Tag: Cherelle Parker

Parker vows, ‘We will not allow anyone to erase our history,’ following President’s House lawsuit ruling

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Mayor Cherelle Parker reacted to the city’s recent legal win against the federal government in a video Tuesday, issuing a rare, albeit indirect, critique of the Trump administration.

In a recorded statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Parker praised the court’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction that requires federal officials to restore the exhibit on slavery at the President’s House at Independence National Historical Park, pending further litigation. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe wrote in a 40-page decision released Monday that the displays, which federal parks workers stripped from the site on Jan. 22, must be returned unaltered.

RELATED: Slavery exhibit at President’s House must be restored by Trump administration, judge orders

Parker referenced the decision in her video, thanking Rufe for acknowledging the city’s right to “mutual agreement” with the National Parks Service regarding changes to the exhibit. She also directly quoted the judge’s assertion that a federal agency “cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims.”

Toward the end of the video, the mayor linked the city’s pride to its acknowledgement of “all of our history and all of our truth, no matter how painful it may be.”

“We will not allow anyone to erase our history,” said Parker, who wore sweatshirt with the name of her alma mater, Lincoln University, in the clip.

My response to the federal court’s decision granting the City relief in our lawsuit regarding the President’s House historic site.

We will not allow anyone to erase our history.

Not on our watch.#PresidentsHouse pic.twitter.com/TnTFfASuMU

— Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (@PhillyMayor) February 17, 2026

The mayor did not name the president in her message, but her comments and lawsuit are some of her most direct actions yet against the Trump administration. While the Democratic mayors of some cities have sharply criticized the federal government since Donald Trump resumed office, Parker has largely stayed silent. As the president threatened sanctuary cities, she even stepped away from the label, branding Philadelphia a “welcoming city” instead.

Throughout the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the University of Pennsylvania, Parker also avoided joining the conflict as the federal government cut off hundreds of millions in research funding and threatened to revoke student visas and the immigration statuses of some college employees. Parker has a master’s degree in public administration from Penn, and the university is the largest private employer in Philadelphia.

The President’s House exhibit tells the stories of nine enslaved people, brought to Philadelphia by President George Washington. It was removed following a federal review of signage at public parks and monuments for “divisive narratives.”

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Kristin Hunt

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February 17, 2026
Parker says Market East plan is open to input. Residents, scarred by Sixers arena fight, aren’t buying it.

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Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled her vision to reverse the decadeslong decline of East Market Street on Friday, promising a process that will restore the corridor as Philadelphia’s economic and cultural anchor while accounting for the interests of people who live in the area.

Some residents, who say they still are recovering from the trauma caused by the process of the 76ers’ abandoned plans to build a new arena on East Market, feel this new situation is all too familiar.

MORE: Researchers create ‘digital monument’ to site of 2019 South Philly refinery explosion

After months of lobbying the city to build their $1.3 billion arena at 10th and Market streets, the Sixers abruptly withdrew the plan in favor of partnering with Comcast Spectacor, their current landlord at Xfinity Mobile Arena, to build an arena in South Philly. The joint venture includes commitments to invest in East Market Street.

“After we all got over the shock and awe of what was not going to happen on Market East, I immediately shifted into my eternally optimistic view about how we are going to be able to move things forward,” Parker said during a press conference at Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center.

The Market East Corridor Planning and Advisory Commission, led by Brandywine Realty Trust CEO Jerry Sweeney, will be tasked with creating a redevelopment plan that stretches from City Hall to the Delaware River. The planning process is expected to take about a year.

“All of us have connections to Market East and a significant stake in remaking this corridor into a valuable asset for the city,” Sweeney said.

Leaders from Comcast Spectacor, the 76ers and dozens of other institutions will now be responsible for planning construction, infrastructure upgrades and social services along a street that has had trouble keeping businesses in storefronts and has a large homeless population.

