’ son had choices of other magnet schools, she said, but he chose Lankenau. She said the closure would be a “bait and switch.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:37pm
Former student board member and Conwell graduate says Conwell is ‘one of the best pathways for student success’
Mwanasha VanWright, a 1997 Conwell graduate and former student board member, calls Conwell “one of the best pathways for student success our city has to offer.”
Conwell was key to her success, VanWright said. “I hope you reconsider closing Conwell,” VanWright said. If you do close the building, make Conwell the official middle school of Bodine, she urged the board.
VanWright is raising three fourth-generation Philadelphians. She wants them to have “strong options like Conwell,” she said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:35pm
Retired teacher questions the district’s plan to give some buildings to the city
Retired Philadelphia teacher Deborah Grill said the current facilities plan is “even worse” than the 2012 closures.
“At least those schools were given time to react and fight for their schools” before the School Reform Commission made its closure decisions, she said.
Grill asks: Why isn’t the district considering closing charter schools with empty seats?
Grill also questions the district’s plan to give some buildings to the city rather than using or selling them. “It really has nothing to do with the welfare of your students,” Grill said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:31pm
Vare-Washington Elementary principal expresses gratitude for board’s consideration of playground project
Alison Barnes, principal of Vare-Washington Elementary, said the community is thrilled the board will consider approving a playground project for Vare-Washington Thursday night. It’s nine years in the making, Barnes said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:28pm
Conwell parent asks the board to reconsider closing any middle schools
Tasha Smith, a parent of two Conwell students, opposes the closure of the school.
“I am asking for this board to require the district to reconsider closing Conwell, and to reconsider closing all middle schools. There has to be other ways to succeed,” Smith said.
Smith said that the district asking, “Do you want unnecessary transition?” in the facilities planning survey was a misleading question. It should have asked, “Do you want us to close middle schools?” because that what it’s doing. Kids need middle schools, she said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:31pm
Parent of two Conwell alums says the school is ‘a cornerstone of our community’
Priscilla Rodriguez, whose two sons attended Conwell, said the school is “a cornerstone of our community.”
It’s more than a school, she said. It offers meals and after-school support. “When a school closes, families don’t just adjust. They struggle,” Rodriguez said.
Conwell families “are already dealing with a lot,” said Rodriguez said. “You won’t make it any better by closing Conwell.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:23pm
Parent raises concerns about a teacher
Parent Tashi Grant is raising concerns about a teacher at her child’s school.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:22pm
Kensington ‘deserves investment, not abandonment,’ says former Conwell climate manager
James Washington, a former Conwell climate manager and husband of a Conwell graduate, noted the school’s 100th anniversary. “Closing Conwell is a profound loss to a community that has already endured too many disappointments,” Washington said.
Instead of celebrating the anniversary, “we are preparing to erase the legacy.”
“The Kensington community deserves investment, not abandonment,” Washington said, urging the board to “look beyond spreadsheets” and save Conwell.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:20pm
Head of Philadelphia Charters for Excellence asks the board to consider charters an equal partner
Cassandra St. Vil, head of Philadelphia Charters for Excellence, raised issues, including what she said was the coercion of some schools into signing their charters.
She said charters deserve more funding to address facilities needs, and urged the school district to consider charters an equal partner.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:17pm
Organizer tells the board this is only a ‘25% plan’
Katy Egan, a community member with Stand Up for Philly Schools, the coalition that organized the rally before the meeting, said this is a “25% plan” with a serious lack of information. Which schools are being modernized? When? How? How will displaced students get to new schools? What about special education students? How do you plan to keep students and staff members safe?
“It’s not a plan. We deserve more than 25%, and our students deserve everything,” Egan said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:14pm
When schools close, ‘these people, that’s when they go to the streets,’ alum says
Ben Roosevelt, who graduated from Conwell in 2000, said the school had a profound impact on his success.
