The full cost to attend the University of Pennsylvania next school year will exceed $94,000 under a resolution approved by the school’s budget and finance committee Thursday.
The 3.8% increase in overall costs for the 2026-27 academic year is slightly more than last year, when costs rose 3.7%, but slightly less than the year before that, which was a 3.9% increase. Overall, the tab will rise from $91,112 to $94,582 for 2026-27.
The costs include tuition of $65,670, fees of $8,308, room charge of $13,644, and $6,960 for meals.
“People ask me when are we going to break through the $100,000 barrier,” Trevor Lewis, vice president of budget and management analysis, told board members. “Probably in FY28 or 29.”
Lewis said Penn also will increase its undergraduate financial-aid budget 3.8%, to $347 million. Penn guarantees full tuition scholarships for students from families with incomes of $200,000 or less with typical assets and covers full attendance costs for students from families earning $75,000 or less. Of the university’s approximate 10,000 students, 46% receive need-based aid.
Tuition for graduate and professional students will be set by the individual schools, the university said.
An undocumented West African immigrant who federal authorities say has been living in Philadelphia for more than two decades cast a ballot in the 2024 federal election — and may have voted in at least six other elections, federal authorities said.
Mahady Sacko was charged with fraudulent voting, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. If convicted, he could face up to five years in federal prison.
Investigators said Sacko registered to vote in 2005, affirming on the registration form that he was a U.S. citizen. According to the affidavit, he went on to vote in five federal general elections and two primary elections over the next two decades.
Prosecutors charged him only with casting a ballot in the 2024 election.
Sacko had been ordered deported to Mauritania, in Northwest Africa, by an immigration judge in 2000, the affidavit said. But federal authorities never carried out the order because Sacko did not have a valid Mauritanian passport. Instead, immigration officials placed him under supervision, requiring him to regularly report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The charges against him come amid political attention on allegations that people who are not U.S. citizens are voting rampantly in American elections — a frequent talking point among conservative politicians and commentators. President Donald Trump has pushed federal officials to amp up efforts to prosecute undocumented immigrants who vote.
But election experts and government investigations have consistently found that such cases are rare. Studies examining tens of millions of ballots have identified only a handful of suspected instances of such voting — a fraction of a percent of votes cast, according to research by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections. Voters must attest to their citizenship when registering, and falsely claiming citizenship can lead to criminal prosecution and deportation.
Voting records show that Sacko registered as a Democrat, though the affidavit does not specify which candidates he supported in the elections in which investigators say he voted.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Sacko had been released on bail after an initial appearance on Thursday. She did not provide the bail amount.
Just days before the release of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s city budget, it is unclear whether it will include money to continue Zero Fare, a program that gives free transit passes to low-income Philadelphians.
Transit advocates and political leaders say they have not heard from the administration on the issue and are concerned it may be cut or have its funding reduced.
A rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday on the north apron of City Hall to push for Zero Fare’s survival — and for city government to continue participating in SEPTA’s Key Advantage, which provides free transit passes for municipal workers.
Parker is scheduled to deliver her annual budget address next Thursday to a session of City Council.
A spokesperson for the administration declined to comment.
“We don’t care who gets the credit,” said Stephen Bronskill, coalition manager for Transit Forward Philadelphia, a nonprofit that advocates for public transportation that is organizing the event. “We want to see that this program gets funded … so people can get where they need to go.”
City Council members, state lawmakers, activists for transit funding and service, and users of the Zero Fare passes are expected to speak Friday.
Zero Fare, which serves about 60,000 eligible people with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty standard, would end June 30 unless the fiscal 2026-27 budget funds it.
Officials also must decide whether to fund Key Advantage benefits for city workers, though SEPTA’s program provides subsidized passes free to the employees of nonprofit organizations and private businesses.
Deja vu?
Both programs have faced city budget uncertainty in the past.
City officials said they had begun meeting with SEPTA to find a funding solution to continue both programs before the uproar. The administration also continued Key Advantage last year.
