Philly school officials warn parents ‘it appears’ Math, Civics and Sciences Charter school will close — but some efforts to keep it open continue

School founder Veronica Joyner speaks during a November Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School board meeting.

Despite efforts to keep Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School open, Philadelphia School District officials told parents this weekend “it appears” the school will close at the end of the year.

Still, it seems there is still a slim chance officials could orchestrate a last-minute move to stave off closure.

On the same day the school board president and the school district’s charter chief sent a letter to MCSCS parents urging them to pursue options for different schools for their children next year, Reginald Streater, the board president, wrote a separate letter to the charter school’s board outlining ways it might keep the school alive.

The MCSCS closure was triggered by the upcoming retirement of Veronica Joyner, MCSCS founder and its longtime chief administrative officer. Joyner has said she wants to sell the school’s North Broad Street building — which is owned by People United for Better Schools, a nonprofit she runs.

Can a Philly charter close because its founder says so? Here’s what to know about Math, Civics and Sciences.

Some charter board members said they wanted to keep the 900-student school open under different leadership, but were outvoted by others who apparently agree with Joyner that only she is equipped to educate the school’s children, and that the school must close if she leaves.

The MCSCS board voted to close the school on Nov. 3, in private, a violation of state law. It voted again on Dec. 7 with the same conclusion, to close.

“While we recognize the time Ms. Joyner spent at MCSCS, we are also very disappointed and disagree that a school would need to close permanently as a result of a staff member’s retirement,” Streater and charter chief Peng Chao said in a Friday letter sent to MCSCS parents and obtained by The Inquirer. “That said, charter schools in Pennsylvania have a great deal of independence and autonomy, including the ability of a charter school’s Board of Trustees to make decisions, such as this decision to close the school.”

Streater and Chao said that Pennsylvania law does not allow any intervention by the district or Philadelphia school board, which authorizes city charters.

Chao and Streater made it clear that outreach has been made to try to prevent the school’s closure, and there is precedent — the former Hardy Williams Charter School, for instance, transitioned from an independently run charter to one run by the Mastery Charter organization.

“Although we have attempted to discuss options with the MCSCS board, it appears their decision to close MCSCS is final,” Chao and Streater wrote. “It is out of an abundance of caution and with a sense of urgency that we seek to inform you of the many other public school and/or public charter school options available to you in Philadelphia.”

The district officials urged families to apply for a new school for their children “as soon as possible.” While traditional neighborhood public school admissions are rolling, the deadline to apply for more than 60 city charters is Jan. 22.

Though to date, behind-the-scenes efforts to keep the school open have not met with success, they’re apparently still afoot.

Streater’s letter to the MCSCS board and Joyner, also sent Friday and obtained by The Inquirer, outlined a path for the school to stay open without Joyner involved.

“There have been inquiries on behalf of another educational entity,” Streater wrote, “regarding their management of MCSCS going forward, which would allow a reorganized charter school to continue operating and educating some of the current MCSCS students in another building starting in the 2024-2025 school year.”

Streater said he wanted to provide some points of information, including a step-by-step process for possibly saving part of the school.

First, Streater wrote, the MCSCS charter board could vote to submit a request for a charter amendment to the Philadelphia school board — specifically, a change in the charter management organization, and a relocation. Streater named Global Leadership Academy, a charter run by longtime educator Naomi Johnson Booker, as the possible new charter operator.

Next, the charter office would review the application and work with GLA to “ensure operational logistics are in place for implementation in the 2024-25 school year.” Then, the Philadelphia school board would vote on the application for an amended charter.

If the Philadelphia school board signs off, then “GLA will file the necessary paperwork to amend the Articles of Incorporation with a name and address change. Then, operation as a charter school serving 600 students in Grades 9-12 will commence in SY 2024-25.” The current MCSCS board members would not have to remain on the reorganized school’s board, and a new administrator would be hired to replace Joyner.

Global Leadership, which operates two K-8 charters in the city, has twice applied to the board to open a new charter high school. Both efforts were voted down. Board members who voted against the Global Leadership Academy high school had cited flaws in the school’s applications, and some voiced concerns about the existing schools’ academic outcomes.

The school has another open application for a new charter high school; a board vote on the third application has not yet happened.

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