After delay, Philly school board set to vote on $3B facilities closure plan

After delaying for a week, the board for the School District of Philadelphia is once again set to vote on a $3 billion dollar plan that would see 17 district facilities shuttered — and spending increased from an initial $2.8 billion to a full $3 billion.

Last week, the board delayed the vote following outcry from elected officials and the union that represents school workers and educators, among others.

After last week’s delay, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker touted the board’s decision to allow more time before the facilities closure plan would be considered.

“I support the Board of Education’s decision to postpone the vote on the School District of Philadelphia’s facilities plan, to allow City Council members and the public time to offer additional comment and feedback,” Parker wrote in a statement last week. “I am confident that under Board President Reginald Streater’s strong leadership, when the Board considers the plan on April 30, it will do everything in its power to help our students build on the progress that is already underway. As we work together as a united City, we can and will continue building a school district for the future, with sufficient resources, that we can all be proud of.”

Along with seeing 17 school facilities shuttered and increasing spending, the plan set for a vote on Thursday afternoon would also increase the number of school modernizations from 159 to 169 campuses and maintain six school co-locations.

How the plan may have been updated — if it has been updated at all — following last week’s delay was not immediately known.

On Thursday morning, City Council members, education advocates and parents were expected to gather at Paul Robeson High School in University City, one of the schools that could close if the plan is approved, to rally against the closure plan.

The board is expected to vote on the school facilities closure plan at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.