Report+-+School+closures+might+not+be+a+budget+cure-all

= Pew report says Phila. school closing plan probably won't raise much revenue = = = = | By Kristen A. Graham, = =//Published by the Philadelphia Inquirer //= =//10/20/11// = = =

=As it prepares for large-scale school closings, the Philadelphia School District must brace itself for a painful process that probably won't generate much revenue, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts released Wednesday.= =The report, by Pew's Philadelphia Research Initiative, examined districts that have engaged in similar closings over the past decade, including Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Washington.= =It concluded that short-term financial gains have "been relatively small in the context of big-city school-district budgets" - with real savings achieved only with mass layoffs.= ="Longer-term savings are difficult to project," the report said.= =The district has cited falling enrollment, outdated buildings, and budgetary concerns as the reasons it must close and consolidate schools, though officials have downplayed the savings they expect to realize.= =Recommendations on closures are expected this month or early next month.= =The district's enrollment has dropped 23 percent in 10 years, from 201,190 students to 154,482. Fewer school-age children and a boom in charter schools have hastened the decline.= =Though it has closed a handful of schools and given others to charter organizations - which lease district space - the district still runs 249 schools, many of them old and in bad shape.= =The average district school is 63 years old. One school, Francis Scott Key, was built in 1889.= =Closures are likely to hit the city unevenly.= =Though some neighborhoods have thousands of excess seats, others are full. Schools in the Northeast operate at 100 percent capacity, for instance; in the Southwest, schools are only at 55 percent capacity.= =Recommendations for closures, consolidations and grade and boundary changes are expected from district staff in the next few weeks. After that, hearings will be held with a School Reform Commission vote to be held in February.= =It is unclear when any school closures will be announced or occur.= =In many cities, researchers found, vacant old school buildings, many of which are in tough neighborhoods, have proven to be a tough sell. As of this summer, there were 200 unoccupied and unsold school properties in the districts Pew studied - 92 in Detroit alone.= =In Philadelphia, the district has 14 empty buildings on its hands, and a number of former Catholic schools already stand vacant.= =Though closings have been better received in some cities than others, they appear certain to generate political fallout.= = = =News= =home=