GHS principal’s plea to SRC goes unheeded; District mulls possible Roosevelt expansion

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

by Aaron Moselle

Before the School Reform Commission voted to close 23 city schools and merge or relocate five others at an emotional Thursday night meeting, they heard the final, passionate pleas of more than 30 speakers.

That list included Germantown High School principal Margaret Mullen-Bavwidinsi, whose school the SRC ultimately voted, 4-1, to close.

Mullen-Bavwidinsi’s testimony was significant on two fronts.

She was the only principal to address the SRC.

Thursday was also the first time the School District veteran spoke publicly about the recommendation to close the historic, 99-year-old institution she’s led for the last four years.

Mullen’s passionate plea

During her nearly four-minute address, Mullen-Bavwidinsi focused on how the school has improved since becoming a Promise Academy, a District-led turn-around school, in 2011.

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