Philadelphia plans overhaul of lottery-based selective admissions system

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington introduced Thursday that the college district will additional revise its course of for admission to its most selective colleges, primarily based on suggestions from a consulting agency employed to review the influence of a lottery system launched in 2021.

That system was launched in an effort to extend the proportion of Black and Latino college students on the most selective colleges — Masterman and Central — and changed a long-standing course of wherein principals usually made ultimate admissions choices. As an alternative, all college students who met minimal necessities primarily based on scores on the PSSA state standardized check, grades, attendance, and conduct data may enter the lottery. 

In different enterprise at its month-to-month assembly, the Board of Schooling accredited greater than $205 million in contracts, mandated Juneteenth instruction, and voted to not renew the constitution of Southwest Management Academy.  

Within the presentation on the admissions course of for selective colleges,  the consultants, Accenture,  really helpful {that a} strict PSSA cutoff ought to be eradicated as a requirement for a number of of the faculties. In selective colleges that begin in center grades, they urged, college students shouldn’t need to reapply to proceed by way of the ninth grade. 

Accenture performed a survey of counselors, principals, college students, and different stakeholders, wherein 45% of principals mentioned they have been dissatisfied with the PSSA requirement, Nahomie Louis and Nicole Newman of Accenture informed the board. 

Moreover, that course of gave desire to college students in sure ZIP codes, primarily in North and West Philadelphia, who have been traditionally underrepresented at Masterman and Central. That provision has been challenged by a gaggle of fogeys who say it’s a “blatantly unconstitutional race-based system.” 

The consultants mentioned that solely 20% of individuals surveyed mentioned they favored the lottery course of. And, primarily based on information to this point, that system has made solely halting progress in reaching its objective and had unintended penalties. Whereas the demographics at Central and Masterman confirmed slight will increase from 2021-22 to 2022-23 within the proportion of Black and Latino college students, it left tons of of vacancies in among the metropolis’s different criteria-based colleges, largely people who had excessive Black enrollment.  

College students additionally don’t seem like in favor of the lottery system. Accenture’s survey discovered that 54% of scholars mentioned they needed to take away the lottery, and 38% mentioned if it continues, they needed to have the ability to rank their colleges of selection slightly than simply submit a listing of 5. 

Below the present course of, college students can get into all 5 colleges or none, and so they may get into a faculty or colleges they actually don’t wish to attend whereas being shut out of their first selection.  

Accenture consultants studied the programs in different cities, together with Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC as a part of their evaluate. They discovered these cities extra exactly tailor-made their plans to native circumstances and preferences. 

“Many different districts already optimized their programs and curated them primarily based on the wants of scholars,” they mentioned, recommending that Philadelphia equally “customise” its course of. Additionally they mentioned Philadelphia ought to rent a employees devoted to overhauling the method and have revisions and enhancements in place by fall 2025. 

Accenture has a $298,000 contract to guage the college choice course of. 

Board accredited thousands and thousands for constructing upkeep, tech, asbestos abatement

The board thought-about 104 separate gadgets. By way of its consent agenda, wherein many gadgets are voted on in a bloc with little or not dialogue, the board voted to approve greater than $205 million in spending on college constructing upkeep, meals, lease agreements, an “educational administration system,” and extra.

A few of the massive ticket gadgets: 

• $26.3 million for Contract with NCS Pearson for Schoolnet Tutorial Administration System, which comes on prime of a $70 million expenditure accredited on the final assembly for brand spanking new curricular supplies in studying, math, and science. 
• $69 million on an settlement with a metropolis company, the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Growth (PAID), to help with capital initiatives involving the constructing and renovation of college  buildings.
• $24 million for “Contracts with Numerous Distributors for Asbestos Abatement in Numerous Faculties” 
• $20 million for “Contracts with Numerous Distributors for Skilled Environmental Design and Testing Consulting Providers.”

Board member Cecelia Thompson voted no on a number of smaller spending gadgets, together with $6 million for snow removing and $300,000 for window shades, saying they got here with out rationalization. Lisa Salley voted no on two resolutions to spend cash on outdoors legislation companies. 

The board additionally voted to terminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers (Salley dissented.

Board rejects constitution renewal

The board additionally voted 7-2 to not renew the constitution for Southwest Management Academy Constitution college. The vote got here after Rudolph Garcia, who presided over hearings following the board’s first vote to shut the college in June, 2022, mentioned Southwest Management has not improved its low tutorial file and is teetering on monetary viability. Garcia presided over a listening to held in January and February contesting the board’s intent to revoke the constitution.

Final month, the board denied the appliance to open a World Management Academy highschool. That vote and different denials have led some officers to allege that the board is biased towards Black-led charters.