Parker said she learned from how she handled the contentious arena planning process, which drew resistance from communities in Chinatown and Washington Square West. She pledged to take a different approach to city planning that listens to government, businesses and residents.

“I don’t want anyone leaving here today saying that there is a plan that is baked, that is cooked, that is done, and (that) it is a plan that will be shoved down the throats of Philadelphians,” Parker said. “That is not what this is.”

Demolition plans draw rebuke from critics

Neighborhood advocates at Friday’s press conference said they have little faith that the city will follow through with its promises.

“There’s not a clear accountability measure for making sure that the actual citizens of Philadelphia are heard in this process,” said Katie Garth, a member of the Neighborhood Alliance of Washington Square West.

The Sixers and Comcast Spectacor already have plans to demolish several vacant buildings on the south side of Market Street, between Ninth and 10th streets, before the end of the year. The structures, which cover half the block, include the former Robinson department store and a former Reebok store.

Provided Image/Arielle Harris

The Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections has a demolition notice posted for the buildings at 1020-1024 Market St., which Comcast Spectactor and the Philadelphia 76ers plan to knock down in the coming months to make way for a World Cup pop-up next summer. Opponents of the plan taped signs next to the notice on Friday morning.

Comcast’s chief legal officer, Thomas Reid, said the empty space will be used for activities related to the World Cup when the international soccer tournament comes to the city in June. He gave no other details, but said Comcast already has invested $60 million in properties on Market Street and will be a “turbocharged engine” for redevelopment as the city prepares to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.

Beyond 2026, Comcast and the 76ers have not disclosed plans for the soon-to-be vacant lots.

“We think that that’s going to further blight the neighborhood. It’s going to make the situation worse with no real guarantees that it will get better,” said Laney Myers, with the historic preservation group RePoint Philadelphia.

The Design Advocacy Group, a volunteer organization of development and planning professionals in the city, published a letter last week calling the pending demolitions “impulsive.” They questioned why it took nearly a year for Parker to convene the advisory group and said the city should consider “strategic reuse” of the buildings slated to be torn down.

Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice

Comcast Spectacor and the 76ers plan to soon demolish several buildings along the 1000 block of Market Street as part of a long-term plan to revitalize the corridor.

Neighborhood leaders in attendance Friday said the city’s push for demolition is a bad start that shows little has been learned from the arena planning process, despite Parker’s claim that plans on Market Street have not been finalized.

“We are still suffering from PTSD over the arena debacle, and there’s a lot of deja vu happening right now,” Myers said.

‘All perspectives will have a full seat’

As the Market East commission’s work gets underway, Parker said progress is already taking shape on East Market Street.

She pointed to the ongoing streetscape improvements along Market Street in Old City and the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s plan to invest $13 million to renovate the former Greyhound bus terminal on Filbert Street. She also praised the Convention Center for investing nearly $1 million in new lighting along the corridor.

City Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose 1st District covers East Market Street, said he will create an online portal where residents can share ideas about Market Street’s future.

“That allows us to take input from everybody, especially the adjoining communities that will be impacted the most,” he said.

Sweeney anticipates there will be competing ideas and conflicts in the months to come.

“No doubt, through our public engagement process, many strong opinions will be expressed,” he said. “All perspectives will have a full seat at the table to present ideas, raise concerns, share their hopes and aspirations, and then we will collectively determine our short- and long-term path forward.”

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Michael Tanenbaum

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November 7, 2025
As SEPTA service cuts take effect, city officials urge people to make changes to their commutes

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The impacts of the SEPTA’s service cuts took shape Monday – the first weekday with reduced subway and bus service and the first day of classes in the School District of Philadelphia.

Additional cuts and fare increases are scheduled to take effect next week unless SEPTA receives funding needed to close its $213 million budget deficit. In a news conference, officials said the city’s streets will become more congested and that public transit could become more crowded if those additional reductions are implemented.

