Philly School Board May Give Vacant Campuses to City

Philadelphia’s school board is opening the door to offload vacant public school buildings for housing, backing Mayor Cherelle Parker’s push to convert long-dormant public assets into apartments.

The Philadelphia Board of Education voted 6-2 last week to direct the School District of Philadelphia to explore transferring ownership of vacant and excess properties to the city, potentially at little or no cost, Bisnow reported.

The resolution doesn’t identify which buildings could be included, a lack of specificity that fueled pushback from board members, elected officials and neighborhood advocates.

Superintendent Tony Watlington framed the move as a way for the district to refocus on its core mission while aligning with City Hall’s housing goals.

“By responsibly evaluating how to put these unused properties back into productive use, the District can stay focused on educating children while supporting broader city efforts that ultimately aim to strengthen neighborhoods,” he said in a statement.

But opponents questioned whether the district can afford such generosity as it stares down a roughly $300 million budget deficit.

Board member Chau Wing Lam, who voted against the measure, said the district’s portfolio of vacant buildings has been appraised at about $80 million. During public testimony, former board member Cecelia Thompson asked why the district wouldn’t seek market value for the sites.

The district has been down this road before. In 2013, it identified dozens of properties for disposition, which private developers bought and converted into housing.

Parker made vacant schools a pillar of her Housing Opportunities Made Easy initiative, which aims to create or preserve 30,000 housing units by 2028.

“It’s unconscionable to me that we are in the middle of a housing crisis and we have government buildings sitting vacant for years or even decades,” she said in a statement.

One site already drawing attention is the long-vacant Ada Lewis Middle School in East Germantown, which charter school advocates want repurposed for classrooms instead of housing.

The district is in the midst of a facilities planning process that could lead to additional school closures next year, prompting concerns that Thursday’s vote is getting ahead of that work.

— Holden Walter-Warner