An Historic First: Philadelphia’s Chinatown Gets Charter School

By Pacific Citizen Staff

March 18, 2005 - For the first time in its history, Philadelphia’s Chinatown has a public elementary school that it can now call its own.

In an historic vote March 9, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission unanimously approved a new charter school for Chinatown as more than 100 supporters cheered and cried in celebration.

“We need this school. We want this school. We are entitled to this school,” said Simon Lui of the Fujian Association of Greater Philadelphia, which represents 20,000 Chinese Americans citywide. “For over 150 year this community has suffered without any public investment. It is past time for us to build a public institution in this community.”

“Approving this school sends a strong message that we value our immigrant communities,” said Neeta Patel, charter school coordinator.

The new Chinatown charter school — the Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School (FOLKS) — will open this September in Chinatown North and will start as a kindergarten through fifth grade school and will eventually go up to the eighth grade.

FOLKS will be a diverse, multiracial school and will serve the needs of the immigrant and non-English speaking families throughout the city of Philadelphia. Classes will be taught in English and the school will offer Mandarin as an enrichment language course for all of its students.

In addition, folk arts and cultural traditions will be prominent throughout the curriculum as a way to help young people appreciate their culture and the cultures of other groups.

Charter schools are funded by tax dollars and are independent public schools. The schools are run and designed by groups of educators, parents, and leaders in the community. FACTS will be able to serve 286 students and will thus be able to earn at least $1.8 million in taxpayer monies.

For over 150 years Chinatown has had only one school: Holy Redeemer, a Roman Catholic school that first opened in 1941. Those who cannot afford to pay the private tuition usually attend McCall Elementary School located about a mile south of Chinatown.

The successful effort behind the Chinatown charter school was lead by Asian Americans United and the Philadelphia Folklore Project but was not without controversy. Opposing the Chinatown school was the Philadelphia Chinatown Community Development Corp. They argued that the charter school was not necessary and would dilute students from Holy Redeemer and McCall.

Cecilia Moy Yep, a board member of the Chinatown Community Development Corp., accused members of AAU of creating contention in the community “with vague promises and misstatements of fact” in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article.

But AAU garnered a great deal of community support, including 1,200 petition signatures, pre-enrollment forms from 56 families, 30 local and national endorsements, and several letters of support. They were also able to gain the support of the various communities including Rev. Robert Shine, former president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity. 

In the end the vote to approve the charter school was unanimous with yes votes from Commissioners James Gallagher, Martin Bednarek, Daniel Whelan and chairman James Nevels. Commissioner Sandra Dungee Glenn was absent from the meeting.

“Charter schools are not about unanimity,” said Ellen Somekawa, AAU director. “They are about offering public school options — in this case to a community that has limited choices.”