“From our standpoint, they’ve both worked well, and we’d like to see them continue,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said Thursday.
A path forward
Zero Fare began as a pilot, started by Kenney using $30 million of federal COVID relief money to get it off the ground. The program was nationally recognized because it proactively sent transit fare cards to Philadelphians eligible for the benefit.
Automatic enrollment eliminated the red tape “time tax” for people who wanted to use the benefit, making it unusual on the local level, according to public policy analysts.
“It can’t be yanked away at a moment’s notice when somebody wants to shift something around in the budget,” O’Rourke said last November at a community meeting on the proposal.
This story has been updated to remove an outdated figure for the number of participants in Zero Fare.
Joseph E. McGettigan III, 76, of Media, longtime trial lawyer and legal consultant, former Philadelphia assistant district attorney, former Pennsylvania chief deputy attorney general, former Delaware County first assistant district attorney, former assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, former Philadelphia first assistant district attorney, and former Pennsylvania senior deputy attorney general, died Thursday, Dec. 31, of lung inflammation at Lankenau Medical Center.
Born in West Philadelphia and a graduate of Temple University, Mr. McGettigan was a legal expert in sexual assault and murder cases. He litigated in hundreds of trials over more than three decades as a prosecutor for city, county, state, and federal governments, and won notable convictions in the murder case against multimillionaire philanthropist John E. du Pont in 1997 and the child sexual abuse case against then-Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky in 2012.
He was, then-Delaware County District Attorney Patrick L. Meehan said in 1998, like “a fascinating character in a crime novel.”
He worked for four Philadelphia district attorneys over two stints in City Hall and spent a year in Iraq in 2008 and 2009 as a U.S. government resident legal adviser working to reestablish a criminal justice system after the fall of Saddam Hussein. For most of the last decade, he worked for the Philadelphia law firm of McAndrews Mehalick Connolly Hulse & Ryan P. C. “He was a wonderful guy, a faithful citizen, and an incredible lawyer,” Dennis McAndrews, founder of the firm, said in an online tribute.
The grandson of a Philadelphia police officer and son of a lawyer, Mr. McGettigan prosecuted one of the first sex-abuse cases involving a priest from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1985 and oversaw a state Senate absentee-ballot scam case in 1993. “I’m not shocked by much of human depravity,” he said in a 2018 video interview with lifelong friend Dom Irrera. “I’ve seen a fair amount of it.”
In an online tribute, Judge Jack Stollsteimer of Delaware County Court called Mr. McGettigan a “legendary prosecutor, a larger-than-life personality, and an avenging hero to crime victims across our Commonwealth.” He was a favorite of the City Hall crowd, and colleagues called him “a true public servant,” “a great guy with a wonderful heart,” and “an extraordinary presence in the courtroom.”
Mr. McGettigan (foreground) is shown in this courtroom sketch during the Jerry Sandusky trial in 2012.
Even those with whom he clashed praised Mr. McGettigan. Thomas A. Bergstrom, the Philadelphia lawyer who represented du Pont, said in 2011: “He’s a formidable adversary … very principled. If Joe doesn’t agree with you, he’ll let you know. If he’s going to hit you, it will be a punch in the nose, not a stab in the back.”
Witty and naturally engaging, Mr. McGettigan interrupted his legal career after the du Pont case to work briefly in Hollywood as a legal content adviser for the short-lived TV series Philly.The show starredKim Delaney as a tough defense attorney in Philadelphia, and Mr. McGettigan played a police detective, not a prosecutor, in a courtroom scene in one episode in 2002.
He also worked briefly as a consultant and manager for a private security company in Virginia, was a legal analyst for TV talk shows, and mentored other lawyers. He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Temple and earned his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law in 1982.
Mr. McGettigan played basketball in high school, on Philly playgrounds, and later whenever he could. Longtime college basketball coach and lifelong friend Fran O’Hanlon called him “a great friend who would do anything for you.”
