The SRC in Philadelphia has performed the most shameful act toward teachers that I have ever witnessed: At an early Monday morning meeting with no advance warning (except an obscure, small, and vague ad in a local newspaper in their lame attempt to satisfy the sunshine law) the SRC has terminated its contract with the teachers. Lets leave the legality issue out of it for a moment. Imagine if your employer or a client unilaterally decided to terminate a contract you agreed to in good faith bargaining. To make this action more insidious, the school district attempted to mitigate their cover up by stating they will not cut any wages. Who are they kidding? Who doesnt include their benefits package as part of their compensation? Of course, Governor Corbett jumped in and said it was about time that Philadelphia teachers joined teachers across the Commonwealth who contribute to their health care. If that reasoning is valid - FINE - then the Philadelphia teachers should also be paid the same wages as their suburban colleagues. Adding to this insidious act, school district retirees will no longer receive benefits they count on - many with no means or resources to make up the difference! The financial crisis facing the PSD is not the fault of its teachers. In fact, they are the reason public education is still surviving - if only hanging by a tread - in an area of our state where it is needed the most. The current state administration wants to end public education as we know it in lieu of for-profit charter schools. I repeat: for-profit. So, why dont they have the guts to just come out and say it? Why have they resorted to a behind-the-scenes continuous and systemic defunding of education resulting in more than a billion dollar cut? Why do they have to resort to moves like this in the dark of night? Why do they have to resort to deceptive, cowardly and, most assuredly, illegal actions against the very people who are trying to save the educational process for our children? Shame on all of them including Superintendent Hite for succumbing to the political pressure.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 21:39:29 +0000
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