Matt Wolfe, a Republican ward leader and member of the Spruce Hill Community Association, was surprised when the Inquirer announced in late May that the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia School District were planning a new public high school for international studies in University City. But he was shocked to read the planners say they were dedicated to community involvement, considering that he believes the article was the first anyone in the neighborhood heard of the school.

"What angered me was the hypocrisy," Wolfe says, "[of] touting how they were committed to community input when this was going on for a year."

Even with the school's imminent arrival — it could open as early as September 2006 — officials at the Penn Graduate School of Education say it is simply too early to schedule meaningful public meetings.

"We are not able to productively sketch out a timetable or a deliberative process for community input," says Tom Kecskemethy, spokesman for Penn's Graduate School of Education. "It is in the forefront of everyone's mind. We are just not far along enough in the process to do it."

Kecskemethy did not give any timeline projections, but once the planners get a sense of "what the formative plan for the high school is going to be," they will begin seeking community input. At this point, Kecskemethy said, the parties aren't even certain that the project is going to happen. Still, the community's worry is that by the time input is sought, it will be close to meaningless.

"They are not willing to give us any information," Wolfe says, adding that University City residents should be receiving information through public forums. "At least tell us if you are going to have all the key decisions made before seeking community input."

If history is any indication, the academic success of the school is virtually assured. Penn's first foray into Philadelphia public schools, the Penn Alexander School, at 42nd and Spruce streets, has been touted for high achievement and positive effect on its neighborhood. There might be other, less-enviable similarities with Penn Alexander, though. Wolfe and Al Krigman, a University City landlord, remember a similar dynamic of insubstantial, if not completely nonexistent, community dialogue prior to its creation.

"If what they want to do is establish a public school that somehow has [community] input," says Krigman, "then they can't do it as though it is a private school and keep it all to themselves."