Philadelphia's Board of Education is closing 17 district schools starting next year. Now some board members say the city's charter schools should get the same close look, Chalkbeat reported. They spoke at the board's July 23, 2026 meeting.
The board voted to renew the charter of Universal Audenried Charter High School. Only 20% of its students live in the neighborhood the school was built to serve, Chalkbeat reported. Board member Joyce Wilkerson called for a review of the city's 16 Renaissance charter schools. "The time has come for us to get a handle on what's going on," she said, according to Chalkbeat.
The Renaissance Initiative began in 2010. The district handed some of its schools to charter operators, Chalkbeat reported. These charters were meant to work like neighborhood schools. They would serve students who live nearby, in what is called the catchment area. The program largely has not worked, according to Chalkbeat. Enrollment is shrinking across the city. So many Renaissance charters fill empty seats with students from other neighborhoods, Chalkbeat reported. That means enrolling students who might otherwise go to their own district school. It also raises competition for students, Chalkbeat reported. At half of the Renaissance schools, most students came from outside the catchment last school year, a Chalkbeat analysis of district data found.
Universal Audenried had the highest out-of-catchment enrollment, Chalkbeat reported. Its old charter deal set a limit for the 2025-26 school year. The school could only add new students who lived in its zone or who were siblings of current students. The school did not meet that condition, Chalkbeat reported. The board voted to renew the charter, according to Chalkbeat. Wilkerson said, "That's not the reason this school was created." Board President Reginald Streater praised the school's improved test scores. But he agreed the board needs to face the Renaissance question. He said members should look at whether the program is doing what it set out to do, according to Chalkbeat.
Penny Nixon is CEO of Universal Charter Schools, which runs Universal Audenried. In a statement, she said the board's discussion "presents an opportunity for meaningful dialogue about how we, together, can continue strengthening neighborhood enrollment." She said the school cannot control where families choose to enroll. But she said it works to give neighborhood families access. Open seats serve other Philadelphia students when local demand does not fill the school, she said, according to Chalkbeat.
At the same meeting, the board voted 7 to 2 to begin the nonrenewal of Philadelphia Montessori Charter School. The school has run in Southwest Philadelphia since 2004. It serves 228 students in a building on Island Avenue, according to the Inquirer and KYW Newsradio. Board Vice President Sarah-Ashley Andrews said the school's students have shown low scores in math and English. She said "student academic growth has not kept pace with state expectations." In 2024-25, the most recent year with data, 18% of students met state standards in reading and 12% met them in math, the Inquirer reported. Board member ChauWing Lam noted the school has had five leaders since 2020. He said there was little or no sign that performance would improve soon.
The school's leaders disagreed. Executive Director Amanda Wilson asked the board to wait. She said state and federal lawsuits over the district's charter review process are still pending. "There is no emergency," she said. "There is no deadline requiring a vote before the courts have had the opportunity to weigh in on the significant legal issues surrounding this charter renewal process." The district's general counsel, Lynn Rauch, said both courts had issued rulings that let the board vote.
The 7 to 2 vote does not close the school right away. Nonrenewal starts a long process, the Inquirer reported. First, the board names a hearing officer. Then comes a formal hearing with witnesses and evidence. The officer writes a report. Finally, the board votes again on what to do next. That process can take years. The school will keep running in the meantime.