MORE: SEPTA reveals student safety plan with service cuts set to kick in right before first day of school

The city is attempting to mitigate the problems, but commuters also are urged to avoid traveling during rush hour as much as possible, allow for extra travel time, consider off-street parking and to consider carpooling. They also advised people to use the Regional Rail system’s park-and-ride locations to travel into the Center City, though Regional Rail faces a 20% reduction in service beginning Tuesday, Sept. 2.

“We do expect increases (in traffic) next week,” said Michael Carroll, deputy managing director for the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. “Folks will return from vacations after Labor Day, more schools will be in attendance. … We’re maintaining our infrastructure, accelerating repairs where we see issues that may affect our transit system.”

Carroll said the city is monitoring traffic volume, tracking external factors that could reduce the efficiency of street work and looking for changes in parking patterns and travel peaks.

After lawmakers failed to pass legislation to fund the transit agency, SEPTA pushed forward with the elimination of 32 bus routes on Sunday and reduced service on buses and trains by 20%. Additional service cuts and fare increases are expected Sept. 1- 2 unless the state steps in.

Tony Watlington, superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia, suggested the service cuts had impacted student attendance Monday, pointing to a drop-off at Furness High School in South Philly.

“As we left Furness High School, Principal (Daniel) Peou told me that typically he would expect 90-plus percent of his children to be in attendance, but because of some of the transportation impacts, those numbers have dropped down to the 70s,” Watlington said. “While that’s not a promising trend, we are hopeful that this can get turned around sooner rather than later.”

The district’s attendance numbers for Monday were not available at the time of the news conference, Watlington said.

About 52,000 students ride SEPTA to get to school, Mayor Cherelle Parker said. To protect students, SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson said Friday that the transit authority is deploying additional officers during peak travel times on approximately 12 routes. Officers will ride buses, patrol stations and watch cameras.

SEPTA had sounded the alarm about the service cuts for weeks, and set a deadline for lawmakers to come up with more funding. The transit authority’s leadership has estimated the system needs $168 million to survive and avoid most service reductions, but that was before the Sunday’s deadline passed, when SEPTA eliminated 32 bus routes and began reducing bus and subway service by 20%.

The funding issue has held up the passage of the Pennsylvania budget.

The Regional Rail cuts that would take effect next week may not be the last. Without additional funding, SEPTA officials say there will be more reductions on Jan. 1. That includes eliminating five Regional Rail lines, stopping rail service at 9 p.m. and cutting another 18 bus routes. Coupled with the reductions in place, SEPTA service would be reduced by 45% from what it was earlier this summer.

City Council members pressed state lawmakers to return to the negotiating table and pass a budget that includes support for SEPTA.

“The longer the cuts are taking place, the more significant impacts that we’re going to see taking place throughout our city,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said at Monday’s press conference. “… We’re going to continue advocating until we get a deal done.”

Brian Pollitt, president of Transit Workers Union Local 234, said SEPTA’s service cuts will result in overcrowding on the buses. That often leads to additional frustrations, placing drivers at risk. The union represents 5,000 transit workers.

“Pennsylvania’s Republican state senators have been derelict in their duty,” Pollitt said in a statement. “The conditions facing SEPTA’s passengers and employees brought on by the lack of state funding could and should have been avoided.”

Updated schedules and trip planning tools with details on the changes can be found on SEPTA’s website.

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Molly McVety and Michaela Althouse

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August 25, 2025
Biden says

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President Joe Biden says his goal is to “unite America again” during speech in Philadelphia

President Joe Biden says his goal is to “unite America again” during speech in Philadelphia

06:48

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) — President Biden said Sunday that his goal is to “unite America again” during a speech at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ in Northwest Philadelphia.

Mr. Biden’s remarks came during the first of two stops of the day in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state. After speaking in Philadelphia, the president and First Lady Jill Biden are headed to Harrisburg for an event at a local union hall.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I honest to God have never been more optimistic about America’s future… if we stick together,” the president said to the nearly 300 congregants in attendance. “We have to bring dignity and hope back in America.”

