Twenty-three schools in Philadelphia, Penn., will close due to struggling finances, city School Reform Commission members voted, on Thursday.
This is one of the largest mass school closings in history, United Press International reports.
The district was facing serious financial problems and had recently borrowed $300 million just to pay bills through the end of the year, UPI says. Still, the decision to close the schools was not fully supported. UPI says 19 protesters — including Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers — were arrested for blocking SRC members from entering their meeting.
And after the vote, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, audience members shouted their dissatisfaction: “Shame on you! SRC needs to go!”
Originally, SRC was considering the shuttering of 37 schools. As it was, the group spared four from the final list of closings, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The 23 facilities will shut at the end of the year
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
We welcome you to the intimate and personal thoughts on the news and events we, as editors, watch, read, and discuss with our writers every day.
Consummate traveler Todd DeFeo explores the unique stories that make destinations worth going to.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
California wildfires wreak havoc
37 Photos
