Archive for the ‘Schools’ Category
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Philly needs teachers. This statement has been repeated so many times since the 90’s that it is beginning to feel like a mantra. Drawing teachers to Philadelphia and then keeping them there seems to be an unending battle with Philadelphia students suffering the majority of the repercussions. One developer in Philadelphia thinks he has an idea that might help. D3 Real Estate plans to offer teachers in Philadelphia discounted rent when they rent from their Oxford Mills development in Fishtown.
Greg Hill of D3 Real Estate described the program:
“Although we are not educators and we’re not necessarily experts in that field, we do believe that if we can create a good working environment and a good living environment that’s affordable, it helps those very dedicated professionals do what they do best.”
This program offers a nice incentive for teachers who want work and live in Philadelphia. D3 Real Estate is able to accomplish this benefit thanks to “financing subsidies and historic tax credits.” Teachers may be the ones receiving the discount, but the real value is what this program may do for Philadelphia’s students.
Teach For America to Move Its Headquarters to Fishtown
As if having Philadel
phia business’s do their part to encourage the success of Philadelphia schools weren’t enough, D3 Real Estate’s Oxford Mills development was announced as the soon-to-be headquarters of Teach For America’s Greater Philadelphia branch. Locating their offices near to discounted housing for Teach For America’s teachers was an opportunity on which they simply could not pass.
Teach For America – Greater Philadelphia works with Philadelphia schools and communities to promote an improvement in Philadelphia schools with lower funding and struggling student populations. Since 2003, Teach For America has sent more than 250 teachers to Philadelphia and Camden, NJ schools. Many of their alumni have gone on to become leaders in the Philadelphia public and Charter Schools development. Everyday Teach For America corps members make a difference in Philadelphia students’ lives.
Philadelphia Teacher Retention Programs Initiated
Rent incentives and Teach For America programs bring teachers into Philadelphia. The City now has the challenge of retaining those teachers. A recent study of Philadelphia schools (PDF) conducted by the by The New Teacher Project (TNTP) found that a shocking number of Philadelphia educators felt overworked and underappreciated.
Philadelphia is certain to continue its efforts to encourage talented educators to spend their careers in Philly. What the Oxford Mills apartments project shows us is that Philadelphia business-owners are community members that are glad to participate when city government offers incentives.
The City is taking it one step further by making efforts to honor Philly’s best educators. Philadelphia will honor 59 excellent educators from Philadelphia public high schools by awarding them the Distinguished Teaching Award. This award recognizes teachers who truly strive to elevate Philadelphia school systems with their dedication, talent, and years of service. The award comes with a $3,500 prize from the Lindback Foundation and is awarded just in time for summer vacation. How great is that?
These efforts on the part of the City and the community are steps in the right direction, and many living in Philadelphia have high hopes that the coming decade will be a period of renewal and accomplishment for Philadelphia schools.
Tags: fishtown, kensington, philadelphia apartments, philadelphia schools, philadelphia teachers, philly education, philly teachers, teach for america
Posted in Articles, Fishtown, Schools | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013
Students seeking housing have stimulated a wave of renovations across the city, filling newly rehabbed and converted apartments and supporting higher rents.
This past Thursday marked the 11th annual RealShare Philadelphia, a meeting of over 500 real estate professionals. More than two dozen industry experts spoke at the event, which took place in the Crystal Tea Room at the historic Wanamaker Building.
One topic of discussion at RealShare was why, as Robert Fahey, executive vice president at CBRE, said, “It’s never been easier to sell Philadelphia.” The panel of experts pointed to many different reasons for the city’s current developer appeal. Philadelphia is lower profile than nearby cities like Boston and Washington and less subject to “wild cyclical swings,” according to Chris Terlizzi, senior vice president and regional manager at First Niagara Bank.
Experts also referred to a younger demographic which is currently pouring into Philadelphia’s many renovated apartment buildings. David Dolan, senior managing director with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, said that nearly 6 million square feet of older office space in Philadelphia has recently been converted to apartments, attracting major owner/developers. The city’s high livability factor is due in part to the so-called “meds and eds” sector, according to Timothy Proctor, senior vice president at TD Bank. However, the experts cautioned that recent 6-8% rent increases may not be able to sustain the 1,500 to 2,000 new units which will come on the market next year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the thousands of newly renovated apartments in Philadelphia will likely attract college students, regardless of the rent increase. Universities across the country are facing a shortage of student housing, and with aging dormitories in dire need of upgrades, The Journal estimates that colleges in the U.S. are short between 1.5 and 2.15 million beds. Even after the housing crash, parents and student loans continued to pay the increasing rent for student apartments. These are a few of the reasons why major developers are buying more and more student housing in Philadelphia.
