Kleinbard’s Litigation team, led by Mark Seiberling, Samantha Zimmer, Francis Notarianni, and Greg McIntosh prevailed in securing an agreement with the Philadelphia School District (The District) to receive a 92% decrease in owed settlement funds. After the Pennsylvania Department of Education ruled that West Philadelphia Achievement Elementary Charter School (The School) must pay $30 million back to The District to repay the equivalent of what it has received for educating upward of 200 extra students a year since 2010, The Kleinbard team appealed the decision in the Commonwealth Court arguing that the order was illegal and should not stand. According to The School’s Founder and CEO, approval was granted by a former administration to increase enrollment in order to afford a new building, however The School’s legally binding charter never reflected an increased cap. The School would not have been able to continue operations if forced to pay the full $30 million, leaving many economically disadvantaged students in the area forced to find other options. The School will now pay just $500,000 a year for five years and will be able to continue enrollment for 640 students for the upcoming school year, with the opportunity to formally ask for an increase in student cap at The District’s upcoming renewal cohort.
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