October 19, 2026
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Horatio B. Hackett School, located at 2161 E York St. in Kensington, is slated to transition to a K-8 program, but some concerns about logistics still remain months after the school district’s plan was approved.
When the Philly school district announced in April that Horatio B. Hackett would be transitioning from an elementary school into a K-8 program, Rachel Storniolo was thrilled that her son, an upcoming fifth grader, would be able to stay in the community when he moved on to middle school.
"They've created a great environment (at Hackett)," she said. "They have great teachers, great administration and people wanted to continue that versus trying to send their kids to a criteria-based school or citywide school somewhere else outside of our community. … Me personally, I was like 'OK, I love this idea.'"
But nearly six months after the district's $3 billion, 10-year facilities plan was approved, parents and staff are still awaiting answers about how the Kensington school can accommodate its planned expansion, what changes may be required and how community feedback will shape the process.
With the uncertainty surrounding the transition process, Storniolo and others are considering alternative options.
"To not have a backup plan just feels scary as a parent," she said.
In March, Moffet Elementary School was slated to phase into a middle school while its elementary school students were set to be sent to Hackett. Moffet parents who were unnerved by the plan instead suggested turning Hackett into a K-8 school so their kids wouldn't have to leave their school to make way for the middle schoolers.
Claire Landau, a senior adviser for the district, said that transitioning Hackett into a K-8 school would result in "significant tradeoffs," according to an email shared with PhillyVoice by Katy Donahue, a parent of a Moffet student.
"Determining whether a school can serve as a K-8 is not solely a matter of available physical space," Landau said in the email. "... At Hackett, this would require eliminating out-of-catchment enrollment and, importantly, would also require eliminating the school's current specialized programming, specifically its Autistic Support and Life Skills Support programs."
Despite those concerns, the district changed course one month later and recommended Hackett to house a K-8 program. Under the plan, Hackett will begin adding one grade each school year starting in 2027-2028.
"It happened very quickly after they had told us it wasn't possible, and then suddenly now it is possible," Storniolo said. "What made you change?"
Parents said they were told that officials conducted a walkthrough of the facility in May to evaluate the building's potential for housing extra students. However, those findings were never shared publicly.
Jeff Vaisberg, another Hackett parent, said he has sent dozens of emails over the past five months to the district inquiring about the future of programming and expressing his disagreement with the plan to make Hackett a K-8 school. He said only two of those emails drew responses from district officials and several of his questions were left unanswered.
"They're acting more like an insurance company than an advocate for our children," Vaisberg said.
From left, Deputy Superintendent of Operations Oz Hill, Superintendent Tony Watlington and Shakeera Warthen-Canty, senior adviser at the new School Transition Office.
Shakeera Warthen-Canty, who directs the district's newly formed School Transition Office, sent a letter to the Hackett community on Sept. 8 reiterating that the board-approved proposal would be implemented. She also recommended that concerned community members apply for and follow up with their designated transition committee.
"I understand that there are concerns about the Board-adopted recommendation for Hackett and the physical space within the building," Warthen-Canty wrote. "... A Transition Committee is being established at Hackett to discuss the grade expansion and any challenges the grade expansion may have on the school community."
Applications for the 20-member transition teams opened Monday, Aug. 31, and closed Friday, Sept. 18. Storniolo said she applied to be considered for Hackett’s group and was told she would be notified about whether she was selected by early October. District officials made similar statements to the Inquirer in August, saying that selected members would be notified by Oct. 1 and work would be expected to begin the week of Oct. 12.
Monique Braxton, spokesperson with the district, said "parents were still signing up" as of Wednesday, Oct. 14. Members are expected to be notified sometime this week if they were selected or not, she added Monday.
"There has not been a lot of clarity around who will be picked, when it will be picked, when there will be answers," Sturniolo said. "It just seems like the district doesn't really know what to do and what they are doing."
As parents and students wait for answers, the vacuum of information has fueled speculation about what's next. Storniolo said she was told during a phone conversation with Warthen-Canty that Hackett may not end up having the space for eighth graders, and students may end up being diverted to the neighboring Henry A. Brown Elementary School. Some school administrators have heard similar accounts, she said.
Representatives with the district did not comment about the validity of these claims.
"I don't necessarily have a problem with (the rumored proposals)," she said. "... But generally there has been confusion between the district, the school and the parents. I think that there has been a lack of clarity, a lack of accountability, and the parents at Hackett deserve to know before they're applying their children to schools what the future holds."
When asked whether Hackett can accommodate the expansion and what modifications are planned to house the extra students, Braxton said it would be "premature" to discuss specific buildings while officials continue implementing the facilities plan.
When applications for school selection opened last month, the uncertainty about Hackett's community left Storniolo’s family with an even harder choice than they anticipated. She now plans on applying her son to other middle schools in the city.
"I care a lot about the community at a school," Storniolo said. "I think a lot of the parents that stayed (in Hackett) for fifth grade with the intention of staying through eighth grade did that because they really love Hackett.
"At this point, I don't know if I feel comfortable not accepting (an offer from another school). I just don't know how much further I can keep kicking this down the line without knowing."
