Overview
- At a packed committee hearing, Council members said they would not be a rubber stamp and signaled they could hold up city dollars over the proposal to close 20 schools, co-locate six and modernize 159 buildings.
- The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers told Council the plan lacks sufficient, transparent data, flagged inconsistencies in facility assessments and questioned the $2.8 billion price tag as optimistic.
- Union analysis urged access to all underlying information and suggested full repairs to poor or inadequate buildings could exceed $3.5 billion, noting earlier deferred-maintenance estimates above $7 billion.
- District officials released per–City Council district funding totals and highlighted signature projects, including about $57.2 million for South Philadelphia High, $54.6 million for Bartram High and $50.2 million for Overbrook High.
- Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said recommendations may shift before his Feb. 26 presentation to the school board, and the district scheduled town halls this week for public feedback, including sessions on Feb. 17, Feb. 20 and a Feb. 22 virtual event.