Philadelphia teachers union proposes repairs to keep 17 schools open

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers presented a repair-focused alternative on November 11 that it says would keep and improve 17 schools, according to WHYY.

The proposal offers families and staff a different vision for schools affected by the district’s facilities plan. The Philadelphia Board of Education approved the district plan in April, WHYY’s Emily Swanson reported.

The union’s Facilities Action Plan puts the estimated cost of an initial maintenance stage at about $25 million, WHYY reported. At a Wednesday news conference, union president Arthur Steinberg said the union would deliver the plan to the school board Thursday.

The district told WHYY that the union proposal addresses immediate maintenance needs but falls short on challenges involving enrollment, aging and underused buildings, and unequal educational opportunities.

The district’s facilities planning page describes a range of options, from maintenance and modernization to shared buildings and repurposing. Its closure category also addresses academic programs: a program can phase out, merge or have students reassigned, while a site can be repurposed. That distinction places the union’s proposed repairs alongside a wider set of decisions about where programs operate.