Mr. Biden didn’t directly address the critical phase of his campaign that he is entering following a shaky debate performance that has led a handful of Democratic lawmakers to call for him to step aside. But he said he had been “called according to [God’s] purpose,” that “we’re all called to be doers,” and “I think we just have to work together.”

President Biden speaks during a church service in northwest Philadelphia on Sunday, July 7, 2024

CBS Philadelphia

Mr. Biden did joke about his age, saying that although he may look like he’s “40 years old,” he’s “been around a long time.”

“The bishop and I were talking about that — it’s heck turning 40,” Mr. Biden said.

According to CBS News reporters inside the church, the crowd started chanting “four more years” once Mr. Biden concluded his speech and returned to his seat on the stage.

Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Philadelphia around 10 a.m. ET, where they were met at the airport by Mayor Cherelle Parker and Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, both Democrats. The president also met with Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and others throughout the day.

President Biden with Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman

CBS Philadelphia

Mr. Biden arrived in Harrisburg on Air Force One alongside the first lady, Fetterman and his wife, Gisele. Upon arrival, the president answered one press question: Is the Democratic party behind him? To which Mr. Biden replied, “Yes.”

The group then made its way to AFSCME, a local union hall in Harrisburg, where Mr. Biden stepped outside to speak to the crowd.

In an off-the-cuff speech without a teleprompter, Mr. Biden told those gathered in Harrisburg that in his second term, he plans to work on fairer taxes, touching on former President Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires, which Mr. Biden has criticized throughout his campaigns and presidency.

“The middle class built this country, not Wall Street. And guess what? Unions built the middle class,” Mr. Biden said.

The president then handed the mic over to Fetterman, who spoke about the economy and the drastic change in the state of the country from 2020 to 2024.

“Let’s talk about four years ago, we were all hoarding toilet paper,” he said. “We’d all be on some big Zoom right now. But we’re right here right now. Remember what that was like?”

Fetterman also spoke about Trump being “obsessed with revenge,” and said he believes Mr. Biden has stepped up to the plate during his presidency.

“Joe Biden has held every line, every line — two wars, a pandemic, look at our economy,” Fetterman said. “Our economy is the envy of the world right now.”

Later, Mr. Biden met with Shapiro, who couldn’t attend the events earlier in the day due to “intense budget negotiations,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told CBS News. The two men paid a visit to a nearby coffee shop where the president tipped $20 and also avoided questions about the latest cease-fire deal.

US President Joe Biden (R) visits a coffee shop with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (C) and Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams (L) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 7, 2024. Biden is back out on the campaign trail Sunday, desperate to salvage his re-election bid as senior Democrats meet to discuss growing calls that he quit the White House race. The 81-year-old Democrat kicks off a grueling week with two campaign rallies in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, before hosting the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Mr. Biden, who most recently traveled to Philadelphia in May with Vice President Kamala Harris to launch their “Black Voters for Biden-Harris” initiative,” was originally scheduled to appear Sunday at the annual NEA conference in Philadelphia. That speech was canceled after the NEA’s union, the National Education Association Staff Organization, announced a strike and set up picket lines around the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.

Mr. Biden, who is fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, had planned to speak at the NEA conference, but his campaign said the president is a “fierce supporter of unions and he won’t cross a picket line.”

The picket line effectively ended the weeklong convention, canceling the last three days of programming, the NEA said.

The NEA, which has school employee union affiliates in every state, has endorsed Biden.

The union announced it filed two unfair labor practice complaints over what it says is NEA’s failure to comply with basic union requirements, and is accusing the NEA of unilaterally removing holiday overtime pay and failing to provide information on outsourcing $50 million in contracts.

In a statement, the NEA said it remained fully committed to a fair bargaining process. It also said it was “deeply concerning that misinformation has been shared” that misrepresented contract negotiations.

Mr. Biden’s dual-city visit Sunday comes as the president works to shore up support for his reelection campaign following a shaky debate performance against Trump last month.

