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Litigation Update

Dear Friends,

It is with pleasure that I am able to say that the litigation between the Eleanor Morris and the Schuylkill Center’s Trustees has been settled.  As you may know, Eleanor Morris, a Board member since 2003, being unable to persuade her fellow Board members of the correctness of her views, chose to file a court petition to settle her differences of opinion with the other Trustees about the management of The Center.  Primarily, she sought to void The Schuylkill Center’s lease with its educational partner of five years, the Green Woods Charter School.  She claimed that the School does not fit within The Center’s purpose.  The rest of the Board, as well as the staff, felt strongly that the School advances The Center’s mission and augments its wide variety of educational programs. 

The Board carefully considered the legality and appropriateness of the relationship in 2002 before the first lease with the Charter School was approved by a unanimous vote of the Board.  Before the Board voted, it determined that the School had been formed to provide a particular emphasis on environmental education.  Moreover, as the School’s lease stipulated the Center’s staff provide the School with environmental education services, the Board believed that both the spirit and the letter of The Center’s Mission as contained in its Articles of Incorporation would be fulfilled.  Finally, the Board believed that hosting a school chartered by the State and the Philadelphia School District would further The Center’s tradition of providing environmental education to the City’s schoolchildren.

The essential elements of the settlement are that: (1) the Green Woods Charter School is limited to their current charter for 225 students in the core property, and (2) the Center would seek court approval for any sale of land. If you are interested in the details of the settlement, a copy is available here: SCEE - Fully Executed Settlement Agreement.

It is extremely unfortunate that Mrs. Morris chose this course of action to advance her opinions, as everyone’s energies and finances could have been put to better purpose, but The Center’s Board is confident it has made solid decisions in its stewardship of this wonderful organization.  It is good to have this chapter behind us.

Thank you for your time, your interest, your support, and your concern.

Sincerely,

John Howard
Chair, Board of Trustees
July 6, 2009