Officials talk vacant buildings, student success in ‘State of Public Education'

Officials with the city and the School District of Philadelphia shared details on the “2026 State of Public Education” to discuss progress the district has made over the past year and a look at future plans.

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, the School District of Philadelphia’s Superintendent Tony Watlington and other school and municipal officials met at Thomas Edison High School in North Philly for the morning remarks.

In discussing the coming year, Parker said that the district needs to step up and work to prepare students not just for life after school in Philadelphia, but for a constantly evolving world economy.

“It’s no longer just competing in Philadelphia or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” noted Parker. “We are talking about global competition that we have to prepare our children to be self-sufficient for when they leave here and they make a decision about what their future will look like, whether it’s college, whether it’s a skilled trade. Not matter what it is that the decide to do in the future, this is the foundation.”

And, she noted, not every one of the district owned buildings could currently provide that — even as many have said they want vacant district owned properties saved by being renovated or rebuilt, instead of being shuttered.

She said that the city hopes to work “thoughtfully and transparently” with the district to provide “great schools that give every child the opportunity to thrive.”

Parker made addressing vacant school properties a focus of her morning statements, noting that some properties owned by the district have been vacant for periods of time between three and 30 years long.

“Listen, I’ve never seen the legislature come up with a plan to put those buildings into good use. I’ve never seen a mayor come up with a plan to put those buildings into use,” she said. “Right now, you know what they’ve been doing for that three up to 30 years? They’ve been red ink on the school district’s budget.”

She also noted that they needed to prevent pipes from bursting inside the properties and costs must be incurred to provide landscaping, even if the buildings haven’t been used in decades.

“It should be a crime for the city’s school district to allow these buildings to be persistently vacant in these communities for so long that they become public health and safety hazards right here in our city,” she said. “Not on my watch.”

Now, she said, the city and the district are “working through” a plan to address these properties. And, she said, this plan will be discussed further when she presents her upcoming budget to City Council.

“We are going to find a way to do what has never been done in the City of Philadelphia before – develop a plan for those persistently vacant buildings so they can add value to our great city,” promised Parker.

While talking about the state, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Watlington focused his comments on the children.

“What I can tell you, is we still have an awful lot of work to do, but our children absolutely are accelerating toward a better and a brighter future,” he said.

He noted that over the past three years, student attendance has increased 4.1%, the graduation rate 6.8%, and the number of students enrolled has increased by 783.

Watlington also said the drop out rate has been cut in half and decreased by 2,237 students.

Still, he noted, there are too many young people in the city who cannot read or perform at grade level in math.

To address this issue, he said, the district wants to find ways to ensure children have adequate health care, access to opportunity and attend classes on a regular basis.