“I was not the best student at Conwell, but Conwell grew me,” Roosevelt said. Conwell teachers supported him through a tough time.
Buildings should be renovated, Roosevelt said, not closed.
“When you close community schools, these people, that’s when they go to the streets,” said Roosevelt.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:11pm
Parent asks: If the district doesn’t get the full $2.8 billion, which schools won’t get modernized?
Lizzie Rothwell, a parent of two district students and spouse of a teacher at Penn Treaty — a school slated to be closed — is speaking against the facilities plan.
If the district doesn’t get the full $2.8 billion, 40 schools wouldn’t be modernized, Rothwell said. What are the 40 schools? (The district has not released those lists.)
“The city of Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania owe the district $8 billion in deferred maintenance,” Rothwell said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:08pm
‘Closing schools ruins families and neighborhoods,’ says Ludlow Elementary teacher
Carin Bennicoff, a teacher at Ludlow Elementary, is speaking out against the school’s closure. She’s worked at Ludlow for 30 years.
“Closing schools ruins families and neighborhoods,” Bennicoff said. “A facilities dashboard can’t measure what a school means to a community.”
Generations of students attend Ludlow, Bennicoff. “Instead of closures, we need you to invest in creating safe and healthy schools” by giving us smaller classes and more resources.
“Our children deserve real, stable neighborhood schools,” Bennicoff said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:06pm
Conwell principal urges the board to save her school from closure
Erica Green, principal of Conwell, a school tagged for closure, is speaking now.
“Closing it would erase a legacy that still matters,” Green said. “Conwell is a cornerstone in the Kensington community.”
Philadelphia’s police commissioner was sworn in at Conwell, Green points out. “We are what the city needs,” she said. “Our building is celebrating 100 years. Bright and shiny does not mean better. Philadelphia is a city that celebrates history.”
“Do not let the almighty dollar” drive Conwell’s closure, an impassioned Green said. “Preserve the building, preserve the culture, preserve the legacy. History matters. Conwell matters.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 6:03pm
Proposed closures would disproportionately harm Black and low-income students, researcher says
Ryan Pfleger, a researcher, said the district’s proposed closures are disproportionately hurting Black and low-income communities.
“The burden of closure would fall roughly evenly across racial groups. This is not what the data shows.”
Black students are 1.6 times more likely to be in closing schools, he said. Fifteen of 20 schools tapped for closure are majority-Black. “This is disparate racial impact,” Pfleger said.
Perhaps it was unintentional, but Black and poor kids are more likely to be affected under this plan, he said.
“Build schools up. Don’t shut them down,” Pfleger said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:59pm
Mastery parents speak out in support of their schools
Gloria Carroll, a Mastery parent, said Mastery Clymer Elementary is an excellent school. “I love Clymer,” she said.
Ashtin Richard, a Mastery Gratz parent, loves the school and said it has helped his son have a smooth transition from a school in the Midwest.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:55pm
‘Take our time, be logical, be strategic,’ high school football coach urges the board
“Sending a kid from school to school can be very damaging,” said Jordan Holbert, the football coach at Vaux Big Picture High School and a North Philadelphia resident. “It’s not what’s best for the student long-term. As we’re making these difficult decisions about what to do next, I urge and beg and plead and frankly demand that we think about the kids and the long-term closure. We did this before … and we still haven’t recovered from that. Making the same type of decision is misguided and risky.”
Holbert urges the board to “take our time, be logical, be strategic,” and think about long-term effects.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:51pm
KIPP Philadelphia parent says her son has ‘blossomed’ at the school
Dana Hutchins, a parent at KIPP Philadelphia, said her son’s experiences prior to KIPP were “a nightmare.”
Her son entered KIPP in third grade at a kindergarten level, and has blossomed.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:50pm
District speech language pathologist brings a variety of issues to the board
Emily Goldberg, a district parent and district speech language pathologist, has concerns. SLPs don’t have enough time to complete paperwork, she said.
