"With a contract deadline next Friday, talks between the Philadelphia School District and its largest union, the 17,000-member Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, are accelerating.
But both sides are also focused on a more immediate date.
By Wednesday, the union and the district must agree to collaborate on sweeping changes for Philadelphia schools to enter the $4.35 billion Race to the Top. The competitive federal program rewards districts that promise to revamp teacher salary structures and evaluations and to turn around failing schools.
The Philadelphia district could be eligible for as much as $8 million. The grant could pay for changes that Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has long insisted on, and that the union has long opposed."
But both sides are also focused on a more immediate date.
By Wednesday, the union and the district must agree to collaborate on sweeping changes for Philadelphia schools to enter the $4.35 billion Race to the Top. The competitive federal program rewards districts that promise to revamp teacher salary structures and evaluations and to turn around failing schools.
The Philadelphia district could be eligible for as much as $8 million. The grant could pay for changes that Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has long insisted on, and that the union has long opposed."