Philadelphia Board of Education set to vote on $2.8B Facilities Master Plan

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Philadelphia Board of Education is preparing to vote on Superintendent Tony Watlington’s $2.8 billion Facilities Master Plan.

Under the proposal, 20 schools would close, 159 would be modernized and six would merge. Of the buildings slated to close, 12 would remain in district use, while eight would be transferred to the city for job creation initiatives or redevelopment as affordable housing.

SEE ALSO | Philadelphia City Council presses school district on plan to close 20 schools

The plan has drawn strong opposition from parents, students and the teachers’ union.

The district says factors like enrollment and achievement went into these decisions.

Watlington will present his proposal to the board for a vote on Thursday. He has said the plan remains subject to change.

More information is available on the district’s Facilities Planning page at PhilaSD.org.