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July 22, 2022

Dear School District of Philadelphia Families & Community,

Last month, I was honored to be named superintendent of this fine school district. One of my first actions was to unveil my 100-day priorities. These priorities detail the intentional actions that I am taking to get to know Philadelphia and the School District, and reflect a three-phase approach to laying a strong foundation to improve outcomes for all students and achieve the Board’s Goals and Guardrails. Phase 1 Listening and Learning sessions together with the output from the Phase 2 Transition Team will inform Phase 3, which is the development of a new strategic plan for the School District of Philadelphia in spring 2023.

Implementation of my 100-day priorities is actively underway. Here are some highlights of my accomplishments so far:

Phase 1 Listening & Learning – I’ve completed 25 total sessions with students, principals and assistant principals, other SDP staff, parents and community members. I am learning a lot from the insights and opinions that you have shared, and I look forward to hearing from more of you. More family sessions are scheduled through August. You can register for one HERE. You can also share your thoughts and ideas by completing this survey.

Phase 2 Transition Team – Last week, I launched my Transition Team, which brings more than 80 members of the Philadelphia community together with non-SDP educational and industry leaders to assess five areas of our School District: student achievement, operations, anti-racist District culture, community engagement & communications, and well-rounded school experiences. A report with both short- and long-term recommendations for improvements in each area will be shared this fall.

I have also been meeting with city and state elected officials, union leaders, District staff and many other Philadelphia leaders and community members to discuss a shared commitment to the hard work ahead to improve outcomes for all of Philadelphia’s public school students.

I invite you to learn more about my 100-day priorities and progress and meet the Transition Team at philasd.org/100days.

Thank you for entrusting me with this incredible responsibility. I look forward to our continued work together.

In partnership for children,

Dr. Tony B. Watlington
Superintendent
The School District of Philadelphia