According to a CBS News source, following the debate and suggestions that Mr. Biden drop out, the president told campaign staff in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t plan to leave the race. “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running. I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving,” he said, according to one source.

President Biden hits the campaign trail in Philadelphia as the debate over his candidacy continues

02:31

More from CBS News

Alexandra Simon

Alexandra Simon is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Alex started her career at CBS21 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before joining KARE 11 News in Minneapolis, where she covered breaking news, features and often cold weather.

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Alexandra Simon

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July 7, 2024
Biden says

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President Joe Biden says his goal is to “unite America again” during speech in Philadelphia

President Joe Biden says his goal is to “unite America again” during speech in Philadelphia

06:48

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) — President Biden said Sunday that his goal is to “unite America again” during a speech at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ in Northwest Philadelphia.

Mr. Biden’s remarks came during the first of two stops of the day in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state. After speaking in Philadelphia, the president and First Lady Jill Biden are headed to Harrisburg for an event at a local union hall.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I honest to God have never been more optimistic about America’s future… if we stick together,” the president said to the nearly 300 congregants in attendance. “We have to bring dignity and hope back in America.”

Mr. Biden didn’t directly address the critical phase of his campaign that he is entering following a shaky debate performance that has led a handful of Democratic lawmakers to call for him to step aside. But he said he had been “called according to [God’s] purpose,” that “we’re all called to be doers,” and “I think we just have to work together.”

President Biden speaks during a church service in northwest Philadelphia on Sunday, July 7, 2024

CBS Philadelphia

Mr. Biden did joke about his age, saying that although he may look like he’s “40 years old,” he’s “been around a long time.”

“The bishop and I were talking about that — it’s heck turning 40,” Mr. Biden said.

According to CBS News reporters inside the church, the crowd started chanting “four more years” once Mr. Biden concluded his speech and returned to his seat on the stage.

Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Philadelphia around 10 a.m. ET, where they were met at the airport by Mayor Cherelle Parker and Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, both Democrats. The president also met with Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and others throughout the day.

President Biden with Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman

CBS Philadelphia

Mr. Biden arrived in Harrisburg on Air Force One alongside the first lady, Fetterman and his wife, Gisele. Upon arrival, the president answered one press question: Is the Democratic party behind him? To which Mr. Biden replied, “Yes.”

The group then made its way to AFSCME, a local union hall in Harrisburg, where Mr. Biden stepped outside to speak to the crowd.

In an off-the-cuff speech without a teleprompter, Mr. Biden told those gathered in Harrisburg that in his second term, he plans to work on fairer taxes, touching on former President Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires, which Mr. Biden has criticized throughout his campaigns and presidency.

“The middle class built this country, not Wall Street. And guess what? Unions built the middle class,” Mr. Biden said.

The president then handed the mic over to Fetterman, who spoke about the economy and the drastic change in the state of the country from 2020 to 2024.

“Let’s talk about four years ago, we were all hoarding toilet paper,” he said. “We’d all be on some big Zoom right now. But we’re right here right now. Remember what that was like?”

Fetterman also spoke about Trump being “obsessed with revenge,” and said he believes Mr. Biden has stepped up to the plate during his presidency.

“Joe Biden has held every line, every line — two wars, a pandemic, look at our economy,” Fetterman said. “Our economy is the envy of the world right now.”

Later, Mr. Biden met with Shapiro, who couldn’t attend the events earlier in the day due to “intense budget negotiations,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told CBS News. The two men paid a visit to a nearby coffee shop where the president tipped $20 and also avoided questions about the latest cease-fire deal.

US President Joe Biden (R) visits a coffee shop with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (C) and Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams (L) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 7, 2024. Biden is back out on the campaign trail Sunday, desperate to salvage his re-election bid as senior Democrats meet to discuss growing calls that he quit the White House race. The 81-year-old Democrat kicks off a grueling week with two campaign rallies in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, before hosting the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Mr. Biden, who most recently traveled to Philadelphia in May with Vice President Kamala Harris to launch their “Black Voters for Biden-Harris” initiative,” was originally scheduled to appear Sunday at the annual NEA conference in Philadelphia. That speech was canceled after the NEA’s union, the National Education Association Staff Organization, announced a strike and set up picket lines around the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.

