Now sharing a building, 2 schools seek collaboration
After a successful battle to keep Beeber Middle School open, parents are a little uneasy that SLA@Beeber moved in, too. But the goal is mutual benefit.
by Sonia Giebel
Photo: Harvey Finkle
Rayette Bosley (left) and her daughter Raynae stand outside Beeber Middle School in Wynnefield. They campaigned to save it when it was threatened with closure.
Dimner Beeber Middle School was headed for extinction.
Since it was barely a quarter full and posted poor academic indicators, the District planned to close it and send a few hundred Beeber 7th and 8th graders to nearby Overbrook High School.
But for Raynae Bosley, a rising 8th grader, Beeber was working.
In 7th grade, she said, “all of the teachers didn’t give up on me and they kept getting me up to the next level.”
“I really didn’t want the school to be closed at all.”
She was not alone. The Beeber community, including Raynae and her mother Rayette, launched a fierce and successful campaign last spring to keep the school open.
But the Bosleys are still concerned about the school’s future because Beeber’s
Closings prompt big adjustments at receiving schools
Sub Title: South Philadelphia High, Lea Elementary, and many others raced to prepare for a major influx of students from 24 shuttered schools. Author: by Dan Hardy Author Bio: Dan Hardy is a freelance reporter who writes about education in the region. As South Philadelphia High School opens its doors this fall for the new school year, it is a dramatically different place than
Notes from the news, Sept. 13
PCAPS announces new campaign to fight for school funding. Notebook Randi Weingarten joins City Hall protest over Philly school funds. NewsWorks National union leader thwarted in school visit. Inquirer Budget crisis shutters libraries at 2 top schools. Inquirer Goode opens new front on Phila. schools crisis. Inquirer Philly's imperiled schools: The view from Central's robotics team. Inquirer Previ
SEP 12
PCAPS announces new campaign to fight for school funding
by Isaac Riddle The Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools organized a press conference Thursday at City Hall to announce a new campaign that would call on City Council and other elected officials to fully fund District schools. Image: Image Caption: Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaking at the announcement of the Full Funding Friday
Previous cuts were bad enough, staffers say
Sub Title: Despite efforts to protect the classroom, years of staffing reductions and shortages have already taken a toll, educators and parents say. Author: by Paul Jablow Author Bio: Paul Jablow is a regular freelance contributor to the Notebook. Any 4th graders going back to David Hensel’s class in Taggart Elementary School to retrieve something they forgot might have seen
Notes from the news, Sept. 12
Mayor seeking donations for school supplies. Notebook Nutter wants people to pitch in to help School District. Inquirer City Council has its own plans for selling closed schools. PlanPhilly City to give schools $50M by expediting school sales. NBC 10 Philly mayor, council divided on how to come up with school funds. NewsWorks Nutter, Clarke again tout alternate school-funding plans. Daily News As
SEP 11
Mayor seeking donations for school supplies
Mayor Nutter wants people in the city and region to donate money so that schools in Philadelphia have adequate supplies. At a press conference Wednesday, Nutter announced the formation of the Philadelphia Education Supplies Fund, with a goal of raising $500,000 by Oct. 15 and $2.5 million over the next five years. He started out by donating $200,000 from the city's general fund and said the city w
City Council has its own plans for selling closed schools
This is a reprint of an article that originally appeared at PlanPhilly. by Jared Brey for PlanPhilly Less than two weeks after the Nutter Administration announced a comprehensive plan for selling and reusing closed school buildings, City Council held a press conference to describe its own plan, which involves the immediate transfer of $50 million to the School District in exchange for the Distric
Parents, teachers push for new Pa. schools funding formula
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks Mark Gleason, executive director of the Philadelphia School Partnership (Courtesy of Philadelphia School Partnership) Pennsylvania lawmakers met Tuesday in Philadelphia to talk about education funding, just a day after the city's schools opened amid major cutbacks. Charter school champions, parent activists, a public school student, a teacher, and other residen
Notes from the news, Sept. 11
Auditors have warned of District accounting problems since 1987. PA Independent Hite visits Jackson School to see problems. Inquirer SRC member Pritchett to step down as Rutgers-Camden chancellor. Inquirer Philly schools open with big concerns, big classes. NewsWorks Happy first day of school, here's your parking ticket. NewsWorks Only two Philly schools named to Persistently Dangerous. Daily New
SEP 10
Number of 'persistently dangerous' District schools drops
The number of Philadelphia public schools now on the state's list of "persistently dangerous" schools has dropped for a fourth year in a row. There are now only two District schools on the list: Lincoln High School in Mayfair and West Philadelphia's Sayre High School, which was added this year. read more
Philly schools open with big concerns, big classes
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks Philadelphia's public schools opened Monday with larger classes, missing programs, and 3,000 fewer employees. The School District is facing an unprecedented budget crisis after years of state and federal cutbacks, combined with rising pension and health-care costs. District officials reported no major problems Monday. But on the ground level, the tight budget was a
Agencies serving Philly public school kids with special needs expect challenges