His sister Mary said: “He was complex. He appeared often to be a hard-nose tough guy. But there was a soft side to him. He wanted to help people who were vulnerable.” His sister Patty said: “He left the world a better place.”
Joseph Edward McGettigan III was born March 5, 1949. An altar boy at church, he grew up with six sisters and a brother, and he instigated many dinner-table debates with his siblings and parents about all kinds of subjects.
“He kept us on our toes,” his sister Mary said. “He had a strong sense of justice, of doing the right thing.”
Mr. McGettigan (second from right) liked nothing better than playing hoops with friends.
He married Gay Warren, and they lived in Media and Naples, Fla. “Gay was Joe’s rock,” his sister Mary said. “He was devoted to her, and she to him.”
Mr. McGettigan loved music, reading, and writing, and told Irrera in 2018 that his favorite authors were William Shakespeare and Joseph Conrad. He was fun and funny, his siblings said, a raconteur with a large personality.
“Joe was an outlier in a family of bookish nerds,” his sister Jeanne said. “We followed his youthful adventures with great amusement and his later accomplishments with pride and respect. His generosity changed lives for the better.”
Mr. McGettigan spent a year in Iraq helping local officials revive their justice system.
One time, when they were young, his brother Michael tried to lie about losing Mr. McGettigan’s football. So Mr. McGettigan grilled him about the details and eventually extracted a confession.
“I gave it all up,” Michael McGettigan said, “the first of many malefactors to find relief in telling the whole truth and nothing but to Joseph E. McGettigan III.”
In addition to his wife and siblings, Mr. McGettigan is survived by his mother, Ruth, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.
Mr. McGettigan (front right) always seemed to be surrounded by friends.
Visitation with the family is to be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at St. Francis de Sales Church, 4625 Springfield Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143. A Funeral Mass is to follow at 11 a.m.
Donations in his name may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, N.Y. 10306.
“Everyone wanted to be Joe’s friend,” a colleague said in a tribute.
At some Philadelphia Parks and Recreation centers, a grim tradition has developed over the years amid the winter scramble to secure some sort of summer programming for kids: Parents wait in line hours before enrollment even begins to snag a first-come, first-served camp spot.
This year, the city hopes to remedy that with the introduction of a lottery system at a handful of the most in-demand camps.
“We’re just learning from past years, trying to be flexible and give parents more time to come in,” said Rob Jackson, the department’s deputy commissioner of programs.
Yet some parents bemoaned what they described as a poorly communicated change, hearing about it a week before enrollment began with no explanation as to why, becoming just one more logistical quirk to navigate in the summer camp enrollment chaos.
That’s because, as with daycare, snagging a spot in any daylong summer program can feel like building a plane midflight. Applying to multiple summer camps is a must, setting aside a pool of money for application fees is necessary, and, oh, you’ll likely have to make a quick decision on whether to accept a spot despite not having heard back from everyone.
Even applying to the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation-run summer camps, one of the most affordable options in the city for kids ages 6 to 12, has its quirks. Because weekly rates start at $90, compared with the hundreds some other camps charge, spots in the department-run programs are some of the most coveted in the city.
Some rec centers are so popular that parents have resorted to waiting in line for hours on enrollment day to secure a spot. It’s a system that the city has heard feels unfair to families that cannot afford to take a morning off from work to do that.
In an attempt to make the registration process more equitable, the city rolled out a lottery system this week for potential first-time campers at some of the hardest-to-get-in sites: Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Shissler, Hancock, and Towey Recreation Centers. These sites are in the Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and South Kensington sections of the city.
Jackson said the change was inspired by staff, who described coming into work with long lines of parents already formed. If a parent could not make it on that day, it was one less summer camp option. And because younger siblings were given priority in an attempt to keep siblings together, one family could take up multiple camp spots in one go. Withthe lottery system, younger siblings have the same odds as other new registrants. Jackson recognized that might mean multiple camp drop-offs for some families, but he said the change was to “accommodate as many families in the community as possible.”
