►
Description
Councilwoman At-Large Blondell Reynolds-Brown discusses the current and future state of the School District of Philadelphia, and the transition for students attending new schools after the closing of 23 schools last year. Inside Philadelphia City Council airs on Comcast Channel 64 and on PhillyCAM (Comcast 66 & 966; Verizon 29 & 30).
A
A
B
A
B
B
Sure,
well,
you're,
absolutely
right.
We
are
approaching
that
time
in
our
city
council's
budget
cycle,
where
we
listen
to
testimony
from
all
city
departments
and
and
now
from
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia,
as
provided
by
dr.
height
and
Pedro
Rama's,
who
serves
as
president
of
the
school
reform,
commission
and
I
will
say
to
you
that
dr.
height
was
very
honest.
He
was
very
forthcoming,
very
direct
and
stating
exactly
where
we
are
and
I
will
say
to
you
that
in
the
12
years,
I've
been
a
city
council
each
year,
we're
confronted
with
a
crisis.
B
So
it's
really
going
to
take
collaborative
effort
from
the
second
floor
for
members
of
council
to
come
up
with
a
funding
formula
that
moves
us
towards
that
60
million,
and
we
first
believed
that
it
is
the
responsibility
of
the
Commonwealth
to
honor
its
part
of
this
equation.
First,
so
the
clock
is
ticking
and
parents
are
waiting.
Parents
are
a
concern
because,
let's
wrestle
it
the
worst
case
scenario,
we've
been
told
that
there
will
be
no
librarians,
we've
been
told
there
be
no
school
counselors,
no
assistant,
principals,
no
athletics,
no
arts
and
culture.
B
A
A
B
Is
a
process
and
it's
a
process
that
didn't
start
yesterday.
It
didn't
start
that
September.
In
fact,
what
many
of
us
may
not
remember
or
realize
that
that
process
really
started
under
the
former
superintendent
dr.
Arlene
Ackerman?
It
was
just
in
his
formative
stages
and
when
dr.
height
accepted
the
responsibility
to
come
service,
our
district
superintendent.
That
was
somewhere
in
that
on
that
job,
job
description
and
so
to
dr.
Heitz
credit.
They
were
they
SAT
back
and
they
listen.
B
They
made
some
recommendations
and
then
they
listen,
some
more
and
based
on
the
recommendations
from
our
Reverend
Waller
of
our
city,
pastored
in
on
Tabernacle,
Baptist,
Church
and
others.
They
made
changes
and
that
really
matters
when
leadership
listens
and
then
goes
back
and
doesn't
recall.
Cus
I
say
it
gets
back
with
the
leaders
of
their
team
or
members
of
his
team,
and
then
we
present
a
new
proposal
that
is
more
acceptable
to
those
who
are
going
to
be
most
affected.
B
So
we
have
to
understand
that
it
is
a
process
that
we
need
to
respect
and
parents
aren't
ready.
Yet
for
short,
change
is
hard.
Change
is
exceedingly
difficult,
and
so
we
have
to
be
confident
and
I
am
confident
in
knowing
that
dr.
height
and
members
of
this
team
are
going
to
ensure
that
parents
understand
how
the
transition
is
going
to
happen
and
here's.
Why
I'm?
Confident?
Because
there
are
a
number
of
members
of
City
Council
who
have
made
it
exceedingly
clear?
B
It
matters
that
students
who
might
be
attending
Lamberton
and
now
may
have
to
go
to
overbook,
know
how
they're
going
to
get
through
safety
zones
and
still
be
a
safe
and
then
walking
back
and
forth
to
those
schools.
So
you
have
district
council
members
that
are
working
very
very
closely
with
dr.
height
to
ensure
that
this
transition
of
closing
down
23
schools
becomes
in
many
ways
a
seamless
transition
and,
as
I
recall
during
his
testimony,
he
made
it
clear
that
we're
not
going
to
get
all
this
done
in
one
year.
