Philly City Councilmembers call out ‘rushed vote' on school closure plan

After officials from the School District of Philadelphia announced an updated long-term facilities plan — that calls for 17 school facilities to be shuttered and increases spending from $2.8 billion to $3 billion — members of Philadelphia’s City Council were expected to speak out against, what they called, a “rushed vote” to approve the plan.

That vote, officials said, is expected to happen on Thursday.

On Monday, April 20, 2026, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr., presented final recommendations to a facilities plan that calls for numerous facility closures.

However, in statement released in response to those recommendations, several Democratic members of Philadelphia’s City Council — Councilmember-at-Large, and Council Education Committee Chair, Isaiah Thomas, Curtis Jones, 4th dist., Councilmember-at-Large Nina Ahmad and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, 3rd dist., along with Working Families party member and Councilman-at-Large Nicholas O’Rourke — called the effort to approve the new plan a “rushed vote,” claiming “numerous last minute changes were made before an abrupt announcement to approve the plan at the upcoming school board action meeting.”

And, on Tuesday morning, they intend to speak out against the vote.

Thomas said that, with the planned closures, other schools will be expected to absorb students from the shuttered educational centers.

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“We’re really concerned with closing schools like Wagner and Harding. When you close Wagner Middle School and you say that the neighboring schools are going to be K through eight now,” Thomas told NBC10. “Well, I’m a graduate of Elwood Elementary School. I can tell you that I’m certain that Elwood doesn’t have the the actual space to go to K through eight.”

The Tuesday event is scheduled to be held at Lankenau Environmental Science Magnet High School, in Roxborough, one of the sites affected under the plan and one of the 17 schools expected to close.

Once closed, the former Lankenau High School site will be retained as an environmental education center, in partnership with the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, officials said.

NBC10 is working to learn more.

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