PHILADELPHIA (February 17, 2026) – The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT Local 3), which represents more than 14,000 educators in the School District of Philadelphia, will urge City Council on Tuesday to extract all data and methodologies still being withheld by administrators underlying the recommendations of its 10-year Facilities Master Plan (FMP).
During a hearing on the plan held by Council's Committee of the Whole, PFT Chief of Staff LeShawna Coleman and Director of Environmental Science Jerry Roseman will present key finding of the union's review of the FMP.
Following are excerpts from their testimony as written:
Roseman: "Right now, the plan is built on summary scores and categories – but the underlying 'show-your-work' information is missing. That means stakeholders can’t verify basic claims: how the scores were calculated, what inputs were used, how they were weighted, how cut-points were set, and how multi-building campuses were handled.... even for the schools most directly impacted, the District has not provided a school-by-school implementation path – what will be fixed, when, for how much, and what interim protections are in place. Without that, communities are being asked to accept disruption without being able to see the mitigation plan and it is impossible to know if the plan represents something that can be plausibly implemented."
Coleman: "Our position remains: Our schools need fixing and funding - NOT closure. Following a thorough review, the PFT has concluded that the District’s 10-year Facilities Master Plan, or FMP, does not provide sufficient detail or data to inform binding decisions about school closures, co-location, or re-purposing.... The PFT is gravely concerned that the FMP will provoke distrust and anxiety among beloved, established educators in schools designated for closure. It is imperative that execution of the plan does not spark an exodus of teachers and specialists to surrounding districts and exacerbate a crisis-level staffing shortage in Philly public schools."
The full written testimony which includes charts and graphs is available here.
