Students protest school closures last year (photo courtesy of the Unionresourcecenter.com)

Residents are invited to weigh in this Saturday on the School District of Philadelphia’s cost-cutting measures that will likely include dozens of school closures.

The School Reform Commission meeting on the District’s Facilities Master Plan at West Philadelphia High School (4901 Chestnut St.) will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Residents will hear about the District’s plan to shutter up to 60 schools over the next few years to close a budget gap that could balloon to more than $1 billion.

Enrollment in the District has dropped 21 percent since 2003, leaving classrooms at many schools far below capacity. Enrollment in charter schools increased dramatically during that time span, taking students out of District-run facilities. In a report released last month, the Boston Consulting Group estimated that the District could close 40 to 50 schools by next year and another 15 or 20 over the next five years. District officials estimate that the closures could save as much as $35 million a year. The SRC is expected to announce next month which schools could be closed next year.

Closure decisions will be based on the condition of the school, its current capacity and the academic performance of its students.

Proposed closures will likely have a profound impact on schools in West Philly. Last year Drew Elementary near 38th and Powelton closed and its students were spread among other West Philly schools. The grade configuration at Alexander Wilson School, which the District has deemed is under-enrolled, will change from K-6 to K-5. The closure and changes have placed more pressure on other schools, including the Henry C. Lea (4700 Locust St.), Alaine Locke (4550 Haverford Ave.) and Samuel Powel (301 N. 36th St.) Schools. Enrollment issues are also a prime concern at Penn Alexander School (4209 Spruce St.).

But Saturday’s meeting is about more than just school closures. The District is also looking for resident input on a host of issues that will arise when schools start closing. Those range from getting rid of middle schools and making K-8 the only option to changing the way students are assigned to elementary schools. To record resident input at past meetings, the SRC has distributed devices that attendees click in response to a variety of questions.

For example, one question is:

“On a scale of 1 to 9, how important is it for 3rd graders to be able to walk to school?

Meeting participants can respond by pushing the appropriate button on the device. Click here for the full list of questions. Benjamin Herold from The Notebook and WHYY’s NewsWorks has a great story on the meetings earlier this week here.

A plan to keep middle school students in the Powelton Village neighborhood closer to home got a significant boost yesterday.

The Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) awarded a $215,000 grant to devise a plan that would add a fifth grade to Powel Elementary, which is currently K-4, and create a new middle school in the neighborhood. The grant marks the first time that PSP, which manages a philanthropic education fund, has invested in a public school in the city.

“The Powel community has long imagined an expansion of our current program to include fifth grade, and the opportunity for our students to attend a high-quality middle school in our neighborhood,” Powel principal Kimberly Ellerbee said in a statement.

PSP awarded the grant to a consortium that includes Powel, Science Leadership Academy (SLA) and Drexel University. Drexel President John Fry sits on the board of directors at PSP, which has raised about $50 million in grants for private and charter schools. As a vice president at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1990s Fry was a key architect of the changes in the neighborhoods around Penn, including the creation of the University City District and the Penn Alexander School.

Officials from SLA, a top magnet school in the city, will consult on the creation of a middle school.

The Inquirer‘s Kristen A. Graham reports that members of the School Reform Commission approves of the plan in concept. The SRC, which is currently considering another round of school closures, would need to sign off on adding a grade and a new middle school.

Powel hopes to add the new grade by next fall and the middle school could be open as early as the fall of 2014.

The West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools has announced that due to increased enrollment and demand, Lea Elementary (47th and Locust) will be adding Kindergarten and 1st grade classes for the 2012-2013 school year.

Registration and enrollment will begin on Wednesday, September 19 at 8:30 a.m. and those students who will arrive early enough in the day to register will be able to begin attending classes the same day. For information on what documentation to bring, please visit the School District of Philadelphia’s website. You can read more about Lea Elementary on the WPCNS website.

The Penn Community School Student Partnerships (CSSP) and the West Philly Recess Initiative program (WPRI) work on improving recess environment at Alexander Wilson and Henry C. Lea elementary schools in West Philadelphia. As part of this initiative, a campaign is underway to raise funds for new recess supplies. To donate, please visit this page.

WPRI is also looking for additional adult volunteers to work with Lea and Wilson students. WPRI volunteers help organize recess activities and assist the lunchtime staff. Their work includes encouraging interactive play, increasing physical fitness and outdoor play, and minimizing conflicts and bullying during recess. If you would like to help or for more information, please contact Kate Mills at: katewmills@gmail.com.

You can read more about West Philadelphia Recess Initiative here.

The Walnut Street West Library is hosting a Back to School Party (Facebook page) tomorrow from 4-6 p.m. Library staff will talk about the children and teen programs offered this school year, including LEAP Afterschool, Chess Club, Spanish, Robotics, Teen Book Club, Teen Movie Club and other fun stuff.

Supplies will be available for back-to-schoolers to make their own boomarks.

Free book bags with school supplies will also be available on first-come-first-serve basis. Rumor has it that there will also be free food and drinks.

Great news for the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools! The organization has achieved official non-profit status (501(c)3), which will allow it to apply for grants only available to registered non-profits and accept tax-deductible donations.

Here’s part of a statement from the WPCNS board: “Donations help [WPCNS] ensure that our neighborhood schools have the supplies they need, a full range of arts and music instruction, more after-school enrichment programs, and play areas that encourage activity while being environmentally friendly.”

The organization can now also submit grant applications to foundations in support of these initiatives. To read more about WPCNS initiatives and to donate, please visit their homepage. The website was recently redesigned and updated with lots of useful information, including School Catchment Finder.