Staff Editorial: Too far for Phila. schools

The School Reform Commission's decision to place 42 of Philadelphia's public schools under private control, including three to Penn, is representative of the entire reform process -- it goes too far, takes too many risks and fails to ensure a consensus among those it effects most.

It is unfortunate to see the process, which has been characterized by civility and cooperation since the creation of the commission in December, collapse into a pure partisanship, concerned less with what is actually good for the schools than with fulfilling the wishes of Gov. Mark Schweiker and former Gov. Tom Ridge.

The rejection of a more cautious plan to privatize only 25 schools, which was favored by the mayor's two appointees, including Penn Vice President for Budget and Management Analysis Michael Masch, is an unfortunate example of both.

As Masch pointed out, the privatization scheme is an experiment, an opportunity to assess how successful it can be.

There is no reason to assume that an experiment involving 42 schools will be more successful than one with 17 less. But it seems that the governor's appointees to the commission were absolutely bent on privatizing as many schools as they could get away with.

There is also no reasonable explanation for Edison's grant of 20 schools. If this is truly meant to be a trial run, why does Edison need 15 more schools than any other private operator to prove its effectiveness?

The answer, of course, is that it does not, but from the day that Ridge asked Edison to put together a plan for reforming Philadelphia's ailing district, it has been apparent that Edison would play the lead role.

And not because Edison has a better track record than any other company, or because it applied to run more schools than did other companies, but because it is clear that Edison is the favored company.

There is no solid evidence to show that Edison has been successful in its previous school takeovers or that it will be in this one. As such, to give so many schools to Edison in a trial run seems reckless and unjustifiable.

Masch said of the decision, "I want this reform to succeed.... I am greatly concerned about the magnitude of the change."

It would be hard to find a person who does not want to see the Philadelphia schools improve.

But the size and scope of the change is unfortunate and a reflection on a rash decision taken far too hastily and without sufficient consideration of the consequences.

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