Coalition reacts to Hite's plan
by thenotebook on Jan 07 2013 Posted in Latest news
Photo: Bill Hangley, Jr.
Jerry Jordan (second from right), head of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, calls for additional school funding and a halt to school closures outside of Philadelphia School District headquarters. He is flanked by PCAPS members Quanisha Smith of Action United (left), and Anne Gemmel of Action United (right).
by Bill Hangley Jr.
Members of the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS), a group that includes the city’s teachers’ union, say that despite its many promising proposals, the numbers in Superintendent William Hite’s newly released plan for the Philadelphia School District don’t add up.
The coalition responded to Hite’s new plan by reiterating its request for a temporary halt to 37 proposed school closures, and by calling for a concerted push by District leaders to secure additional funding for public schools.
Coalition member Jerry Jordan, head of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, rejected Hite’s proposal to secure significant additional savings through labor concessions in upcoming contract talks. “What is the expression? If you want to pay peanuts, get some monkeys,” Jordan said.
The current contract expires in August.
PCAPS members praised Hite for providing a thoughtful, detailed document that considered community input. They spoke approvingly of such strategic priorities as strengthening the curriculum, expanding early childhood education, improving