B
It's
very
very
difficult
to
do,
because
parents
have
to
make
adjustments
in
their
own
lives
for
their
kids
to
honor
or
to
embrace
these
new
adjustments
that
the
school
district
is
putting
forth
and
understand
that
the
school
district
had
to
do
some
things
differently,
because
the
dollars
aren't
there.
So
what
we
know
is
that
there
are
70,000
fewer
young
people
attending
our
Philadelphia
public
schools.
B
Many
of
them
have
transitioned
to
our
fall
off
for
charter
schools
and
that's
the
beauty
of
the
system
we
live
in
and
that
it
gives
parents
choices,
but
with
that
reality
comes
the
need
for
management
to
make
different
decisions
and
just
as
a
home
that
has
eight
family
members,
and
then
those
parents
become
empty
nesters.
Typically,
what
they
do
is
downsize
and
so
running.
A
major
system,
like
the
photo
of
a
public
school
system,
actually
required
management
in
the
administration
to
make
similar
difficult
decisions.
B
B
A
B
B
B
B
B
Be
happy
to
I
I
at
a
number
of
members
of
council
or
deeply
concerned
about
seniors
who
are
quite
intimidated
by
this
process.
I
wiii
their
number
of
us
who
are
concerned
about
hard-to-reach
popular
lations,
namely
those
who
don't
speak,
English
and
vulnerable
populations
who
are
ready
and
despair.
So,
yes,
it
is
the
law
and
yes,
it's
being
rolled
out.
B
If
you
will
I
joined
a
number
of
members
of
council
have
been
deeply
concerned
about
getting
back
to
the
word
to
use
earlier
the
process
it
appears
to
have
been
rushed
and
I,
based
that,
because
I've
attended
some
avi
meetings
in
our
neighborhoods
and
my
heart
aches
for
seniors
who
are
desperately
concerned
about
losing
their
homes.
There
are
too
many.
B
In
fact,
the
numbers
are
that
only
about
a
hundred
thousand
have
actually
taken
advantage
of
the
homestead
exemption,
and
so,
if
there
are
300,000
plus
eligible,
but
yet
only
a
hundred
thousand
have
taken
advantage
of
it
to
me.
That
suggests
that
we
still
have
some
more
work
to
do
so.
I
am
appreciative
of
bills
introduced
both
by
president
Clark
and
Councilwoman
Janie
Blackwell,
to
extend
the
deadline
date
for
the
homestead
exemption,
so
the
question
from
the
audience
might
be,
and
what
is
the
homestead
exemption?
B
B
All
of
our
citizens
who
own
their
home.
They
should
be
aware
of
it
that
it
exists,
and
if
you
own
your
home
and
live
in
your
home,
then
we
encourage
you
to
reach
out
to
your
district
council
person
or
council
member
at
large
or
any
one
of
our
housing
agencies
or
the
mayor's
office
to
get
the
application
to
qualify
for
that
tax
savings
on
your
assessment
and.
A
Another
issue
with
the
neighborhoods
I
know
that
you're,
aware
of
is
dealing
with
these
off-road
vehicles
and
ATVs
and
dirt
bikes,
and
do
things
that
nature
I've
lived
over
by
29th
in
Pennsylvania,
Girard,
Avenue
area
and
I
live
in
South
Philadelphia
center
city
now-
and
this
is
a
regular
thing
for
me,
so
I'm
looking
forward
to
something
being
done
about
this.
Seeing
people
drive
down
the
street
popping
wheelies
and
large
grooves
running
lights.
It
can
be
very
disruptive
to
the
neighborhood.
A
B
So
there's
now
a
new
law
in
place
that
due
to
go
in
effect,
actually
April
one
but
with
a
30
day,
grace
period
so
that
we
can
give
those
who,
like
this
type
of
recreation,
a
chance
to
become
acquainted
with
the
new
regulations.