The lottery system has allowed sites like Hancock and Shissler to extend registration for new campers over the course of four days, giving all kids the same chance of snagging whatever few spots are available within the program as children age out or choose to go elsewhere.
One Fishtown parent this week, who asked to remain anonymous so as not to hamper their kid’s chances of snagging a spot, described the change as poorly communicated. The parent was left deflated by submitting applications at various locations, paying $50 per application, unsure what the odds were for getting into any of these camps.
Asked if the city has ever considered moving the applications online, Jackson said the city has not gotten to that point. So for now, the in-person site-by-site registration is the best the department can do for the more than 7,000 kids who attend camps across 120 to 130 host recreation centers.
The city could not say just how many camp spots would be freeing up this year, as it depends on how many children from what are considered “returning families” claim spots.
The summer childcare scramble
Even if a child can secure a spot in a city-run summer camp, it does not fully solve summer childcare needs for families.
The camps run for six weeks and have age restrictions. Parents often have to shell out hundreds more to fill in gaps in care.
Other summer camp operators have issues of their own. This year, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and the Penn Museum announced they will not host their popular summer camps, citing budget constraints.
Dena Ferrara Driscoll, a mother of two who lives in South Philadelphia, has been a public advocate for more investment in summer camps and after-care programs. Her children attended city-run camps and now her son works at one in the summer.
Driscoll was not surprised by the continued demand for camp spots. The programs are “affordable, safe, and deeply loved,” she said.
“A lottery might change who gets a spot, but it doesn’t address the real issue: Families need more affordable camp options provided by the city, not just a new system to distribute the ones we already have,” she said.
From sports like soccer, football, and cheerleading to Model United Nations and unified programs for students with and without special needs, Harding Middle School’s offerings reflect its diverse enrollment.
Of the Frankford school’s 570 students, more than 150 — nearly 27% — receive special-education services. About one quarter of students are English learners — with languages ranging from Spanish and Portuguese to Pashto and Ewe.
Teachers say the school will not be able to offer the same depth of programming if the Philadelphia School District moves forward with a plan to close Harding, which serves grades six through eight. The district is proposing to move Sullivan Elementary School into the Harding building, and expand that school into a K-8 as part of a sweeping facilities plan.
“We offer something for everybody,” said Beth Ann Dufner, a Harding teacher who coordinates the school’s English learner programs and has worked at Harding for six years.
Because transitioning the building from a 6-8 school to a K-8 would mean fewer students per grade, Dufner said, she does not think the school’s programs for middle school kids could be replicated in the district’s plan — “not on a large scale like we have at Harding.” Teachers say students would have to travel to other schools to compete on some sports teams.
Harding, which has capacity for 1,110 students, is one of five middle schools recommended for closure under the plan. In total, the district proposes to close 18 schools, pitching the plan as a better use of limited resources.
Arianna DeJesus (front, center), 8th Grader and captain of the Harding Hawks cheerleading squad, during a rally in support of the middle school in the Frankford neighborhood last month.
“I’ve never heard any parents we’ve had enrolled say, ‘We hate middle schools,’” said Jessica Peruso, an autistic support teacher at Harding. “That was a theme — but where did that come from?”
A hub for special-education students
Teachers also dispute the rationale for closing Harding specifically — questioning how the district scored Harding as “poor” for program alignment on a rubric for determining which schools to close.
At one session, teachers were told the school did not have enough closet space, according to Dufner.
“The things they said they based their score on — we have all of those things,” Dufner said, noting that Harding has two gyms, media and technology labs, and dedicated spaces for English learners and special-needs students.
Like other teachers, Dufner faulted the district for Harding’s underenrollment, saying its decision to allow charter schools had drawn students away.
But she also questioned whether Harding — which the district rated as only half utilized — was being penalized for its large population of students receiving special-education services. Autistic support classrooms, for instance, are required to have no more than eight students, far smaller than a standard class size.
That “creates the appearance of underutilized space,” but it’s not, Dufner said.
