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Formal Letter to the Board- Arguments

Executive Summary
The community of Motivation High School formally opposes the proposed merger with Bartram High School. 

-We believe this decision contradicts the District’s goals of equity, safety, and fiscal responsibility. Motivation is not a struggling school; it is a high-performing, special-admission anchor in Southwest Philadelphia that has flourished despite previous displacements. Merging this program into a comprehensive high school environment threatens the academic progress and safety of our scholars.

1. The Argument of Regional Equity & Academic Excellence
Motivation High School stands as the only special-admission option in the Southwest region. Removing this program from its independent location creates an "educational desert" for high-achieving students of our school and future students in this area.

Demonstrated Growth: Our school has shown significant, measurable growth in Keystone and STAR testing, keep our students and teachers attendance above average in the district. To disrupt a winning academic formula is a disservice to the "Accelerate" goals of the District.
Specialized Environment: The success of Motivation is rooted in its small-school culture. Forcing this program into a larger, comprehensive setting like Bartram will dilute the specialized support that allows our high-achieving scholars to thrive.
2. Student Safety and School Climate
A school's primary duty is to provide a safe learning environment. The data shows a stark contrast between the two sites:

Safety Record: Motivation maintains an exceptionally low rate of violent behavior and serious incidents. In contrast, Bartram High School continues to struggle with weekly serious incidents.

3. The Threat of Attrition: We have surveyed our families, and the sentiment is clear: many students will leave the School District of Philadelphia entirely rather than move to the Bartram building. This merger will not consolidate students; it will drive them out of the area or even district

4. Fiscal Irresponsibility & Wasted Investment

The District has recently invested approximately $15 million into our building to make it a safer and more resourceful facility.

Fiduciary Duty: Vacating or drastically changing the use of a building immediately following a multi-million dollar renovation is a misuse of taxpayer funds.

5. Proven Co-location Model: We are already demonstrating fiscal efficiency by successfully sharing our building with KIPP Charter (2nd Floor). Our partnership is a model for how the District can manage space without closing vital programs.

6. Addressing the Enrollment Fallacy
The District points to low enrollment as a reason for the merger. However, we argue that enrollment numbers are a result of the District’s new lottery system, not a reflection of school performance or demand. 

In addition, Motivation High School has already accepted 83 new freshmen for the upcoming year, showing signs that our enrollment can grow again.

Motivation remains a "school of choice." If the lottery system is adjusted to allow the Southwest community to better access their local special-admission school, enrollment will naturally return to capacity.

7. A Viable Alternative: The "Swing Space" Solution
The District’s long-term plan suggests using 5900 Baltimore Ave as a "swing space." We propose that this can be achieved without moving Motivation.

Because we already successfully cohabitate with KIPP, the building has proven its flexibility. Motivation can remain as the permanent anchor of this site, maintaining stability for our students while the District utilizes remaining square footage for its temporary needs.
100% of the students are involved in at least 2  AP class by their seniors, Drone program for 3 years, and success with drone program, Prism programs, Work with Penn law program, for 12 years, we colocated with Kipp with no issue but one, we always have school police training and other programs. All students have access to public transportation, and students come from the entire Philadelphia region to take advantage of our college preparatory.