Charter’s high schoolers must find new schools

Charter’s high schoolers must find new schools
Charles Mostoller

A meeting was held Monday night for the high school students of Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School to meet representatives of other charters, Catholic schools and district schools where they may soon be studying, after all high school classes were abruptly ended today.
“West Philadelphia [High School] has come out as an option; they have the space to accommodate more students than they have currently enrolled, and it could be possible to keep Palmer students intact,” said Maura Pennington, a spokeswoman for the school.
Last week, the school announced that high school classes were ending Monday at the high school’s Frankford campus.
In the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year, the K-12 charter school had 1,290 students, after taking on students beyond its charter to limit of 675.
Two weeks ago, 260 students from the lower grades were selected by lottery to leave the school.
With classes for 286 high school students canceled, the enrollment number will return to 675.
Last month, Palmer was ordered to pay back the $1.5 million in state funds it received for students beyond the enrollment limit of 675.