Philadelphia’s Board of Education is confronting decisions that no community takes lightly.

Recent steps toward school closures and consolidation reflect real challenges. Enrollment is declining. Buildings are underutilized. Financial pressures are growing. These are not abstract issues. They affect students, families, and neighborhoods in deeply personal ways.

Having served as a District leader in Philadelphia and as a superintendent in other cities, I have faced similar decisions. I know they are among the hardest any board can make. They demand not only fiscal discipline, but empathy, transparency, and respect for the communities involved.

That same level of care must guide the next set of decisions before the Board: charter school renewals. The Board of Education is set to make decisions on charter school renewals Thursday, May 14. Before they do, I hope they consider:

The shared weight of these decisions

When a school closes, the impact is immediate and lasting. Students are displaced. Families must adjust. Communities lose an anchor.

Charter renewal decisions carry similar consequences.

Charter schools are public schools. Across Philadelphia, they serve tens of thousands of students. These are families who have made active choices about where their children learn.

At Mastery Schools, where I serve as CEO, we see that commitment every day. Families choose our schools because they are seeking stability, opportunity, and strong outcomes. An adverse decision on renewal disrupts that trust. It forces students to start over. It creates uncertainty for families who believed they had found the right fit.

These decisions deserve the same deliberation and fairness as school closures.