A district spokesperson said building utilization scores are not adjusted to account for smaller class sizes for special-needs students.
The spokesperson, Monique Braxton, said numerous factors resulted in Harding scoring poorly on program alignment, from gym facilities in disrepair to lack of appropriate spaces for music and art classes.
Harding serves as a hub for special-education students from a range of neighborhoods beyond the Harding catchment, teachers said. They described the school’s culture as particularly inclusive of kids with special needs.
“That makes me the most nervous for closing,” said Peruso, who has taught at Harding since 2014 and was recently named the district’s Teacher of the Month. “I’m concerned about my kids. I’ve been teaching autistic support here forever. I don’t want them to get lost.”
Under the district’s plan, Harding would have a phased closure, starting in the 2027-28 school year. Students previously assigned to Harding would instead attend Sullivan, John Marshall, Lawton, or Carnell schools. Meanwhile, the Harding building — rated by the district as in “unsatisfactory” condition — would receive upgrades before the expanded Sullivan school moves in.
“You’re going to come here and fix the building for Sullivan students? Why aren’t the Harding students worth that investment?” Peruso said.
Harding Middle School Principal Mary Sanchez stands at the front door as students, staff, community members, and elected officials rally to support the school last month in the Frankford neighborhood. It’s one of 18 the district has proposed closing.
A ‘tight knit’ community
While current students would not be affected by the closure, some have expressed dismay that they would not be able to return to the school and visit their teachers, said Amanda Chandler, who teaches English language arts at Harding.
Chandler, who has taught at Harding for seven years, called it “very tight knit.” Every year, she said, former students have come back to see her or her colleagues.
Compared with past teaching jobs, “I have never had kids more loyal to me, my well-being … than I have at Harding Middle School,” Chandler said.
In letters shared by Peruso, several students said they wanted Harding to stay open because of its welcoming environment. “Everyone is united like a big family,” one sixth grader wrote. Another sixth grader said that teachers “let me know that I am safe and that everything will be okay.”
Amarika Thomas, a paraprofessional at Harding who has lived in the community for 20 years, had been working in the school’s cafeteria when principal Mary Sanchez noticed her strong connections with students.
Sanchez “pushed me to come out of the cafeteria,” said Thomas, who hopes to become a special-education teacher.
While Thomas’ daughter attends a K-12 charter, she had hoped to possibly send her daughter to Harding for middle school, citing its array of activities.
The district should invest in Harding, Thomas said: “Harding literally just needs a fighting chance.”
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration sent City Council a bill on Thursday to encourage more apartment construction around SEPTA stations, in hopes of boosting ridership.
The proposal expands an existing law. Currently, if a SEPTA station is made a “transit-oriented development” district — a designation City Council must adopt — then most properties within a 500-foot radius receive a variety of benefits that allows developers to build more housing with less parking than otherwise allowed.
The legislation sent to Council by the Parker administration would expand that radius to 1,320 feet, or a quarter of a mile.
“Zoning is how we turn housing ambition into housing reality,” said Angela D. Brooks, chief housing and urban development officer. “These bills help us put more homes where our infrastructure can support them, near transit, near jobs, and near opportunity, while respecting the character of the neighborhoods Philadelphians already love.”
The hope is that SEPTA will benefit from a ridership boost if more housing is built close to transit, and more people will be able to afford to live near public transportation — which, in some areas, is in more expensive and sought-after neighborhoods.
The zoning overlay grants different types of development benefits depending on the existing zoning around transit stations.
In a bid to avoid controversies that have undermined similar laws in other cities, land zoned for single-family housing would not be given any development advantage under the law.
But properties already zoned for dense housing would be allowed to build many more units, with additional benefits given if they provide affordable housing or environmentally friendly design.
“This package will also increase ridership, reduce costly trips to the [zoning board], and allow more investment in transit stations,” Brooks said. “Zoning may sound technical to some, but investments in transit are something residents can see, touch, and feel every day.”
