Philadelphia District Officials Announce Sweeping Restructuring Plans

The Philadelphia Inquirer (4/24, Graham) reports that Philadelphia School District Chief Recovery Officer Thomas Knudsen announced on Monday that the district "will massively restructure itself in the coming months, fundamentally altering the way it is organized and run - and possibly closing 40 low-performing, underused schools next year and shifting many more students to charters. The district faces a $218 million shortfall for the coming school year, more than previously stated and subject to rise if Mayor Nutter's proposed city tax plan does not materialize or if a recent charter school ruling is not altered." Knudsen cited "academic and safety problems 'and the fact that, financially, we cannot continue in the present form of organization and operations that we have right now.'"