Residents push University to expand Penn Alexander program

While most Philadelphians were curled up in a warm bed Sunday night, around 80 parents braved the cold to stand in line for their children’s education.

Monday morning, Penn Alexander School opened its doors at 9 a.m. to begin the kindergarten registration process. The registration is based on a first come, first served basis.

In the past, the school allowed all students living within its catchment zone to enroll. This policy changed in the spring of 2011 when the school announced that it was at maximum capacity, which is approximately 815 students from pre-school to eighth grade. Instead of honoring an automatic enrollment for families within the catchment zone, the school announced that it would no longer be able to take all prospective students.

Penn Alexander Principal Sheila Sydnor declined to comment.

Parents and community members quickly protested the new policy. Soon after the policy change, a group of parents formed the Advocates for Great Elementary Education group. In October, the group submitted a petition of 461 signatures to the Penn administration, who sponsors Penn Alexander by giving the school $1,300 per student.

Since the meeting between AGREE and Penn in October, Penn Alexander has yet to change its policy of conditional enrollment. Now, parents are forced to wait in line outside of the school, with some arriving a full 24 hours before registration.

“We’re trying very hard to find solutions,” Penn Vice President of Government and Community Affairs Jeffrey Cooper said.

However, he added that “Penn can’t make decisions about the Penn Alexander School.” Penn can only provide monetary support.

Meanwhile, many parents feel as though Penn should be more proactive about solving the overcrowding issue.

Graduate School of Education student Kelly Franquemont believes Penn should be doing more to help the surrounding neighborhoods.

“There’s a huge push of people in the area for Penn to expand the program to another school,” she said.

In January, President Amy Gutmann said all registered kindergarten students had been admitted to Penn Alexander in the fall. However, parents in the community disagree.

Parent Richard Schnolis, a 1994 Engineering graduate, said after speaking with parents that it was evident that “there were definitely some that did not get in.”

Schnolis and his wife camped out this past Sunday night to register their children. They were numbers 49 and 50 in line.

The Schnolis’ were told that numbers below 60 had higher chances of admission. Though they were below this number, they still cannot be sure that their children will receive a spot.

Schnolis said some available spots are already taken up by students in the Head Start program, a center created for early childhood care in Philadelphia.

“I feel like there was a promise made … that [Penn] would honor the catchment area. I think they want to, but I don’t think they’re ensuring the necessary steps to meet that need,” Schnolis said.

“Not knowing is extremely frustrating,” he added.

Schnolis said there was a study done by Penn in the past that estimated how many parents would likely move into the area and how many children the school could accommodate. Overcrowding seemed to be inevitable. After the report was released, Penn had the opportunity to expand the school but ultimately decided against it.

“The problem is this was 15 years ago when they were in the planning stages. It’s been a long time,” he added.

As Schnolis waited outside Penn Alexander, he witnessed parents who were farther back in line because they could not take the day off from work and arrive in the line earlier.

Sydnor said neither she nor the school condoned the use of the line, according to Schnolis. However, at 9 a.m. on Monday, the school registered the parents in the order that they had arrived.

“If they’re not going to honor the line, why honor the numbering scheme?” he said.

During the 24 hour wait, parents experienced some form of compassion from community members, who bought pizza and doughnuts for those waiting in line.

However, the hospitality did not ease parents’ anxieties of waiting in line.

“The whole thing was completely unnecessary,” Schnolis said.

Related

Community petitions Gutmann on overcrowding at Penn Alexander
GALLERY: Local residents camp out at Penn Alexander

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