School board to end enrollment debate

A decision is close on who will attend the new Penn-assisted school. Sometime over the next two weeks, the Philadelphia School Board will draw the lines determining once and for all who will get to attend the new Penn-assisted public school -- putting to an end the hotly contested issue that has plagued area residents for about a year. Although controversy has surrounded the school since Penn introduced plans for it in June 1998, the fact that the new school will only accommodate 700 students -- meaning it cannot serve the majority of West Philadelphia children -- has led to intense debate among residents about how to determine the "catchment" area of the school, or the neighborhoods that would fall into its jurisdiction. In light of the impending announcement, residents showed up in droves to the board's Education Committee meeting last Thursday to give their opinions about the school, scheduled to open in September 2001 near the corner of 42nd and Spruce streets. School Board President Pedro Ramos led the meeting, which centered around whether the attendance at the public pre-K-8 school should be determined by a traditional catchment area or some form of lottery system. With a catchment area, all students within the proposed boundaries are guaranteed a place in the school. Under a lottery system, the composition of the school would be randomly selected from a broader region, which proponents say will ensure economic and racial diversity. Four out of the five committee members -- three of whom are on the school board and will vote on the final decision -- all expressed their favor for the catchment system over the lottery. "There is no such thing as a racially compatible lottery," School Board Chief of Staff Germaine Ingram said. Expectations are high for the school, which Penn hopes will quickly become the best public school in the city and serve as a model for neighborhood inner city schools. The University has promised to provide curricular and instructional assistance from the Graduate School of Education, and funding of $700,000 a year, or $1,000 per student. On Thursday, the committee and several dozen area residents discussed two separate school board proposals related to the school's makeup. The first, Zone 1, has boundaries extending as far north as Sansom Street, as far south as Regent Square and west to 49th Street. The second proposal, Zone 2, calls for applicants to be chosen through a random lottery. Zone 2 is much larger than Zone 1 and includes a section of West Philadelphia that Zone 1 would not encompass -- the blocks from 45th to 50th streets, stretching from Larchwood Avenue to Sansom Street. Because Ingram said there had been "resistance to the idea of a lottery," she offered a revised plan for Zone 1 that extends to 50th and Pine streets -- a move that would add 14 additional blocks to the original Zone 1. Several community members said they are worried that the school will benefit wealthy, white West Philadelphians. Melani Lamond, a real estate agent in West Philadelphia, pointed out that Ingram's amendment would simply be adding "affluent" houses to the catchment area. Many residents echoed Lamond's concerns that the school board's decision could drastically affect the value of their homes. "The property values in that area by the school are going to go up and property values in other areas of University City will go down," said Karin Bivins, educational chair for the Philadelphia Branch of the NAACP. Despite these objections, many residents feel that the community will benefit no matter where the lines are drawn and hope the process proceeds as scheduled. "I am tired of everybody saying that this is an elite school to serve a small bunch of people," Spruce Hill resident Prentice Cole said, pointing out that five of the six regions in University City would be represented in the new school. "Look at the map. It is not." Tim Johnson, a homeowner who has two children, ages six and eight, already knows his kids cannot attend the school because they live on 47th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, south of the proposed border. But Johnson is still concerned. "I don't care if I'm included in the area, I just don't want my neighborhood to be divided in half," he said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.