Kenney’s Election Stirs School Debate

With Jim Kenney’s election as mayor of Philadelphia, it’s likely that public education is going to be a primary focus of his leadership. During the campaign process Kenney spoke often of his commitment to both universal pre-kindergarten education and expanding funding to community colleges. While he was running, Kenney actively courted the Philadelphia teachers’ union, a powerful political force. He may owe these teachers a portion of his election, but what does this mean for the future of Philly schools?

Will Kenney expand charter schools like this one, or will he side with the teachers’ union and oppose charter growth?

In Philadelphia, a full third of public school students are enrolled in charter schools. The problem is, the teachers’ union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, opposes charter schools. Their theory is that charter schools create small pockets of excellence in the midst of a sea of mediocrity at best, and failure at worst. The Federation would rather see charter school money paid into general public schools, to try and improve their terrible performance. All eyes are now on Kenney and on newly-minted Councilwoman Helen Gym, who also actively courted the teachers’ union during her candidacy stage.

Philadelphia has 86 charter schools, the most in Pennsylvania. The system continues to grow, and it’s conceivable that even more school choice will appear on the horizon as long as nobody tamps it down. Kenney has been quoted as saying that he would oppose charter expansion until the state reimburses local districts for charter costs. November 15th will see a new round of charter expansions come up for approval by the School Reform Commission, which controls the School District of Philadelphia. Final approval won’t be signed off until after Kenney takes office. It will be interesting to see in which way the new mayor honors his commitment to excellence in public schools.