Mr. Biden, who is fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, had planned to speak at the NEA conference, but his campaign said the president is a “fierce supporter of unions and he won’t cross a picket line.”

The picket line effectively ended the weeklong convention, canceling the last three days of programming, the NEA said.

The NEA, which has school employee union affiliates in every state, has endorsed Biden.

The union announced it filed two unfair labor practice complaints over what it says is NEA’s failure to comply with basic union requirements, and is accusing the NEA of unilaterally removing holiday overtime pay and failing to provide information on outsourcing $50 million in contracts.

In a statement, the NEA said it remained fully committed to a fair bargaining process. It also said it was “deeply concerning that misinformation has been shared” that misrepresented contract negotiations.

Mr. Biden’s dual-city visit Sunday comes as the president works to shore up support for his reelection campaign following a shaky debate performance against Trump last month.

According to a CBS News source, following the debate and suggestions that Mr. Biden drop out, the president told campaign staff in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t plan to leave the race. “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running. I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving,” he said, according to one source.

President Biden hits the campaign trail in Philadelphia as the debate over his candidacy continues

02:31

More from CBS News

Alexandra Simon

Alexandra Simon is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Alex started her career at CBS21 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before joining KARE 11 News in Minneapolis, where she covered breaking news, features and often cold weather.

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July 7, 2024
Stretch of Kensington Avenue to close in effort to remove homeless encampments along sidewalks

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A Kensington homeless encampment will be dismantled after the city of Philadelphia issued a 30-day encampment resolution notice that takes effect on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, May 8, Kensington Avenue from East Orleans Street to Allegheny Avenue will be closed in both directions so city outreach teams can enter the encampment to “work on a planned encampment resolution.”

“The temporary closure is needed to ensure the safety of city outreach teams as they engage individuals during the final day of encampment resolution on Wednesday, May 8, during which individuals residing at the encampment have been notified to dismantle any tents and structures that pose public health and safety hazards and obstruct sidewalk passage,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

The closure will take place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

During the closure, drivers will be detoured to Frankford Avenue and other nearby streets.

The closure of this encampment marks the end of a month-long process that started on April 4, when the city posted a 30-day notice on the 3000 and 3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue.

The city says outreach teams and social services have been engaging with the individuals residing in the encampment since the notice went up to ensure low-barrier housing, services and connections to treatment are made available.

“This is a longstanding issue and this is not a one size fits all solution, so I think everyone needs to be at the table,” Rosalind Pichardo, with Operation Save Our City, said. “It can’t be an opinion from a politician, it has to be the fact of a physician and a medical professional to deal with the crisis that we’re having here.”

City officials estimate that 700 people are homeless in the neighborhood but only about 75 people are living in the targeted area.

In Philadelphia it is a policy to connect people living in an encampment with a shelter or treatment center, but they do not have to accept it.

This is a part of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s plan to improve the Kensington neighborhood, which she laid out in her first 100 days plan.

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Kaleah Mcilwain

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May 6, 2024
Mayor Cherelle Parker appoints nine school board members

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A few months into office, Mayor Cherelle Parker has made her picks for the Philadelphia Board of Education.

The board member nominees were selected from 122 applicants, narrowed down to 27 by the Educational Nominating Panel, a group also selected by Parker. From here, City Council will hold public hearings and vote on each nominee. If these picks are approved, the new board will start a four-year term on May 1.

MORE NEWS: Atlantic City mayor says raid at his home stems from a ‘family matter’ – not corruption

The board oversees the budget, guides curriculum and selects the district’s superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia. It can also open and close charter schools in the city.