And
if
you
are
have
any
all-terrain
vehicle
on
public
property
public
land,
then
yes,
it
can
be
confiscated
by
the
police.
And,
yes,
the
police
will
then
confiscated
by
the
police
and
currently
right
now,
given
to
the
Philadelphia
Parking
Authority
and
then
a
designated
our
going
full-time
point
going
forward.
B
They
will
be
sold.
So
we
have
stronger
a
stronger
measure
in
place
that
we
know
will
make
a
difference,
but
we
still
have
those
who
want
to
recreate
and
so
our
charge.
Our
duty
is
not
over,
and
so
this
summer,
in
fact,
we
will
be
going
to
visit
an
actual
legitimate
all-terrain
vehicle
parking
in
egg
harbor
township
in
New
Jersey,
and
see
how
a
corporate
citizen
has
funded
the
renovation
and
a
roll
out
of
an
all-terrain
vehicle
part
for
those
who
enjoy
that
particular
sport.
As.
A
B
B
We
still
have
a
long,
long
way
to
go,
and
so
we
held
hearings
on
that
issue.
Women
on
boards,
we
got
brilliant
testimony
from
a
cross-section
of
women
and
a
few
good
men,
and
then,
a
year
later,
we
produced
a
report
on
the
recommendations.
If
you
will
out
of
that
report.
One
of
those
recommendations
is
that
and
I
have
now
introduced
a
bill
that
says:
if
you
want
to
do
business
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
then
you
will
now
have
to
disclose
to
us
what
your
board
representation
look
like.
B
What
the
composition
of
your
board
looks
like.
So
what
we
know
is
that
philadelphus
eighty-two
percent
women,
black
brown
and
other,
and
when
you
have
that
reality,
stacked
against
the
notion
that
eleven
percent
of
the
top
100
eleven
percent
of
the
board
seats
are
only
occupied
by
women
to
us.
That
suggests
a
gender
inequality,
and
you
have
too
many
women
in
our
city
who
are
capable,
hard-working
credentialed,
experienced,
articulate,
who
can
at
any
day
sit
in
those
board
chairs
and
offer
up
meaningful
recommendations
about
how
to
move
forward.
B
It
has
to
happen
in
a
way
where
the
leadership
of
that
organization
has
to
be
committed
to
the
notion
that
women
should
get
an
equal
shot
and
I
haven't
been
in
a
circumstance
where,
because
I
was
a
woman
was
not
and
and
and
being
an
african-american
woman
wasn't
granted
the
opportunity.
It
reminds
women
like
myself
that
we
have
to
show
up
three
times
prepared
to
be
equal.
You
don't
complain
about
it.
B
You
just
show
up
three
times
prepared
to
be
equal
and
then,
when
you're
in
position
to
have
a
voice
about
it,
do
not
be
silent.
A
ballot
continue
to
raise
the
level
of
awareness,
because
a
lot
of
it
is
awareness.
Interestingly
enough,
when
you
raise
the
the
level
of
awareness,
you
then
find
persons
who
are
not
only
enlightened
but
want
to
contribute
in
a
way
to
make
that
circumstance
better.
How.
B
Been
spotty
there's
been
spotty
at
best.
The
good
news
is
that
the
mayor
sent
someone
to
offer
testimony
and
has
actually
talked
about
it,
as
he's
traveled
around
to
corporate
a
corporate
Philadelphia,
and
so
a
part
of
our
next
step
is
to
actually
meet
with
members
of
the
greater
fell
off
your
chamber
of
commerce
and
specifically
with
the
executive
committee,
to
learn
from
them
how
how
we
can
make
things
better.
B
Now
you
have
women
that
sit
on
that
executive
committee,
who
are
excited
and
anxious
about
the
possibility
and
are
real
advocates
and
champions
within
that
circle,
but,
as
with
most
things
is
going
to
take
the
collective
will
of
the
executive
committee
of
the
chamber,
who
are
the
leaders
of
the
chamber
leadership
I
mean
the
chamber
membership
to
really
eventually
make
a
difference.
