Schools chief unveils plan to 'reset' the Philadelphia School District
by Dale Mezzacappa and Benjamin Herold
Saying it’s time to “reset our District,” new Superintendent William Hite this weekend released a reform blueprint based on consolidating scarce resources in the hopes of strengthening Philadelphia’s traditional public schools and staunching the flow of students and dollars to city charters.
Photo: Harvey Finkle
by Dale Mezzacappa and Benjamin Herold
Saying it’s time to “reset our District,” new Superintendent William Hite this weekend released a reform blueprint based on consolidating scarce resources in the hopes of strengthening Philadelphia’s traditional public schools and staunching the flow of students and dollars to city charters.
“That’s what this work is about: developing better options and better opportunities for parents in District schools,” said Hite. “We can become more competitive as a District.”
With some 60,000 Philadelphia children already enrolled in the city’s publicly funded, independently managed charters, Hite said he believes that sector has reached a “natural saturation point.” But he knows that winning parents back to the beleaguered District won’t be easy.
Hite’s “Action Plan 1.0” highlights the challenges: the new superintendent hopes to “professionalize” teachers while cutting their compensation, improve student