Welcoming Penn’s $100 Million Pledge to the Philadelphia Public Schools

I was delighted to learn about the University of Pennsylvania’s decision to donate $100 million over 10 years to the School District of Philadelphia to support critically needed capital improvements at schools throughout the city.

Drexel shares with Penn a strong commitment to local public schools and we pledge to work alongside Penn in helping to ensure that all Philadelphia children can learn in safe and healthy school buildings. 

Most recently, Drexel contributed and raised approximately $50 million from public and private sources to construct the new Samuel Powel Elementary and the Science Leadership Academy Middle School in University City, helping to replace Powel’s aging facility and create a new building for SLA-MS. This is in addition to our ongoing work to support local schools in the West Philadelphia Promise Zone with investments in everything from replacing deteriorated playgrounds to helping to improve behavioral health and instructional practice. 

I’m proud of the commitments Drexel has made to improving the quality of public schools and facilities in Philadelphia and of Penn’s own generous commitment to this important goal.

John Fry
President