by Maiken Scott for NewsWorks For Philadelphia public school students with behavioral health issues such as depression or ADHD, the first days of school might bring some anxiety and challenges. Ten of the 24 schools that were closed down had in-house therapy programs for kids, who now will receive services in their new schools. Roxy Woloszyn from the advocacy organization Public Citizens for Child
Notes from the news, Sept. 10
After budget cuts and closures, tremendous uncertainty surrounds the return to school. Notebook Welcome to Tilden, a new year for all of us. Notebook Schools open smoothly but amid scrutiny, concerns. Inquirer Philly schools open with fewer counselors and many concerns. Daily News Philadelphia schools begin new year amid financial anxiety, staff shortages. NewsWorks Philadelphia students head bac
SEP 09
Welcome to Tilden, a new year for all of us
by Bill Hangley Jr. It may be doomsday for the Philadelphia School District, but parents at one Southwest Philadelphia school say they’re ready to roll with the punches. Even if they’re not sure just how heavy those punches will be, or where and when they’ll land. “My son’s worried about the sports – is that going to happen?” said Roger King, who’s sending two children and a grandchild to Tilden M
Cheers and a grand welcome for MLK High students on their first day
by Brian Hickey for NewsWorks Just after 8 a.m. Monday, four teenagers stood across Stenton Avenue from Martin Luther King High School waiting for the light to change. As they crossed the street to go inside for their first day of classes, they saw droves of adults lining the walkway to the front door and didn't quite know what to make of it. "We gotta walk through that?" one asked his friends. Ye
Philly schools scraping by on opening day
by Tom MacDonald for NewsWorks There are some "first day of school" jitters in Philadelphia, but it's not the usual kind. This opening day is with far less support-staff. South Philadelphia High School mother Tamara Brown says she worried about how her son will blend into a new high school, after his old one was closed over the summer. "I'm very concerned about the many students in the class with
Gloves off: It's time for parents to exercise their legal rights
As we enter the school year, the purposeful underfunding and abuse of the state-run School District has never been more clear. Twenty-four school closings. Children headed to schools even worse off than the ones they attended. Every single school across the city crippled by the deliberate refusal to staff them safely and responsibly. Consider: Massive overcrowding, including reports of 48 student
Community on patrol to ensure 'safe corridors' for Northwest Philly students
by Meg Frankowski for NewsWorks As students head back to school today, some community members in Northwest Philadelphia are pitching in to ensure a smooth transition for students attending schools outside of their neighborhoods. Volunteers for the "WalkSafePHL" initiative trained last week at the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Technology. Image: Image Caption: Doug Evans teaches the
Parents question safe routes to Philly schools
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks Safely steering kids to and from school is never an easy task. In Philadelphia, there's an extra challenge this year. As the School District faces an unprecedented financial crisis, about 9,000 of the city's 134,000 students will be heading to a new school because their former one was closed or consolidated in June. That means kids will be traversing through unfami
After budget cuts and closures, tremendous uncertainty surrounds the return to school
As the Philadelphia School District prepared to open for the 2013-14 school year, teachers scoured for usable desks that they could stuff into classrooms with, in some cases, 40 or more students. Some even contemplated bringing in spare chairs from home. “We have a lot more students and fewer staff members,” said Barbara Keating, head of the English department at South Philadelphia High School. “C
Notes from the news, Sept. 9
Tweeting #Philly1stDay experiences. Notebook Hite: Conditions not ideal but schools are ready. Inquirer Philly schools open today with less staff. Daily News Philadelphia schools open Monday amid uncertainty. AP Community on patrol to ensure 'safe corridors' for Northwest Philly students. NewsWorks Parents question safe routes to Philly schools. NewsWorks Students: "You're destroying the reasons
SEP 08
Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools open
On the eve of schools opening, staff are working hard to prepare for a critical and highly scrutinized first day of the year. Teachers at Lingelbach Elementary in Mount Airy have produced a creative music video about the challenges they will face tomorrow. Contract negotiations between the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School District, however, remain ongoing. District spokesman Fer
Philly public school parents go over legal strategy
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks Philadelphia's public schools may not have reopened yet, but parents are already thinking about taking legal action over this year's cutbacks. When classes start Monday, the School District will have about 3,000 fewer employees than it did in June. That amounts to a 15 percent cut to staff. Sonja Kerr, director of disabilities rights for the Public Interest Law Cen
SEP 07
Countdown, Day 2: Tweeting #Philly1stDay experiences
The Notebook has been counting down the days before schools open. For 40 days, we tried to follow each dramatic twist, every political turn that arose in what many believe is Philadelphia's worst school funding crisis in history. Though the summer's unofficially over and the school year will start on time, the uncertainty of what schools will look like when they open Monday is of major concern. Ho