Philly schools start Sept. 5. Here’s what Superintendent Watlington wants you to know

Attendance in the Philadelphia School District is up, and dropouts are down, according to Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. That makes him optimistic about the school year ahead.

“I feel like we have some wind behind us and some momentum,” Watlington said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re going into this new school year fully ready to accelerate student achievement.”

But the district still faces challenges as it welcomes students back to classrooms. Here’s what to expect when school starts Sept. 5:

One big focus of Watlington’s is increasing academic achievement. About one-third of third graders score proficient on reading tests — a figure that’s been flat for 10 years, Watlington said.

That needs to increase — along with math scores, Watlington said. Over the next five years, the district aims to increase proficiency in both subjects among third through eighth graders by 30 percentage points.

“That’s our North Star,” he said.

The district won’t have new data on student performance until the fall, Watlington said, once Pennsylvania certifies standardized test scores from the last year. But he pointed to other signs of progress.

The share of students who attended 90% of school days grew last year from 57% to 60%. Among teachers, the rate increased from 77% to just under 84%.

And although about 4,000 students typically drop out each year, last year that number declined by 265, Watlington said.

“Our kids want to get better. Our teachers want to help them get better,” he said.

With less than two weeks before the start of school, the district’s fill-rate for teaching positions is 95.1%. “So we’ve still got some work to do between now and Sept. 5,” Watlington said. He said that amid a shrinking teacher pipeline, the district is “doing everything we can to expand our recruitment footprint” — not just in Pennsylvania, but also in other states.

A spokesperson said the district currently employs 9,000 teachers but did not address how many teachers would need to be hired to get the district at full staffing.

If the district doesn’t fill the remaining teaching positions by Sept. 5, “we’ll do what we need to do because we want to make sure we have appropriate people in the classroom,” Watlington said. A district spokesperson said substitutes, teacher coaches and administrators would fill vacancies as needed.

The district started recruitment for the 2023-24 year earlier than usual, and also promised in December a $5,000 retention bonus to teachers at about 50 tough-to-staff schools, reimbursement for the costs of state permits and certifications, and up to $2,500 for coursework needed to earn certification.

As the district adopts a new math curriculum this school year — the start of a $70 million initiative also replacing reading and science curricula — Watlington said last week that materials had been delivered to 60% of schools.

That’s up to 85%, he said Wednesday, and “we’re pushing hard to make sure that we get 100% delivered” by the start of school.

Adopting a new curriculum is a “huge sea change” that will require support for teachers and students, Watlington said. “This is a process, not an event.”

The district’s aging facilities — which average 73 years old — have presented mounting problems: Six were closed last year because of asbestos.

Watlington said the district is doing “a much better job” addressing federally required building inspections, “so that we get our arms around our asbestos issues.” This fall, he said the district will be identifying “swing spaces” that can be used if damaged asbestos forces more school closures.

The district also installed more air-conditioning in 25 buildings this summer. Still, 57% of district buildings lack adequate air-conditioning, Watlington said. District officials say they begin considering closures when temperatures are forecast above 86 degrees.

“That won’t change this school year,” Watlington said, adding that it would take more than five years to add air-conditioning throughout the district. He faulted chronic underfunding and said he was eager to see how the state would address February’s Commonwealth Court ruling finding Pennsylvania’s school funding unconstitutional.

The district plans to launch “high-dosage” tutoring pilot programs in six to eight schools this year, to be expanded in future years depending on the availability of additional funding, Watlington said. (A spokesperson said the schools have not yet been chosen.)

As for his proposal to pilot year-round school, Watlington said this would be a “planning year.”

“We will not force school communities to adopt” a year-round calendar, he said. Instead, “we are going to take the time this year to make the case to parents” that combined with strong teachers, principals, and curriculum, year-round school “can be a game changer in the city of Philadelphia.”

Stay tuned this fall, he said: “We’re going to ask folks to raise their hand and say, ‘Hey, yes, I want that opportunity because I want my children to have this significant leg up in terms of improving student achievement.’”

The district plans to launch a communication system this fall that ensures anyone who contacts the district will get a response. Dubbed “Let’s Talk,” the system will track incoming calls and written messages, starting with the superintendent’s office and expanding out through the district. The “gold standard” will be a reply within 24 to 48 hours acknowledging receipt, Watlington said.

The public will also be able to score the district on its response on a scale of zero to 10.

“Great organizations don’t hide problems,” Watlington said. In touring the district last year, “one of the things I heard very clearly ... is that our parents and our community want us to do a better job with communication.”

Staff writer Kristen A. Graham contributed to this article.