City and school district officials have  reached an agreement to keep gyms and theaters in public schools open on afternoons and weekends. Cost-cutting plans announced amid the district’s $61 million shortfall included closing the facilities at the end of the school day.

Forty-eight schools will keep their extra-curricular doors open after hours through Saturday, March 17, according to Thursday’s announcement from the city. Twenty-five of those schools are in the Northeast: continue reading »

Meetings will be held this month at Northeast and Lincoln high schools to review the criteria for the new superintendent of the Philadelphia School District. Image/Google Maps

Two meetings have been scheduled in the Northeast this month to discuss the search for the new superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.

Former superintendent Arlene Ackerman was bought out last year following months of internal conflict and accusations, and her second-in-command, Leroy Nunnery, was named interim superintendent. continue reading »

Northeast High School. Image/Google Maps

Public schools in Northeast Philadelphia use about 94 percent of their available space. That’s more than the 67 percent most School District of Philadelphia facilities use and more than the 80 percent the district confers.

The overcrowding issue was a big one for school officials and parents who attended a meeting earlier this month at Northeast High School. It’s one of 17 the district is holding following the release of its facilities master plan, and the second in the Northeast. continue reading »

The School District of Philadelphia recommends grade reconfigurations for Stearne School in Frankford and Lawton School in Wissinoming.

The School District of Philadelphia announced at Wednesday School Reform Commission meeting the recommended closure of nine city schools and reconfigurations to 17 others.

None of those closures are meant for Northeast schools, but two are part of the grade reconfigurations outlined in the district’s facilities master plan. Though specific plans for the schools haven’t been made clear, Henry W. Lawton School in Wissinoming and Allen M. Stearne School in Frankford both need reconfigurations, according to the district. continue reading »

The Mayfair Memorial Playground site in February 2010, not long after rebuilding efforts were renewed. Photo by Stephen Zook for NEastPhilly/Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

During its regularly scheduled meeting this week, the School Reform Commission is expected to weigh in Wednesday on the next step in rebuilding the Mayfair Memorial Playground.

A vote will be taken on whether or not to approve an $80,000 gift from playground-building organization KaBOOM! Pending a supportive vote, the School District of Philadelphia will sign a letter of permission to build. Mayfair community members will then be able to schedule their design and build days to re-install a playground at the Rowland Avenue and Vista Street site.

The SRC meeting begins at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at the School District of Philadelphia, 440 N. Broad St. Meetings are open to the public.

Photo taken by Bill Achuff in the December 2009 storm.

Here is the official word on school closings for Monday, Dec. 27, as stated by the School District of Philadelphia:

*Note: This post may be updated as new information comes in. continue reading »

Finalizing a city energy authority and better empowering the city to fight blight are the two top resolutions in 2011 for Councilman Darrell Clarke, he told residents at the Northwood Civic Association meeting Tuesday night.

To a crowd of roughly 12, perhaps limited by clouds and rain, Clarke spoke at length of those two focuses:

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Arlene Ackerman, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, prepares for her keynote speech at the Camelot graduation ceremony. Photo courtesy of Ceislet Media & Issue Advocacy.

From Camelot Schools:

“Don’t ever give up, “ was the message Philadelphia School District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman gave more than 200 students — once deemed potential drop-outs – as they received their high school diplomas Tuesday at the Camelot Schools graduation ceremony held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Irvine Auditorium.

Nearly 100 percent of these extraordinary students are moving on to post-secondary programs – college, technical schools or the military. Ninety-six percent of the students who began the school year graduated Tuesday. This is a remarkable record considering that some  of these students had left school and others were on  the verge of leaving school for disciplinary or academic reasons before they enrolled in Camelot.

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Friday –  A Frankford High School student tested positive last week for tuberculosis. A spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia said both the district and parents of all Frankford High students were notified. Students and staff who spent more than two class periods with the infected student will have to be tested for TB, as well. continue reading »

What is it that motivates, or fails to motivate, an adolescent to learn? Both the Pennsylvania School Board and Abraham Lincoln High School, located on Ryan and Rowland avenues, opted to explore a possible answer to this question by completely restructuring the 60-year-old building.

According to project manager JCMS Inc., the renovation waves a price tag of $70 million on the recently finished construction of the new school building in September 2009.

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