Philadelphia urged to put off approving more charter schools

No new charter schools will open in Philadelphia if the School Reform Commission heeds the advice of its Office of Charter Schools. Cathy Balsley, the office's director, has recommended that the commission put off approving the 15 charter school applications up for a vote next week. She says that with a looming budget crisis, a new chief executive, and explosive growth in charters in the last nine years, the district should take a new, more strategic approach. Balsley recommends that the district invite the 15 charter applicants to apply to manage some of the 70 district schools that have repeatedly failed to meet state standards and must be restructured.
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ALSO: The board of Philadelphia Academy Charter School lhas made sweeping changes in its leadership in a bid to ensure that the school's charter wins approval to continue operating for five more years.
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