Tags: center city real estate, living in philly, philadelphia real estate, Philly Living, philly real estate, Real Estate in Philadelphia, student housing
Posted in Philadelphia real estate, Rentals, Schools | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 11th, 2013
The School Reform Commission claims that closing 23 underused school buildings will save more than $22 million annually. Pew Charitable Trusts research suggests the estimate may be overly optimistic.
Thursday night, the School Reform Commission (SRC) voted to decide the fate of 27 Philadelphia schools, more than 10 percent of the schools in the district, in an attempt to improve the district’s dire financial situation. This year the commission was forced to borrow $300 million just to make ends meet, and an almost $1.4 billion deficit is projected for the next five years without a major overhaul. Community members worry that consolidating schools will lead to longer walks for young students, often through dangerous neighborhoods.
Despite community protests, including a massive rally which resulted in over a dozen arrests, the SRC voted to close 23 of the 27 schools, and planned to vote on two more schools at a later date. Officials say that the downsizing will save the district about $24.5 million annually. The closures will take effect after classes end in June, in addition to an unspecified number of layoffs, including principals, building engineers, and maintenance workers, according to district spokesman Fernando Gallard. Gallard does not anticipate any teacher layoffs because the student population should remain the same.
The School District of Philadelphia currently has 12 vacant schools on the market, six of which have been approved for sale by the SRC. A recent study indicated that urban school districts often have trouble unloading closed schools because of poor real estate markets, undesirable locations, and bad building conditions, among other reasons. Researchers at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative say that urban school districts tend to overestimate how much they’ll save from closing schools, and how much they’ll make from selling the empty buildings. Philadelphia Research Initiative Director Larry Eichel, who led the study, says that the longer a vacant school sits on the market, the harder it is to sell. The old Roberto Clemente Middle School building in North Philadelphia was recently sold to a local community group for only $1, after sitting empty for nearly a decade, and falling into disrepair.
SRC Chairman Pedro Ramos said in a statement that the decision to close 23 schools was difficult, “but it focused on our goal to provide safe, high-quality seats while being fiscally responsible.” Ramos said that the commission’s next step is to focus on making the transition a smooth one. “The responsibility now shifts to make sure everything we’ve talked about the past few months gets done.”
Tags: center city real estate, education, living in philly, pew charitable trusts, philadelphia real estate, Philadelphia Research Initiative, Philly Living, school reform commission
Posted in Articles, Philadelphia real estate, Schools | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
With the School District of Philadelphia looking to close yet another yawning budget deficit, parents have begun to take matters into their own hands in order to preserve the quality of educational programs at their neighborhood schools.
The School District has cut funding for programs considered non-essential such as studio arts, performing arts and foreign languages. One group of Center City parents has taken advantage of a state tax credit program to keep art alive at their school.
That school is Albert M. Greenfield Elementary, near Fitler Square. The school’s active Home and School Association has raised private funds to paint, landscape, and improve the school’s interior and exterior spaces, so it didn’t take much to get it involved in the business of saving cherished enrichment programs.
The HSA took advantage of a state tax credit known as the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) to do this. By establishing itself as an Educational Improvement Organization (EIO), the Greenfield HSA can receive direct donations from private companies to support programs cut by the School District outside the core curriculum. Companies can deduct the donations from their state tax bills.
The HSA did not clear the bureaucratic hurdles in time to save Greenfield’s art program this year but will be able to do so for the coming school year.
Read more about this development in the Weekly Press.
–Sandy Smith
Tags: coldwell banker preferred, noah ostroff, Philly Living, Philly Living Blog
Posted in Articles, Center City, Neighborhood Pages, Philadelphia real estate, Rittenhouse Square, Schools | No Comments »
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
According to a watchdog we watch, onetime City Controller candidate Brett Mandel, Philadelphia real estate owners may be able to slash their property tax bills by up to 44 percent, thanks to the city’s sloppy real estate assessment regime.
In his email newsletter today, Mandel reported that the Board of Revision of Taxes ruled that Philadelphia property owners who appealed their assessed valuations as too high were eligible for reductions in their tax bills. The basis for the reductions is a ruling issued last summer by a state board that reviews city and county property assessments for conformity with state guidelines. The Commonwealth requires local jurisdictions to assess property at 32 percent of market value for tax purposes, and property owners in any jurisdiction that fails to meet this standard may appeal to have their taxes based on whatever rate the state determines is the local standard. Last summer, the state board determined that Philadelphia assessed property at 18 percent of market value on average. Following state law, a number of city property owners appealed their tax bills, and today, the BRT found in their favor.
