The Chester Upland School District — through bald mismanagement — is out of money and about to close.
Meanwhile, 49 Catholic schools in the Philadelphia area — including some near Chester-Upland — will be closing in June due to declining enrollment.
Hmmmm. What to do?
How about we take that $18.7 million the state is scheduled to give Chester-Upland in June and divvy it up among the district’s students in the form of scholarships? The students can then use that money to attend whatever school they want which will likely include St.
Gabriel in Norwood; Holy Savior-St. John Fisher in Lower Chichester;
St. Francis de Sales in Aston and St. John Chrysostom in Nether
Providence, and of course the high schools Archbishop Prendergast and Monsignor Bonner. And some of these schools will be saved.
A win-win for everybody.
But won’t Chester-Upland die? As I said, a win-win for everybody.
Somebody will say that’s unfair because it excludes “middle class” students. OK. Any community that wants to close it’s district and use state vouchers to educate its children should get the same chance.
Now, it’s fair.
“Somebody will say that’s unfair because it excludes “middle class” students. OK. Any community that wants to close it’s district and use state vouchers to educate its children should get the same chance.
Now, it’s fair.”
Hear! Hear!
More than fair. It should have been done throughout the entire state years ago.