Mass school closings: Why the numbers don't add up
by Helen Gym on Dec 20 2012 Posted in Commentary
by Helen Gym
Like most of the public, I’ve been baffled by the District’s latest rationale for closing down an unprecedented number of schools in a single year. In observing the school hearings this week, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a quote by Maya Angelou: “There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”
That statement couldn’t ring more true when looking at the District’s proposal to close down one in six Philadelphia schools, including wiping out ten public schools in the 19121 and 19132 zip codes. The plan will disrupt the lives of 17,000 children in the District – more than 10 percent of the population – for a questionable savings that amounts to barely one percent of the District budget.
Moreover, the District has failed to show any lessons it has learned from cities across the country who have closed down public schools with little impact on finances or student achievement.
The District comes to the table with a chosen set of facts: utilization, capacity, facilities condition index, and so on. Based on these numbers, the District argues