Projects that have benefited from the existing transit-oriented development overlay include The Noble, with 360 units, near the Spring Garden stop on the Market-Frankford Line, and a proposal for a 134-unit mixed-income development at the Frankford Transportation Center.
Land zoned for more modest density would be allowed to build 50% more units. That means if developers could build four units under normal conditions, in a transit-oriented development district, they could build six.
The overlay requires that the ground floor of commercially zoned buildings have active uses. Curb cuts, parking garages, and one-story buildings are not allowed.
Parker’s bill further eases some parking requirements, although the requirement for developers building in such areas is already less than under normal zoning rules.
The bill was circulated to City Council on Wednesday. Members wanted more time to review it before it was formally introduced.
“In general, I’ve been a proponent of the basic concept of increasing density around our transit stops,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who chairs City Council’s housing committee.
“It makes our neighborhoods more lively, more livable,” Gauthier said. “We have a great transit system, and we should be trying to help it be as successful as possible.”
Because City Council must pass legislation to include transit stations in the zoning overlay, district Council members are given effective control over how many stations will be included in the law’s benefits.
Both the Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines run between Council districts, which means half of many stations are under one Council member’s purview while the other half are in another’s control.
Transit advocates have long hoped for legislation that would automatically apply to all major transit stations, but that idea could prove difficult to get through City Council.
Gauthier is one of the few Council members who have embraced transit-oriented development. All of the Market-Frankford Line stations in her district are covered by the overlay.
No stations on the Broad Street Line are included so far.
“I don’t want to speak about areas of the city that are not mine,” Gauthier said. But in her transit-rich West Philadelphia district, “I do think we can consider expanding that radius more. We know that less people are driving nowadays.”
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is one of the most enthusiastic proponents of transit-oriented development on City Council.
The urbanist advocacy group 5th Square says that Parker’s bill should be broader.
The group called for the elimination of parking minimums near transit, an even larger coverage radius, and for multifamily housing to be allowed on land zoned for single-family homes near stations.
“These bills are a welcome step toward more housing near transit, but their scope doesn’t quite address our massive housing shortage,” said Fae Ehsan, board member with 5th Square Advocacy.
The other housing-related billParker sent to Council includes legislation that would make it easier to build more apartments above commercial buildings on the ends of some rowhouse blocks, which are currently allowed to have only one unit above ground-floor retail.
The bill would allow owners to convert the ground floor to residential uses if they cannot fill the storefront. The administration believes 7,000 to 12,000 more housing units could be allowed under the change.
If you’ve ventured out for a stroll in Fishtown in recent months you may have observed what looks like a page torn out of an oceanography textbook tacked to a lamppost or electrical pole.
It probably features a clinical-looking photo of a fish, that species’ Latin nomenclature, and a short blurb about the slithering sea dweller.
However, upon closer inspection, you’ll find these posters are only marginally educational.
“Striped Bass or Morone saxatilis,” one poster reads, above an image of an open-mouthed, beady-eyed, gray-and-white fish with translucent fins. “Slappadabass mon! Striped Bass live in Philadelphia water slurp slurp. Striped Bass born in saltwater, but live in fresh water. Stripe Bass lay 3,000,000 eggs. not in this economy!!!”
Disclaimer: Don’t rely on the facts in these posters to ace your next marine biology test. They’re not always accurate. Striped bass actually live in saltwater and spawn in freshwater typically, not the reverse.
Fishtown fish facts, this series of more than a hundred posters across the area, was never an endeavor to turn a profit or rally support for a cause like some similar lamppost literature. It was just a modest attempt to make his neighbors smile, said 32-year-old Niall Paredes, the brain behind the piscine production.
The posters contribute to a rich history of both professional and unsanctioned public art across the city. Mural Arts Philadelphia has facilitated more than 4,000 works of public art since its 1984 founding as an anti-graffiti network, while artists and amateurs alike have taken to the streets to plaster their own ephemeral works across Philadelphia.