What.
B
A
B
Legitimate
reason
is:
where
is
the
pool
where's
the
ready
pool
where's
the
bench?
Do
you
have
a
bunch
of
women
who
are
ready
to
move
in
two
positions
of
leadership
and
responsibility?
So
you
really
do
have
to
have
a
bench
of
women
who
come
with
the
skill
set
and
the
knowledge
base
to
them
want
to
transition
onto
boards,
and
so
we're
having
my
office
is
hosting
a
series
of
brown
lunches
with
Blondell
brown
bag,
lunches.
B
We're
in
women
come
in
doing
shower
and
bring
their
lunch,
and
we
have
panels
of
women
that
are
actually
speaking
with
women
across
the
board.
Who
want
to
learn?
What
does
it
take
to
move
into
a
board
position?
How
do
we
become
better
financial
architects
of
our
lives?
What
does
public
speaking
required?
It's
those
kind
of
professional
development
opportunities
that
provide
the
information
to
armed
women
on
what
they
need
to
do
so
that
they
can
transition
into
positions
of
leadership
and
responsibility
as
a.
B
Also
sure,
well
it
for
me
presents
enormous
opportunity-
pennsylvania
in
fact
in
fact,
ranks
number
47
of
states
of
women
in
elected
office.
Pennsylvania
ranks
number
47.
So
for
those
of
us
who
are
fortunate
enough
to
be
elected
into
positions
of
leadership,
I
believe
we
need
to
seize
the
moment
and
put
him
and
go
after
those
issues
that
are
going
to
level
the
playing
field
for
women.
Women
more
women
are
going
to
going
and
graduating
from
college
than
men.
So
you
have
all
these
positive
outcomes
happening
for
women.
B
Yet
on
the
corporate
side
of
the
ledger,
there's
still
a
great
deal
of
inequity,
and
so
again
it
presents
enormous
opportunity
to
raise
the
awareness
to
do
the
homework,
investigate
where
the
opportunities
are
and
then
put
in
place,
legislation
that
is
going
to
move
the
needle
or
at
least
equalize
the
playing
field.
How.
B
Have
I'm
pleased
to
say
and
a
council
that
is
receptive
but
wreck
it
but
reckons
with
the
notion
that
is
not
as
2013,
and
so
when
you
look
at
the
fact
that
we
have
Councilwoman
Maria,
quinones,
Sanchez,
Councilwoman,
Janie,
blackwell,
councilman,
tasco,
Councilwoman,
a
bass
and
myself.
Five
out
of
17
is
not
a
bad
number.
B
B
A
woman
and
a
mother
I
pay
a
lot
of
attention
to
girls
as
victims
in
awful
awful
circumstances
and
I
learned
a
fall
2011.
That
philadelphia
is
actually
on
the
FBI's
hitless
when
it
comes
to
the
trafficking
of
women
and
girls
in
the
region,
and
having
learned
that,
we
decided
again
to
call
for
hearings
so
that
we
could
learn
more
carefully
and
more
deeply.
How
does
philadelphia
end
up
on
an
FBI
hit
this
when
it
comes
to
that?
B
So
we
put
in
the
bill
to
close
the
loophole
which
says,
if
you
want
to
participate
in
touch
therapy
than
you,
two
must
a
have
a
license
and
B.
If
you
post
a
license
and
if
you
see
do
not,
then
you'll
be
fined.
Accordingly,
the
loophole
allowed
for
the
continued
human
trafficking
of
women
and
girls
being.
A
A
woman
of
color
and
some
of
the
experiences
that
you've
gone
through,
obviously
by
myself
as
a
man
of
color,
we
didn't
get
here
alone.
We
got
here
on
the
shoulders
of
other
folks
and
oftentimes,
had
to
point
or
look
to
people
and
people
helped
us
along.
So
who
are
some
of
the
people
that
you
either
look
to
or
got
direct
help
from
there.
