As Philadelphia’s Board of Education defends its decision to pass the School District’s facilities master plan, not everyone believes that closing 17 schools is necessary. Members of City Council disrupted the vote on April 30 in a last-ditch effort to halt the closures and have promised to withhold funding and oppose the reelection of board members.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who also chairs City Council’s education committee, spoke with City Cast Philly to explain the council’s response to the master plan. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation.
What more could have been done?
“ A lot more could have been done. We offer compromises. We say, ‘Hey, how about this? How about that?’ We offered a number of suggestions. [The School District of Philadelphia] took a position that they weren't gonna negotiate anymore, and they weren't gonna be open to dialogue.
“So as a legislator who's responsible for funding the school district, how is it fair that you come to us and ask us for money, but then tell us we gotta put up the money, but don't get no input and don't get no say. And the things that we're advocating for is reflective of what the people we represent are asking for.”
Why did [the April 30 board meeting] get so heated?
“ How do you prefer a civil disobedience take place? What do you suggest happen when blind children at Lankenau [Environmental Science Magnet High School] and deaf children at Lankenau all now have to find new schools? Is that worth getting heated for to you?
“If I'm not gonna get heated over Black children being displaced from their neighborhood, then what should I get heated over? Why do you want me representing you? Why do you want me as the education chair? In the city of Philadelphia, when we went through this before in 2013 and [had] seen how detrimental it was to our kids, why do you want me in charge if I'm not gonna get heated over that? And if I'm not gonna get heated over that, then what else will I stand for? At some point, we have to say enough is enough.”
Who's gonna come up with some ideas [to fund the school district]?
“ I have plenty of ideas, but I'm not gonna communicate ideas around a plan that I don't agree with, that doesn't make sense. As lawmakers and legislators, our job is to constantly think about revenue: revenue for the city, revenue for the district, and other quasi-government agencies.
“Revenue is our life. Revenue is our job. But you're basically asking me to come up with revenue ideas to fund a plan that I don't agree with, that I don't think is the right way to go about governing in the city of Philadelphia.
“ I honestly don't think the constituents in the city of Philadelphia are gonna be okay with watching schools close and raising their taxes at the same time. I think that's a tough pill for people to swallow.”
🎧 Listen to the full conversation on today’s episode of City Cast Philly.
