Construction delayed for new Penn-assisted school

Officials originally hoped to start building the controversial public school early this month. Construction of the new Penn-assisted public school in West Philadelphia remains on hold nearly a month after its scheduled groundbreaking. Work on the pre-K-8 neighborhood school was slated to begin March 1, and some officials have speculated that if the delay continues long enough, the school's scheduled fall 2001 opening may be pushed back. The University has played a key role in developing plans for the school since Penn and the Philadelphia Board of Education announced the joint effort in the summer of 1998. Penn has promised to contribute $700,000 a year -- $1,000 per student -- to the project for 10 years, as well as to provide technological and teaching support from its Graduate School of Education. Glenn Bryan, Penn's top community relations official, attributed the back-up to the Philadelphia school board's extended deliberation process to decide the catchment area -- which will determine who can attend the school. "We are waiting for the school board to decide what the catchment area will be," Bryan said. "It does threaten the school opening -- we are very much wanting the school board to make this decision." The board's Education Committee has been working to define the controversial catchment area since last December and early this year held several widely attended community meetings -- where angry and concerned area residents voiced their thoughts on both the school and the catchment area. Mayor John Street's overhaul of the school board earlier this month, in which he replaced five board members, also significantly delayed the process. Since the new appointments, there have been no public meetings to discuss the school and a spokeswoman from the Board of Education said there will be no new information released regarding the issue in the immediate future. School Board President Pedro Ramos could not be reached for comment. Steve Schutt, Penn's pointman on the project, said as long as the catchment area is determined this spring, it should not have much effect on the school's scheduled opening. He attributed the delay to logistical issues. "Our architects are working on some details of the design that have to be resolved for us to complete construction plans and schedules," Schutt said in an e-mail early this week. He added that the team expects to break ground in the near future. Bryan said it is a "definite priority" for the school to open on its scheduled date of fall 2001. Neither Schutt nor Bryan gave an estimated date when construction would begin. The school board must decide whether to assign to the school a specific neighborhood -- which Penn wants -- or to use a lottery system. The controversy has pitted neighborhood against neighborhood, with residents wanting to ensure that their children are eligible to attend. The catchment area will also likely have large implications for property values in the area. Meanwhile, community members said they are unsure about the project's status. "It's dropped off the radar screen," Spruce Hill Community Association President Barry Grossbach said. "Last thing we heard, the school board was supposed to make a decision in January." The three institutions occupying the block at 42nd and Locust streets where the new school will be built -- University City New School, Penn Infant Center and Penn's Children Center -- are still proceeding with their relocations as planned, although they remain uncertain about the updated construction schedule. Betty Ratay, principal of University City New School, was told by Penn officials to prepare for construction at the beginning of the month. "All the people in the parking lot had to be reassigned as of March 1. Then March 1 came, then March 2, then March 3," said Ratay, who is currently looking for a new location for UCNS. "Nothing happened. I don't know why." And Marni Sweet, director of the Penn Infant Center, said the day care center still intends to move to a new building on the same block during the summer and fall of 2001.

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