Goldberg also believes Chromebooks should not be distributed at the elementary school level. They’re not developmentally appropriate, she said.
Goldberg also suggests having dynamic honors programs inside neighborhood middle schools.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:47pm
Retired district teacher calls for an elected school board
Kristin Luebbert, a retired district teacher, said “it’s past time for a reset of this board’s priorities.”
“Neither the mayor nor City Council are your constituents,” Luebbert said. Families and students are.
Luebbert calls for an elected school board. “Please interrogate your practice with these facilities plans coming up,” she said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:45pm
Overbrook High principal says school closings ‘fracture communities’
Julian Graham, principal of Overbrook High, is speaking now.
Closings “fracture communities,” but investments and partnerships move the needle, Graham said.
“When we increase student participation, we don’t just keep a building open. We keep a community’s future alive.”
Overbrook High is not set to close under Watlington’s proposed facilities plan, but the Workshop School would co-locate inside its building.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:41pm
District has ‘100% support’ from Philly delegation to get the funds it needs, State Rep. Tarik Khan says
State Rep. Tarik Khan is now addressing the school board. The district has “100% support” from the Philadelphia delegation to get the funds it needs, Khan said.
“I understand that there are difficult decisions to be made,” Khan said, and Lankenau is not the only school in his district to be planned for closure. But, he said, “there’s something special about Lankenau.”
Lankenau has 100% graduation rate. It is set in the woods. “They have unrivaled partnerships,” Khan said. “Please keep Lankenau open.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:28pm
Streater reiterates: Watlington will present the facilities master plan to the board on Feb. 26, but they will not vote that night
Board president Streater said it would not be appropriate for him to opine on Watlington’s facilities plan until it’s firmly in the board’s hand. He urges people to attend community meetings.
“Feb. 26 is just you presenting the proposal, it’s not the day of a vote, just putting that out there for the record,” Streater said.
The new student board representatives say one of the three of them will try to be at every forthcoming facilities planning meeting.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:21pm
Watlington says the proposed facilities master plan is a ‘once in a lifetime, significant opportunity’ for the city
Watlington briefly references his facilities planning process recommendations, which he said would cost $2.8 billion.
The superintendent said it’s a “once in a lifetime, significant opportunity for Philadelphia” to modernize schools, increase access to arts, music, pre-K, algebra in eighth grade, add a year-round K-8 and high school, add a new comprehensive high school in the Northeast, and a year-round indoor pool at one Philadelphia school.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:19pm
School selection deadline has been extended to Friday at 5 p.m.
Watlington reiterates that the school selection deadline was extended to Friday at 5 p.m. Initial waitlist offers will be made on Feb. 1 at 5 p.m., and the deadline to accept a waitlist offer is Feb. 4 at 5 p.m.
More than 4,000 additional students completed applications for the school selection process, Watlington said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:17pm
Watlington will propose eliminating half days for 2026-27 school year
Watlington says in February, he’ll propose eliminating half days for the 2026-27 school year.
“Half days in the calendar do not serve us well,” he said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:19pm
Student attendance drops year-over-year for December, ‘the largest drop I believe I’ve seen during my tenure here,’ Watlington says
Student attendance dropped year-over-year for the month of December, Watlington said.
It was 66% in 2024, and 54% in 2025, “the largest drop I believe I’ve seen during my tenure here,” Watlington said. He believes the change was due to a half day for professional development, a two-hour delay for snow, and lightly attended days prior to the winter break.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:15pm
Philly builds one snow day into the calendar, and any other inclement weather days will be virtual, Watlington says
Watlington is making his monthly presentation now. He welcomes the new student board members, then pivots to the district’s inclement weather process. While in-person learning is preferred, the “absolute number one, without question” priority is safety, the superintendent said.
Philadelphia builds one snow day into its calendar; any subsequent inclement weather days will shift to virtual instruction, Watlington said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:11pm
Frankford student says the phone policy is stripping away ‘the only safety tool’ some children have
A Frankford High student is speaking about the school’s phone policy. Some students have been protesting Frankford’s policy in which phones are locked up outside, and some have been stolen.