Paredes, a native Philadelphian, got the idea for the series about a year ago after moving to Fishtown. As a creative, both professionally producing TV commercials and recreationally working with photo and video, he saw artistic potential in the telephone polls around his new neighborhood.
They were covered in flyers. Some asked for help. Some asked for attention. Some asked for money.
None simply asked for a laugh.
“I just kind of was inspired and started playing around with some funky fish,” he said.
Because, you know, Fishtown.
Since then, Paredes estimates he’s created hundreds of Fishtown fish facts posters highlighting dozens of species of fish.
His write-ups are infused with his own unique brand of humor. The descriptions read like a Mad Libs of Gen Z slang with some 2000s texting lingo sprinkled in the mix.
He punctuates each poster with the same tagline — “take a moment and realize the moment you took has already passed.”
The sentiment is intended to encourage the reader to stop, reflect, and “keep pushing” wherever they’re at in life, Paredes said.
Along the way, Paredes, whose only real relationship with marine biology is through surfing, has boned up on his knowledge of aquatic vertebrates.
Shad are quickly angling their way to the top of his ranking of most interesting fish, he said. That’s partly due to a legend that asserts that shad saved George Washington’s troops from starvation in 1778 at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War.
“When Jeopardy! hits fish, I’m ready to roll,” Paredes said.
As far as the future of Fishtown fish facts go, Paredes said pedestrians can expect to be enlightened on many more species soon. And he’s planning to expand his fish facts to other neighborhoods; he’s already sprinkled some in Manayunk, Center City, and South Philly.
“I’m definitely going to be working on it for a bit,” he said. “I mean, there’s a lot of fish in the ocean.”
Both schools would still close under the plan, which is now in the school board’s hands. Instead of merging into large neighborhood high schools, however, the small, selective-admission schools would be absorbed by magnets.
Watlington said the tweaks would still allow the district to bring more high-quality academic and extracurricular opportunities into neighborhood schools while acknowledging the need to manage limited resources.
Butstudents, staff, parents — and some powerful allies at both schools — say Watlington’s counter-proposalisn’t enough. Both communities are still fighting.
Under the revised plan, Lankenau would merge with Saul, not Roxborough, and Robeson would merge into Motivation, not Sayre.
State Rep. Morgan Cephas (D., Phila.) recently visited the Philadelphia Flower Show, where she and other officials marveled at Lankenau students’ exhibit, which examines abundance, roots, and connections through culturally important plants. The display won a gold medal and the prestigious Alfred M. Campbell Memorial Trophy.
The dichotomy struck Cephas, she said. Lankenau students “are at the Flower Show, and [the district] is trying to close the school?”
On Wednesday, students, parents, lawmakers, and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers officials gathered at Lankenau to drum up support for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal. But really, it was another save-our-school rally.
A ‘prime example of a successful school’
Lankenau “is a prime example of a successful school,” said Messiah Stokes, an 11th grader at the Upper Roxborough school. The school has a 100% graduation rate, and is Pennsylvania’s only three-year agriculture, food, and natural resources career and technical education program.
The school itself sits on 17 acres,which district officials have proposed giving to the city — though a 1970s legal agreement could foil that plan. Lankenau is also adjacent to 400 more wooded acres via the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. The environmental center shares its land and its opportunities with students, who hold bird-watching clubs on breaks and hold classes outside when weather permits, and have abundant internship opportunities.
“My school is a prime example of a successful school,” said Stokes.
Watlington has said that Saul — the city’s agricultural magnet on a working farm on Henry Avenue — has a mission that’s closely aligned with Lankenau’s, but supporters say Lankenau’s success is closely tied with its wooded campus, its streams, and its ecosystems.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas speaks at Lankenau High School during a gathering to support the efforts to fight closing recommendations on Wednesday.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, chair of City Council’s education committee, is incredulous that the district is attempting to close the school, which educates mostly Black students.
