City of Philadelphia - File #: 110567

• File #: 110567
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 9/8/2011
• In control: Committees on Legislative Oversight and Education
• Title: Authorizing City Council's Joint Committees on Legislative Oversight and Education to hold public hearings on establishing a Philadelphia School Construction Commission to conduct a needs assessment and use and capacity study of Philadelphia's Public School buildings and to further make recommendations to enhance the environment within the school buildings to foster a safer and more stimulating learning environment.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Sanchez, Councilmember Krajewski, Councilmember O'Neill

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
9/15/2011	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED
9/8/2011	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass

Title
Authorizing City Council's Joint Committees on Legislative Oversight and Education to hold public hearings on establishing a Philadelphia School Construction Commission to conduct a needs assessment and use and capacity study of Philadelphia's Public School buildings and to further make recommendations to enhance the environment within the school buildings to foster a safer and more stimulating learning environment.
Body

WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia is the eighth largest school district in the country with 257 schools serving over 150,000 students; and

WHEREAS, The District's mission is to provide a high-quality education that prepares, ensures, and empowers all students to achieve their full intellectual and social potential in order to become lifelong learners and productive members of society; and

WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Education, a number of studies have shown that many school systems, particularly those in urban and high-poverty areas, are plagued by decaying buildings that threaten the health, safety, and learning opportunities of students; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, the Department of Education states that good facilities appear to be an important precondition for student learning, provided that other conditions are present that support a strong academic program in the school. A growing body of research has linked student achievement and behavior to the physical building conditions and overcrowding; and

WHEREAS, Creating a Commission to review and make recommendations on school facility improvements would provide the School District and the City of Philadelphia with the insight necessary to prioritize and initiate improvements to better the learning environments and bolster academic achievement; and

WHEREAS, The Commission's work would complement the School District's Facilities Master Plan and aid in the establishment of a timeline for rightsizing, sale and reuse plans, renovations, s...