The student said she and others are scared to lock up their phones. Hers was stolen once, and her family cannot afford to replace another phone, she said.
“Let’s not strip away the only safety tool” that some children have.
Superintendent Watlington directed one of his assistant superintendents to speak to the Frankford student.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 5:05pm
‘To me, closing Lankenau doesn’t make sense,’ high school senior tells the board
LeeShaun Lucas, a senior at Lankenau High School, is upset the school might close. “To me, closing Lankenau doesn’t make sense,” Lucas said.
Lankenau’s campus is unique in the city — set against a wildlife preserve and a farm, a stream, and a forest.
Lucas has studied how to make the Schuylkill healthier by studying mussels, he said. He’s had the opportunity to study in a GIS class, the city’s only such high school opportunity. That shaped Lucas, he said.
“I truly believe that voting to close Lankenau Environmental would be a mistake,” Lucas said. “Please vote to save Lank so that others may benefit from the type of learning that is only possible at Lankenau Environmental.”
Cecelia Henderson, a junior at Lankenau, is also speaking against the proposed closure of her school.
“My overall experience at the school has been overwhelmingly positive,” Henderson said. “Lankenau teachers build very strong personal relationships with students. These are the things I don’t hear from my friends who attend other inner-city Philadelphia high schools.”
Lankenau gave her “structure, support and the privilege of a beautiful campus” that helped her deal with personal issues, Henderson said.
Henderson takes dual enrollment biology and GIS classes. “I strongly believe that this cannot be replicated elsewhere,” Henderson said. “Why close a school that gives real-world education and credentials to students? Why not give that school aid and support it so we can grow bigger and better?”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:57pm
Conwell students urge the board not to close Conwell Middle School
Julia Spencer, an eighth grader at Conwell Middle School, is speaking now.
“When I got to Conwell, I found my fit,” Julia said. She’s involved in track and field, ballet, student government, and more.
The district has proposed closing Conwell, and that makes Julia worry about kids who won’t get the chance to attend the magnet middle school.
“They should be able to carry the Conwell name like I will, and so many other generations,” Julia said. “Keep Conwell open.”
Jebaz Spencer, another Conwell student, said: “Conwell has programs and opportunities that other schools don’t have. … My peers and I deserve Conwell.”
Conwell students have to score high on state tests. Kids deserve “to have the legendary Conwell name on our school records,” Jebaz said. “I’ve become a better person at Conwell, and an example for other students.”
“Conwell matters,” Jebaz said. “We matter.”
Under the proposed facilities plan, Conwell would close, and the building would be repurposed as a district swing space. Students would attend AMY at James Martin as a 5-8 program with a preference for Bodine High School.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:54pm
Student speakers address the board
The school board will hear from student speakers now, including multiple students scheduled to testify about proposed school closings.
Up first is Shereeta Jones, a student at Mastery Simon Gratz. Shereeta loves her school, and the staff who “just want to see me succeed at school and in life.”
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:23pm
School board student reps are installed
Up now is the installation of the student representatives of the school board.
Board members Sarah-Ashley Andrews and Cheryl Harper work closest with the student reps. This year’s reps are: Brianni Carter, from Philadelphia High School for Girls; Ramisha Karim, from Northeast High; and Semira Reyes, from the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:17pm
Six board members are in attendance at tonight’s meeting
The board has a quorum at tonight’s meeting, but not all members are in attendance.
President Reginald Streater and vice president Sarah-Ashley Andrews are attending in person. Crystal Cubbage, ChauWing Lam, Joyce Wilkerson, and Cheryl Harper are present virtually.
Whitney Jones, Wanda Novales, and Joan Stern are absent.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:14pm
District plans to host upcoming community meetings centered on the proposed facilities plan
School board president Reginald Streater acknowledges Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s long-awaited facilities plan, which was made public last week. It won’t be presented to the board until next month.