Earlier than voting, board members repeatedly requested Garcia if there was any proof of an upward pattern. Garcia, unequivocally, mentioned no.

“If I had seen some progress, in the event that they have been nonetheless performing beneath comparability teams, however catching up, I might have severely thought-about that they be given extra time to do it,” he mentioned. “However that didn’t occur.”

He famous the pandemic was disruptive, however mentioned all colleges had to deal with that. “All people was affected, however the relationship between them and the opposite comparability teams didn’t change,” Garcia mentioned.

The Ok-8 college, based in 2007 with simply over 600 college students, was making an attempt to develop, however “received forward of their skis,” Garcia mentioned. It purchased property to construct a brand new college, however weren’t in a position to enroll sufficient college students to justify or pay for the enlargement, he mentioned. 

Board member Lisa Salley, who voted no on the closure together with Cecelia Thompson, mentioned she was involved that the audit of the college’s funds appeared “biased.” “I don’t see the target proof to assist” the nonrenewal suggestion, she mentioned.

Mum or dad Robyn Fernandes, who has kids on the college, disputed Garcia’s conclusions, saying that the enrollment is 92% Black, and people college students outperform Black college students in different charters and in comparable district colleges. 

She upbraided the board members for by no means visiting the college or taking to folks and the group about its optimistic influence on college students. “Nobody has had a dialog with us,” she mentioned. “Nobody has set foot within the college.” 

At its Could assembly, the board voted down an software of World Management Academy. 

Peng Chao, director of the board’s Constitution Faculties Workplace, mentioned that 14 charters are up for renewal this yr with a complete enrollment of 14,000 college students, one of many largest cohorts ever thought-about at one time. 

Chao gave extra detailed info on 5 of these colleges that don’t meet requirements in one in every of extra classes: Deep Roots, KIPP North Philadelphia, Mastery Prep Elementary, Arithmetic Civics and Sciences, and Christopher Columbus. 

Arithmetic Civics and Sciences additionally failed to satisfy requirements for organizational compliance. And Chao famous that whereas the college studies a 100% commencement charge, the efficiency of its college students on Keystone exams measuring proficiency in math, language arts, and sciences fall beneath comparable colleges. 

Christopher Columbus met tutorial requirements, however failed to satisfy organizational compliance benchmarks. 

He really helpful that Columbus be renewed for 5 years with situations, whereas the others be renewed for only one yr with situations. 

On the assembly, Watlington additionally mentioned that tenth by way of twelfth graders at Frankford Excessive College, which had been closed as a consequence of asbestos, would return in September to a refurbished wing within the college. Officers had beforehand introduced that the constructing wouldn’t be open subsequent college yr and all college students could be relocated. 

Now, solely ninth graders will go elsewhere, to the third flooring of Clemente Center College, Watlington mentioned. An assistant principal and different staffers will likely be on that web site and college students will likely be offered transportation again to Frankford for afterschool and different out-of-school-time actions, mentioned Affiliate Superintendent for Excessive Faculties Tomas Hanna.

College students will likely be required to find out about Juneteenth

The board additionally accredited a decision to verify all college students find out about Juneteenth, however amended the unique decision that mentioned it ought to be taught “in all content material areas” from grades kindergarten by way of twelfth. It now says Juneteenth classes ought to be taught “to all college students the place acceptable within the curriculum” beginning in 2023-24.

Juneteenth is a nationwide vacation that commemorates the top of slavery in america. Though President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared “all individuals held as slaves” in Accomplice states shall be free, on January 1, 1863, freedom for a lot of would solely be gained later. On June 19, 1865, Union troopers knowledgeable enslaved folks in Galveston, Texas, that they have been free folks; and this occasion, finally often known as Juneteenth, grew to become a celebration of independence for Black folks.

At Thursday’s board assembly, Watlington, a former historical past trainer, famous that the majority individuals of African descent lived beneath slavery for 246 years – from the primary arrival of enslaved Africans to English colonies in 1619 to the abolition of slavery in 1863, after which beneath Jim Crow segregation for an additional 100. And their civil and voting rights “proceed to be beneath assault” in some components of the nation, he mentioned. .

The board decision requires the college district to collaborate with educators, directors, and group companions to develop and supply age-appropriate educational sources, supplies {and professional} growth alternatives that assist the educating of Juneteenth.

The district may even have interaction dad and mom, households, and group members by providing sources, internet hosting occasions, and selling dialogue to boost understanding and appreciation of Juneteenth and Black historical past.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior author for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, the place she covers Ok-12 colleges and early childhood schooling in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.