The nominees are a mix of current board members, former educators and those of different career backgrounds that Parker felt were relevant to the board’s work. Parker’s nominees are:

•Crystal Cubbage, a former NASA engineer-turned teacher. Cubbage is also the founder of Teachable Moments International and executive director of the Philadelphia Learning Collaborative.
•Cheryl Harper, a former teacher and Philly native who’s worked as the director of human resources for the Philadelphia and Camden school districts.
•Whitney Jones, chief financial officer at the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, a nonprofit working in children’s mental and behavioral health.
•Wanda Novales, executive pastor of City Reach Church and founding CEO and principal of the Pan American Charter School.
•Joan Stern, a public finance attorney who focused on state and local funding. Stern formerly served as bond counsel for the district.

Additionally, Parker selected current board members Sarah-Ashley Andrews, Joyce Wilkerson and ChauWing Lam, as well as Board President Reginald Streater, to stay on the board. Three current members applied to stay on the board but were not selected.

“I said I wanted a school board with a diversity of skills, from different neighborhoods, sectors and communities, some with deep knowledge, some with new ideas, a group that truly reflects my vision of One Philly, a United City,” said Parker in a statement. “I’m confident we’ve assembled that board, and that they are fully committed to sound governance and the best interests of the 197,000 students in our school system, as well as families, faculty and staff.”

These selections follow the resignation of board Vice President Mallory Fix-Lopez, whose last day will be April 18. Fix-Lopez announced her resignation in March, citing time commitment issues and a medical procedure she has scheduled for mid-April.

Parker is scheduled to appear at a press conference Tuesday afternoon alongside her nominees.

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Michaela Althouse

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April 2, 2024
What to expect in Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s 1st budget address

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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker will reveal her first budget to the city council on Thursday.

Action News takes a first look at funding projections and breaks down some of the key numbers.

So far, taxes are expected to remain roughly the same.

The police department will be getting more funding and street paving is a big ticket item.

Another thing the budget reveals is that the city is hiring, with the Parker administration still working to fill hundreds of positions.

“Our biggest investment is in public safety,” said Sabrina Maynard, Deputy Finance Director for Policy, Analysis and Grants.

More than $600 million will go into the safety component of Parker’s slogan of making Philadelphia the “safest, cleanest, and greenest big city.”

The total cost of Parker’s budget is expected to come in at $6.3 billion over five years.

“The new office is really thinking through how to make sure those dollars are being used in ways that translate into impact,” Maynard said.

While giving a glimpse at some of the plans, the administration stressed that it’ll increase support for the police department and anti-violence initiatives, with the use of grants.

Millions of dollars will go toward upgrading police technology, buying new cars, drones and improving the department’s forensics lab.

However, the police department is still down hundreds of officers, which continues to be a struggle for the city to fill those positions.

Parker’s administration is also navigating the post-pandemic economy. Her administration says the city lost $1.5 billion in revenue during that timeframe.

Officials say the city still has roughly $450 million left of federal pandemic relief money that needs to be spent by the end of the year.

Another large investment will be street paving.

“Half a billion dollars. I don’t get to say that a lot — billion. Half a billion over the life of our capital program,” Maynard said.

They’ll also be addressing quality of life issues, such as littering, illegal dumping, abandoned cars, as well as vacant lots and buildings.

“One of the largest components and new programs is launching the citywide residential cleaning program, which would be dedicated cleaning crews in each council district,” said Payal Patel, Deputy Budget Director for Policy and Strategy. “Also, we’ll be piloting twice-weekly trash collection in areas of the city that deal with the most litter issues.”

Parker also wants to focus $100 million toward efforts to clean up open drug use in Kensington.

RELATED: Rock Ministries offering help in effort to clean up Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood

The school district will also get a $22 million increase in this proposal.

There is a plan for more money for SEPTA, too.

The new Democratic leader will be dealing with a largely brand-new city council to pass her spending plan, which will have until July 1 to reach a final agreement on the budget.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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6abc Digital Staff

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March 14, 2024