Streater urges attendance at upcoming community meetings, starting next week. The meetings will center on closing schools.
“Once he [Watlington] has formally presented his recommendations to the board, we will announce additional information on how we will proceed,” Streater said.
In other words, there will be no immediate vote after the Feb. 26 Watlington presentation, and more community engagement opportunities to come.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:09pm
Board honors general counsel for the district, and its senior and teacher of the month
The board is honoring Shahirah Brown, assistant general counsel for the district, who has won multiple recognitions by community and legal organizations for her work.
The district’s senior of the month is Balsam Motan of Bodine High, and its teacher of the month is Timothy Lopez of Mastbaum High, or “Chef Tim,” a culinary arts teacher.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 4:03pm
First school board action meeting of 2026, here we go!
Most board members are not present in person tonight — just board president Reginald Streater and vice president Sarah-Ashley Andrews are at Philadelphia School District headquarters today.
Others are present remotely.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 3:47pm
Rally begins to break up as organizers head inside for school board meeting
At the close of the rally, Krys Fannis, a 10th grader at Lankenau, spoke on the megaphone.
“I feel scared,” he said about the district’s plan, which would close the school. Fannis would have to transfer to a new school for his senior year. He said that Lankenau is more than just a building filled with classrooms. It is a community, and its focus on environmental education is essential for students like him, he said.
To those in the school district who argue his school must go?
“That must stay,” he said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 3:36pm
‘It’s just an injustice,’ says president of Lankenau Home & School Association
Some of the demonstrators warned that removing children from their neighborhood schools would be traumatizing to already vulnerable kids.
“These schools are another home for these families,” said Margarita Davis-Boyer, president of the Lankenau High School Home & School Association. She said schools are a place where kids can get a meal, see a friendly face, and feel safe, especially when home may not offer the same reprieve.
“It’s just an injustice,” she said.
Annie Moss, from the Olde Kensington Neighborhood Association, said the school district’s plan threatens the future of Philadelphia.
“You cannot build a strong city… by traumatizing them,” she said.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 3:22pm
North Philly community member protests proposed closure of Ludlow Elementary
Annie Moss, a member of the Olde Kensington Neighborhood Association, braved the bitter temperatures to protest the planned closure of Ludlow Elementary in North Philadelphia. Ludlow, and the neighborhood, have finally gotten some investments.
“And now they’re talking about closing,” Moss said.
Moss said students would lose if Ludlow is closed.
“Why take them out of something that is good, and been built for them, and destroy it?” said Moss.
// Timestamp 01/29/26 3:12pm
Dozens brave the cold to join the rally
Around 60 people are gathered in front of the school district headquarters, surprising organizers with their turnout given the frigid weather.
Hannah Loo, 30, braved the wintry day holding a sign that warns of crammed classrooms if the proposed schools close.
“Class Size Matters: I’m not a Sardine,” the sign read.
Loo, who works for advocacy organization 12 Plus, said that she was fighting against school closures because schools are essential parts of the neighborhoods and communities where they’re located. She believes the district’s plan will ultimately hurt graduation rates and attendance, and said she hopes the district listens to organizers doing grassroots work to advocate for schools.
Organizers set to rally against school closures outside school district headquarters
// Timestamp 01/29/26 2:45pm
Stand Up for Philly Schools, a coalition of neighborhood, parent, and educator groups, plans to rally outside the School District of Philadelphia headquarters starting at 3 p.m. Thursday, one hour before the school board’s first meeting of 2026.
The rally comes on the heels of the district’s facilities master plan proposal, which recommends closing 20 schools, co-locating six, modernizing more than 150, and creating one brand-new building. The plan will be formally presented to the school board at its Feb. 26 meeting and is not final.
The facilities plan is not on the agenda of Thursday’s meeting, but it will be the public’s first opportunity to share question and concerns with the board.
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