This has several ramifications for City Hall. The first has to do with plugging the hole these lower tax bills will blow in the city and School District budgets. If the ruling stands, property tax receipts will fall by up to $80 million in the coming year, a large hole for the city to fill. However, according to Mandel, the city plans to appeal the decision on the grounds that the numbers the city gave the state last year are inaccurate and that the real numbers will show the city passes the state threshold.
If the folks in City Hall are smart, though, it will also light a fire under the new Office of Property Assessment to proceed with the full reassessment of property citywide that just about everyone agrees is needed to ensure city property is fairly valued. Right now, similar properties in the same neighborhoods may vary widely in their assessments, leaving longtime owners with ridiculously low taxes while newer residents face much higher bills. Politically connected property owners have also been known to benefit from the discrepancies in local property assessments. When the BRT handled both assessments and appeals, this problem got swept under the rug, so to speak; with the separation of the asseessment function into a new city agency last year, the problem can no longer be hidden that easily. Rather than appeal a flawed system, the city should take the opportunity to put an accurate and fair assessment system in place before more taxpayers get their bills lowered.
–By Sandy Smith
Tags: coldwell banker preferred, living in philly, noah ostroff, Philly Living Blog, property taxes
Posted in Articles, Buying a Home, Center City, Philadelphia real estate, Schools, Selling your home | No Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Location: 801 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
Enrollment: 705 students in grades K-9 in 2010-11
Student-teacher ratio: 19.7 in 2010
Demographics: African-American, 99%; White, 0%; Asian, <1%; Latino, <1; all others, <1%. 99% of Russell Byers students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Metrics:
Attendance rate (2010-11) 94%.
PSSA performance (2011, percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced):
| Subject | This School | District Public Schools | State |
| Math | 64.3% | 58.6% | 77.1% |
| Reading | 60.3% | 52.0% | 73.5% |
| Science | 48.6% | 34.8% | 60.9% |
| Writing | 69.4% | 51.2% | 75.0% |
Profile: The Universal Institute Charter School’s curriculum is based on the School District of Philadelphia’s Core Curriculum, employs a project-based approach to learning and emphasizes career readiness, civic responsibility and community involvement. UICS uses the “School to Career” model to structure its instructional program; the model is a K-12 program that is designed “to prepare students for success in the world of work, further education, employment, enterpreneurship and/or service to the community.” UICS also draws on community resources and institutions in its Graduate Hospital-area neighborhood to enrich its offerings.
Tags: 19146, best places to live, education, graduate hospital area schools, living in philly, philadelphia charter schools, philadelphia real estate, philadelphia schools, schools in 19146
Posted in Articles, Buying a Home, Center City, Graduate Hospital, Schools | No Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Location: 1911 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Enrollment: 418 students in grades preK-6 in 2010-11
Student-teacher ratio: 16.0 in 2010
Demographics: African-American, 81.8%; White, 11.5%; Asian, 2.4%; Latino, 3.8%; all others, 0%. 67% of Russell Byers students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Metrics:
Attendance rate (2010-11) 91%.
PSSA performance (2011, percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced):
| Subject | This School | District Public Schools | State |
| Math | 71.0% | 58.6% | 77.1% |
| Reading | 65.1% | 52.0% | 73.5% |
| Science | 70.2% | 34.8% | 60.9% |
| Writing | 84.8% | 51.2% | 75.0% |
Profile: Founded in 2001 to honor the memory of the Philadelphia Daily News columnist who passionately championed both his hometown of Philadelphia and better public education, Russell Byers Charter School is the only school in the state to adopt the Expeditionary Learning Schools model of instruction, which emphasizes learning by doing, teamwork, discovery and accountability. The model sets high expectations for students, teachers and school staff and builds character as students engage in collaborative projects that engage them with not only subject matter but the world around them. Spanish language instruction is an integral part of the curriculum as well.
Tags: 19103, best places to live, education, living in philly, philadelphia real estate, philadelphia schools, schools in philadelphia
Posted in Articles, Buying a Home, Center City, Logan Square, Neighborhood Pages, Schools | No Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Location: 800 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Enrollment: 540 students in grades K-8 in 2009-10
Student-teacher ratio: 13.3 in 2010
Demographics: African-American, 96.4%; White, 0.3%; Asian, 0%; Latino, 2.8%; all others, 0%. 85% of People for People students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Metrics:
Attendance rate (2010-11) 91%.
