Philly district plans to close 9 schools

[Javaman]

http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-02/news/30350640_1_grade-configurations-high-schools-grade-five

Faced with declining enrollment, aging facilities, and a brutal fiscal situation, Philadelphia School District officials on Wednesday recommended closing nine schools and making grade changes at 17 others.

"We need to aim for a more efficient footprint reflecting the times and the demographics of the city," said acting Superintendent Leroy Nunery II. "We need to align our resources in a way that benefits the education of our students."

But the School Reform Commission - which will vote on the recommendations early next year - signaled that perhaps the changes did not go far enough.

With a student population now less than 150,000, the district has lost more than 50,000 pupils in the last decade, many to a growing charter-school movement. Officials have estimated there are 70,000 empty seats citywide.

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