Save Sheppard School

The CSPR process claims it is a collaborative process to ensure all children have access to a great school close to where they live - Today marks exactly one year since the community came out to stand in solidarity and demand that if that's true, then the School District and CSPR consultants must hear the testimonies of our staff, students, families, and community partners who want to save Sheppard!

For months, we spent each weekend canvassing the entire school catchment to make sure everyone knew about the CSPR process, the CSPR recommendations for Sheppard, and our demands to not only keep Sheppard open but to keep the needs of our students at the center of every decision being made for our school.

Our efforts paid off, as we had over 100 people show up to the CSPR community forum to make their voices heard. Even a year later, the momentum is still going strong! While it remains unclear what will happen to Sheppard through the CSPR process, we can guarantee that we will continue to fight for our school, our students, and our community!

Teacher turnover is a serious issue in the School District of Philadelphia but not at Sheppard! In fact, we stand out for our veteran teachers:

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-schools-sheppard-elementary-teacher-turnover-20190429.html

The small learning community at Sheppard offers so much for our students and staff, and it has for generations! The secret to our success: We're in it together.

Colleen McFadden, who's been at Sheppard for 20 years, said it best, “This is not a school where you come in, close your classroom door, and work alone. Knowing every other teacher in this building has my back really helps. We’re family.”



(Pictured: Sheppard Staff, February 2020)

Families, staff, and community partners have been lining up to speak on behalf of Isaac Sheppard Elementary at the monthly School Board meetings, but new changes by the School Board have set out to limit the number of participants - We say that ALL voices deserve to be heard when the state of our schools are at stake!

Here is the testimony from Candi Adams, an active parent volunteer at Sheppard, who has been unable to present her testimony at both the December and January School Board meetings.

"I’m a parent of a student at Sheppard. I must say he loves his school. I could not see my child going to another school. If he could stay at Sheppard until high school, Sheppard would be it.

Sheppard does a lot for kids, parents, and the community. Kids and parents feel safe at Sheppard because the staff makes you feel like family. The love and work the staff has and does for the kids and parents is amazing. I was scared to send my son to a school in my community until I seen Sheppard. Now I don’t want him to leave.

Not only do the staff love their kids, they love the community. Once a week, they give produce fresh to families in need. What school you know does this? The school gives our community hope and safety for our kids and the area. Sheppard is small and also has history, but the love and care that comes out of the school and also goes in is bigger than any small building or history.

Parents from around the community, families, neighbors, and staff love Sheppard. If you take Sheppard away, what good will our community look forward to in the future?

Please keep Sheppard open. It’s one good thing we have in our area.

Thank you from a parent at Sheppard!"