December Newsflash
In November, the School Reform Commission voted down a proposal to terminate a contract with K12 Inc.
By a 3-2 vote, K12 Inc. maintains its $3 million contract to provide science materials to grades K-3 (The company also has a $250,000 contract for professional services to Hunter School). Commissioners James Nevels, James Gallagher and Dan Whelan voted against the proposal, submitted by Sandra Dungee Glenn after an offensive racial statement broadcast by K12 co-founder William Bennett on his radio show. Commissioner Martin Bednarek voted with Glenn.
The SRC voted to approve the following resolutions:
-Authorization for negotiations
on 4601 Market Street site for new West
Philadelphia High School
District representatives will negotiate
with nonprofit Urban Education Development
Research and Retreat Center, Inc., for
purchase of 4601 Market. The 15-acre site
is proposed for the construction of a
new West Philadelphia High School.
-$2.6 million from general fund
to Kaplan
K12 Learning Services for curriculum
development and benchmark testing
The contract would provide scoring and
data reports for all secondary benchmark
assessments in math, science, and English;
consulting services for development of
three 12th-grade courses; and continued
support for staff on core curriculum.
Kaplan received a $4.5 million contract
in 2003 and 2004.
-$39 million to Academic Books
Services from various funding sources
for reconditioned textbooks
Books will be purchased from September
2005 to August 2009.
-$55,000 in operating funds
to Heidrick
& Struggles, Inc. for General
Counsel search
The employee search will fill the position
left vacant by Wendy Beetlestone, who
headed the District’s law office.
-$490,000 in operating funds
to Philadelphia
Arts in Education Partnership for
artist-in-residency program
The program will take place in elementary
and middle schools that do not offer music
or art education under the guidance of
certified specialists. The SRC separately
approved $60,000 in operating funds to
the Philadelphia Museum of Art to provide
a “comprehensive arts educational
experience” for fourth graders.
-$2.7 million in operating funds for four “small schools transition managers” to provide consultative services to a total of 12 schools under conversion to small schools. Covers October 2005 – June 2006. This is the second contract for each of the companies at these same schools:
-$450,000 to SchoolWorks for Motivation and Robeson High Schools, two transitional schools that had been part of Bartram High School.
-$900,000 to Princeton Review for Lamberton, Sayre, Vaux, and Parkway West High Schools, four transitional schools that had formerly been middle schools or part of a larger school.
- $675,000 to Kaplan K12 for Carroll, formerly an alternative school; Lankenau, and Randolph High Schools, formerly satellite campuses of a larger high school.
-$675,000 to ResulTech for Communication and Technology High School and the Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology, formerly part of Bartram; and Parkway Center City High School, formerly a Parkway satellite campus.
-$540,000 in categorical/grant
funds to EducationWorks
for National School and Community
Corps
Will go toward operations in nine schools
and span September 2005 to June 2006.