PSSA performance (2011, percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced):
| Subject | This School | District Public Schools | State |
| Math | 63.5% | 58.6% | 77.1% |
| Reading | 54.4% | 52.0% | 73.5% |
| Science | 23.5% | 34.8% | 60.9% |
| Writing | 76.0% | 51.2% | 75.0% |
Profile: People for People Charter School is affiliated with the community development corporation of the same name founded by Greater Exodus Baptist Church pastor Rev. Herbert H. Rusk II. The school follows the same core curriculum used in the Philadelphia public schools and prides itself on maintaining small class sizes (20 students on average) and individualized attention. Courses in enterpreneurship, a key component of People for People’s mission, are also an integral part of the school curriculum.
Tags: 19130, art museum area schools, buying a home in philadelphia, education, living in philly, philadelphia real estate, philadelphia schools, schools in 19130, schools in philadelphia
Posted in Articles, Buying a Home, Center City, Fairmount, Loft District, Neighborhood Pages, Schools | No Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Location: 447 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Enrollment: 891 students in grades 1-12 in 2010-11
Student-teacher ratio: 14.2 in 2010
Demographics: African-American, 97.6%; White, 0.4%; Asian, 0.1%; Latino, 1.5%; all others, 0.3%. 76% of Math, Civics & Sciences students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Metrics:
Attendance rate (2010-11) N/A
Graduation rate (2010-11) 100%.
PSSA performance (2011, percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced):
| Subject | This School | District Public Schools | State |
| Math | 52.6% | 58.6% | 77.1% |
| Reading | 53.9% | 52.0% | 73.5% |
| Science | 53.8% | 34.8% | 60.9% |
| Writing | 72.9% | 51.2% | 75.0% |
Profile: Math, Civics & Sciences Charter School (MCSCS) is one of only a few charter schools in the city to offer instruction from grades 1 through 12 under one roof. The school’s curriculum is designed to prepare students for either college or vocational training; the overhwelming majority of graduates (97-98%) go on to two- or four-year colleges, with the remainder entering vocational schools. Civic involvement is as important a part of the educational experience at MCSCS as math and science are, as the school has as a major goal producing “good citizens through the promotion of caring, character, and community service.” Among the projects MCSCS students have engaged in over the years are voter registration, feeding the homeless, and supporting Philadelphia police officers.
Tags: 19123, buying a home in philadelphia, education, living in philly, noah ostroff, philadelphia schools, schools in 19123, schools in philadelphia
Posted in Articles, Buying a Home, Center City, Loft District, Neighborhood Pages, Schools | No Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Location: 800 N. Orianna Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123 (K-8); 5901 Woodbine Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131 (K-1); 5339 Lebanon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131 (2-8)
Enrollment: 452 students in grades K-8 in 2010-11 (all locations)
Student-teacher ratio: 12.7 in 2010
Demographics: African-American, 93.1%; White, 0.9%; Asian, 0.4%; Latino, 5.5%; all others, 0%. 42% of Laboratory students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Metrics: Attendance rate (2010-11) 96%.
PSSA performance (2011, percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced):
| Subject | This School | District Public Schools | State |
| Math | 98.2% | 58.6% | 77.1% |
| Reading | 99.2% | 52.0% | 73.5% |
| Science | 96.4% | 34.8% | 60.9% |
| Writing | 98.9% | 51.2% | 75.0% |
Profile: The school’s mission statement states, “The mission of the Laboratory Charter School of Communications & Languages is to provide a comprehensive, cognitively based program that will prepare students to communicate effectively in more than one world language and to see the world from global, international and national perspectives. The school will promote: 1) excellence in oral and written communication, 2) mastery of at least two world languages, 3) familiarity with communication technologies, 4) appreciation of cultural diversity, 5) concern for international and global issues, and 6) commitment to lifelong learning. It will be characterized by excellence in teaching, instructional methodologies that connect learning to pragmatic conditions, and close cooperation among communities, parents, and teachers.” As the school has no website of its own, we could not locate additional details about the school’s course offerings or instructional program – but we believe that the PSSAs speak for themselves. The school has campuses in Northern Liberties and Wynnefield.
Tags: 19123, education, living in philly, philadelphia real estate, philadelphia schools, schools in 19131, schools in philadelphia
Posted in Articles, Buying a Home, Center City, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Philadelphia real estate, Schools | No Comments »
