(01/2026)

Testimony of Dr. Cassandra St. Vil, CEO, before the School District of Philadelphia Board of Education

ORAL TESTIMONY

President Streater and Members of the Board of Education,

My name is Dr. Cassandra St. Vil, Chief Executive Officer of Philadelphia Charters for Excellence. PCE represents Philadelphia’s public brick-and-mortar charter schools, which educate nearly 65,000 students—almost 40 percent of all public school students in this city. Nearly 90 percent of those students are students of color, and thousands more remain on waitlists each year.

Charter schools are public schools. They are tuition-free, open to all, and accountable to families, taxpayers, and to you as our authorizer. Our goal is a partnership grounded in fairness, transparency, and student outcomes.

Tonight, I want to briefly address three issues that continue to undermine that partnership.

First, coercion in the charter renewal process.

Schools report being pressured to sign renewal agreements with inconsistent or unclear conditions, under the implicit threat that refusal may jeopardize renewal. This creates fear, not collaboration, and erodes trust in the authorizing process.

Second, persistent funding inequities.

Charter schools educate nearly 40 percent of Philadelphia’s public school students, yet receive no dedicated local funding for facilities. As a result, schools must divert operating dollars away from classrooms and student supports simply to pay for buildings. That is not equity, and it is not sustainable.

Third, exclusion from facilities planning.

While school buildings sit vacant or underutilized, charter schools are largely excluded from meaningful conversations about facilities decisions, despite serving tens of thousands of students. This exclusion deepens inequities and limits schools’ ability to grow or improve.

Tonight, we ask for three commitments:

• First, establish clear, transparent guardrails that end coercive renewal practices.

• Second, acknowledge and begin addressing structural funding inequities, particularly around facilities.

• Third, include PCE as a standing partner in authorizing and facilities discussions going forward.

Our shared responsibility is to the students and families who place their trust in this public school system, including charter schools.

We stand ready to work with you to build a system rooted in trust, equity, and shared responsibility.

Thank you for your time and service to Philadelphia’s public school students.