❗ University of the Arts to close this week

🏫 University of the Arts Closing Its Doors for Good

On Friday evening, the University of the Arts announced that it would be closing permanently on June 7, citing declining enrollment and other financial challenges in an email sent to the UArts community. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has also withdrawn the university’s accreditation. The 150-year-old institution will be canceling its summer classes and helping students transition to other schools, and in the meantime will be holding town hall meetings today for its community, which consists of just under 700 faculty and staff and more than a thousand students. [Inquirer]

💰 School Board Adopts $4.5B Budget During Pro-Palestinian Protests

The Philadelphia School Board on Thursday finalized their multibillion-dollar budget for the 2024-25 school year, of which $48 million will go toward retaining assistant principals, teachers, and counselors whose positions this year were federally funded. However, officials project a deficit for the next school year, as Philly is more dependent on state and city funding than other districts in Pennsylvania. During the meeting, about 150 pro-Palestinian teachers, students, and parents rallied outside the district. One of their demands was that school officials explicitly state that teaching about Palestine isn’t antisemitic. [Inquirer]

🎨 North Philly Community Center Reopens With New Mural

After three years under construction, the recreation and senior center at Fifth Street and Allegheny Avenue will reopen with a new 5,000-square-foot mural. “El Ritmo Del Centro,” which means “The Rhythm of the Center” in Spanish, is the product of a collaboration between three Philly artists and input from the neighborhood’s Latino community. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was originally planned for May 24 but has been postponed to a later date. [Philly Voice]

🎢 Police Need More Power, Ocean City Leaders Say

After the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy on the Ocean City boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend, city leaders are seeking solutions to prevent such incidents, starting with reevaluating juvenile justice reforms passed in 2020. Leaders say the reforms have limited police officers’ power to address common issues, such as alcohol and marijuana use. The reforms, however, were intended to address racial disparities and prevent juveniles from having these incidents added to their permanent records. [Philly Voice]

• Related: Listen here for more on what happened along the Shore that weekend, and just how effective Ocean City’s curfews are. [City Cast Philly 🎧]

A Realtor’s Tips on Renting in Philly

Living in Philly is so much fun, but finding a place to live is not always as easy. Host Trenae Nuri talks with Justin Forte, realtor for KW Empower & ForteLiving, about where to find the best rentals, what questions to ask, and how to avoid scams.