Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett continues on his quest to destroy public education in Philadelphia. The city's schools—those that aren't among the 23 being
closed—may not be able to open on time thanks to the layoffs of nearly 4,000 teachers and staff. Corbett is refusing further funding to the schools unless teachers make
$130 million in concessions in a new contract. Meanwhile, without increased funding, Philadelphia schools Superintendent William Hite is looking to
sidestep existing labor protections in his efforts to start the school year on time:
Many of the changes involve provisions governing labor practices. The District is seeking to bypass seniority rules as it restores positions and calls back laid-off workers. It also wants the ability to put at least a temporary halt to automatic pay increases based on longevity -- called "steps"-- for professional staff. [...]
Other requested changes would allow the District to hire licensed nurses who are not specifically certified as school nurses. Hite said that no current school nurses would be displaced, but that vacancies could be filled with nurses who would not be paid as much.
Hite also wants the SRC to suspend a requirement about "independent school employees" so that teachers at the District's new virtual school would not have to be part of the collective bargaining unit.
Funny, isn't it, how the answer to these budget crises is always to weaken unions, pay teachers less, and look for ways to hire cheaper staff? Students, meanwhile, are facing
larger classes and fewer course offerings in addition to the lack of basic school supplies that already plagued the schools.
Pennsylvania has plenty of money to build a $400 million prison right outside Philadelphia, but it has only cuts, cuts, and more cuts for the city's schools. It's the outcome of a toxic combination of disregard for the mostly low-income and non-white students who will be affected by the cuts, outright hatred for the teachers and their unions, and a longer-term plan to undercut and eventually dismantle public education. We can hope that Corbett, an already unpopular governor, is going too far and that there will be a significant backlash. But damage has already been done and it looks like more damage is a near certainty.
Tell Mayor Nutter not to let Gov. Corbett make Philly the next Detroit. Defend families, teachers, and public schools.
(Via Crooks and Liars)