B
And
for
me
it
was
memorable
that
a
woman
who
looks
like
me
could
be
in
that
circle
and
sphere
of
influence
and
be
very,
very
compelling
and
conducting
herself
in
a
way
that
was
a
respectful
and
respected
and
more
recently,
a
Joe
Meyers
brown,
a
FLIR
don't
go
when
I
looked
at
the
institution,
she's
created
there
42
years
ago
as
a
grassroot
community-based,
a
dance
program
to
now
an
internationally
world-renowned
dance
company.
That
is
one
of
those
off
as
cultural
ambassadors.
B
They
travel
46
weeks
out
of
the
year
around
the
world,
promoting
dance
and
then
more
more
recently,
I
look
at
the
work
of
Councilwoman
Marian
tasco
I
worked
a
volunteer
for
her
and
her
campaign
when
she
ran
for
City
Commissioner
I
was
one
of
those
people
that
you
met
at
the
door.
Who
was
you
know,
accepting
the
contributions
and
I
look
now
where
she's
come
to
30
years
later?
B
It
is
quite
quite
reassuring
that
if
you
do
the
work
and
that
you
have
to
do
the
work,
you
can't
fake
the
work
and
learn
along
the
way.
Try
to
minimize
your
mistakes,
we're
going
to
make
them
I
had
a
boss
who
told
me
a
long
time
ago.
One
thing
about
you:
you
only
make
one
mistake
twice
now:
you're
gonna
make
a
mistake
again,
but
it
may
be
a
different
mistake
and
so
learning
from
the
mistakes
and
listening
to
those
who've
already
already
carved
the
path:
Councilwoman
Augusto
Clark,
the
troll
model.
B
She
was
for
20
years
here
in
Philadelphia,
City
Council,
and
therefore
the
expectation
is
that
I
then
have
to
do
the
same
and
be
the
same
for
someone
else,
and
what
that
means
for
me
is
creating
a
bench
of
young
women
who
I'll
be
prepared
to
pass
the
baton.
To
shame
on
me
if
I
am
not
working
with
and
mentoring
the
next
leg
of
leadership
of
women
who
to
want
to
come
into
government
and
make
a
difference
now,.
A
You
mentioned
Joe
Meyers
Brown
and
the
wonderful
work
that
they
do.
Filadyne
Co,
one
of
the
things
that
Philadelphia's
experience
over
the
last
few
years
is
explosion
in
the
arts.
Community
I've
knew
the
arts
north
and
south
are
growing
continually
I
talked
about
how
important
that
is,
for
you
and
to
the
city
of
Philadelphia
to
have
the
arts
community
be
so
vibrant.
They.
B
Are
that
that
they
are
an
economic
engine
for
our
city,
and
what
we
know
is
that
if
you
spend
one
dollar
in
the
arts,
that's
an
it.
If
you
invest
one
dollar
meaning
attend
a
movie
theater
there's
a
four
dollar
domino
effect
from
the
restaurant
that
benefits
to
the
parking
lot
that
benefits
and
so
that
matters
Philadelphia
has
over
200
plus
arts
and
cultural
institutions
in
the
city
of
all
scales
and
it
when
we
look
at
what
that
means
for
young
people,
arts
and
culture
actually
saves
young
people's
lives
too
many
times.
B
If
you
miss
them
in
the
classroom
with
the
academics,
but
you
can
show
their
Worth
and
their
value
from
an
arts
perspective.
You
save
them,
and
what
we
know
also
is
that
young
people
who
participate
in
arts
and
culture
or
ninety
eight
percent
more
likely
to
go
on
to
college
and
a
hundred
percent
less
likely
to
aunt
end
up
at
1801
vine
street.
So
they
really
do
matter
at
the
end
of
the
day,
they
say
that
there
are
three
colors.
There
are
12
notes,
26
letters
of
the
alphabet
and
five
dance
positions.