“I wonder if Lankenau did everything that it currently does: graduation rate … community involvement, the educators’ participation — I wonder if Lankenau was 98% white, will we be closing Lankenau?” Thomas said.
Still, “small schools are worth the investment,” said Amy Szymanski, a special-education teacher at the school. “Shutting down a school doesn’t just impact one community, it shakes other schools that have to absorb the impact as well.”
Szymanski urged district officials and decision makers to come up with different plans.
‘Culture is not transferable’
Robeson did everything the district asked it to do and then some, said Elana Evans, a longtime educator at the West Philadelphia school.
The school was heralded as a model for other Pennsylvania public schools by former Gov. Tom Wolf. It won citywide prizes and sent a student to Harvard University. Its students successfully petitioned district leaders for air-conditioning in their building. And its staff secured donations to have a major cafeteria renovation, though its building is still judged in “poor” condition by district standards.
“Why can’t Paul Robeson have a new school?” said Evans, who previously taught at University City High, closed by the district in 2013. “Haven’t we proved ourselves, haven’t the kids sacrificed enough? Haven’t they shown what they can do and what they’re willing to do?”
Students walk outside Paul Robseon High School with Elana Evans, a Robeson teacher (in blue) in this 2025 file photo.
And though moving to Motivation, in Southwest Philadelphia, may be slightly more palatable for some Robeson parents, for most, it won’t, said Evans.
“Students would still have to go to 60th Street, traveling a distance,” said Evans. “If those parents wanted them to go toMotivation, they would have picked Motivation.”
The district has said it wants to preserve the successful Robeson culture, just elsewhere, but Kyana Hopkins, said that won’t work.
“Culture is not transferable,” Hopkins said. “Make it make sense.”
Samantha Bromfield, president of Robeson’s Home and School Association, said the district will lose families if Robeson goes away.
“Understand that a parent like me will send my child back to being homeschooled” if Robeson closes, Bromfield said. “Your choice doesn’t fit my criteria of what I’m looking for my children.”
Inheritance, and questions
The Flower Show was abuzz Wednesday, with a crowd hovering around the Lankenau exhibit. “Inheritance” — a verdant wonderland showcasing plants grown from local seeds, set around a weathered wooden table — asked viewers to think of the question, “What tastes like home to you?”
Lankenau High senior Sasha John (blue hoodie) explains her prize-winning school’s Philadelphia Flower Show exhibit to visitors on Wednesday.
Several Lankenau students staffed the exhibit, answering questions — and showing visitors green “Keep LANK Open” fliers, encouraging passersby to share words of support for the school with the school board and City Council.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” said Amelia Pennycooke, a Lankenau senior, of the proposed closing. “We have so many opportunities at Lank.”
Lankenau High School’s exhibit, which the school’s eco art class worked on all school year, won a gold medal and the Alfred M. Campbell Memorial Trophy at the Philadelphia Flower Show. “Inheritance” examines the question “what plants taste like home to you?” It was designed and built by Lankenau students.
Noel Alford, a Lankenau parent, said the school needs to remain open, its land not used for any other purpose. The amendment to Watlington’s plan falls short, she said.
“Saul is a mistake,” said Alford. “Saul is an agricultural school. They are two different magnet schools.”
While elected officials have no say in which schools close, Thomas said it’s up to them to keep pressuring the board to rethink some closures, including Lankenau’s.
“This is a legacy moment for us as elected officials,” said Thomas. No one “wants to add that black mark on their career that says you were the person that was in charge when this injustice took place.”
A passenger in an SUV was killed and the driver was critically injured when the vehicle struck a SEPTA bus late Wednesday afternoon in Southwest Philadelphia, police said.
Just before 4:20 p.m., a 2019 Honda HR-V heading north on Island Avenue in the area of Buist Avenue hit the rear of a SEPTA bus also traveling north on Island, police said. A third vehicle then hit the rear of the Honda.
Medics transported the two people from the Honda to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The passenger, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m. The driver was listed in critical condition.
No other injuries were reported.
The cause of the crash was under police investigation.
