Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
Dear Legislator:The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) recognizes that taxpayer funded cyber charter schools and bricks and mortar charter schools in Pennsylvania are here to stay. However, at the outset, charter schools were meant to be temporary laboratories for the development of best approaches for the interest of our children in our public schools.
Today the legislature will take up legislation with amendments expanding charter schools and creating vouchers. The PFT hopes the General Assembly will not allow a last minute slam dunk of taxpayer funded vouchers, cyber charter and charter school legislation on such critical issues. This massive piece of legislation must be allowed the public committee hearing process so that it can be fully analyzed and reviewed by parents, teachers and the public.
The issues involved are far too significant to our children's future to rush through a piece of legislation that jeopardizes a foundation of our democracy at one of its core issues . . . that is the right of all of our children to a public education. Allowing billions of dollars of taxpayer money to be directed into the hands of a handful charter schools and their essentially unregulated vendors, at the expense of our most vulnerable, we believe to be unconscionable.
In any proposed legislation, the PFT does support local school districts having the exclusive right to grant and renew charters and to assure that per pupil school district reimbursements to charter schools and cyber charter schools is based solely upon the actual cost of charter or cyber charter school education or the actual school district per pupil expenditure, or whichever is less. It supports charter school operator and vendor transparency, accountability, and relationship based limitations on contracting with charter schools by elected officials, charter school employees, charter school and other public school board members and their immediate families.
The PFT opposes further taxpayer funded charter and cyber charter school expansion and/or liberalization of charter issuance standards and oversight of taxpayer financed charter and cyber charter schools and charter school operators and vendors. It opposes state issuance of local taxpayer funded charter approvals and associated unfunded local taxpayer mandates without local school district and local taxpayer oversight and authorization. And, it opposes state mandated diversion of local taxpayer funds from schools, school districts and our children to local taxpayer funded charter and cyber charter schools and the charter vendors who consistently put their desire for profit at the expense of local taxpayers ahead of the needs of the affected students and the other public schools.
We look forward to working with the General Assembly to provide a reasonable solution and course for all children in Pennsylvania . . . one that protects and fosters a quality education and opportunity for a future for all and assures that the state does not impose its will or that of a small handful of charter school profiteers, on the taxpayers living and working in your district.
Please vote no on final passage of any bill amended during the budget with voucher or charter school language.
Sincerely,
Jerry Jordan, President
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
About the Philadelphia Federation of TeachersThe Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) offers its 16,000 members professional development and training to promote the use of research-based programs proven to raise student achievement. The PFT is committed to providing Philadelphia's children with the highest quality education possible. We are leading the fight to reduce class sizes, expand early childhood education, use proven education programs, make schools safer and offer resources and support for teachers, staff and students. The PFT wants what parents want and children need.
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
1816 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103