Parents United statement: Contracts should advance teaching & learning, not degrade them
Parents United for Public Education: Statement on Philadelphia Teachers contract
Parents United for Public Education believes that the upcoming contract negotiations with the teachers’ union are an important opportunity to advance a vision of quality teaching and learning across the city.
While we recognize the dire financial situation of the District, we are appalled at suggestions to eliminate class size caps and other proposals that will further degrade the quality of education in Philadelphia schools and our children’s opportunities to learn. Moreover, the focus on cutting essential services and personnel not only endangers the quality of education but would also put children in harm’s way.
It alarms us as parents to see the importance of class sizes, counselors and librarians, and “safe and healthful conditions” so casually dismissed. While the District says there should be no limits to class size, parents do not support any proposal to increase already excessive classroom levels of 30 and 33 for children. When the District calls for elementary school lunches to be limited to 30 minutes, we see our five and six year olds hustled through essential mealtimes. When the District says teachers are no longer entitled to “sufficient” textbooks,
While we recognize the dire financial situation of the District, we are appalled at suggestions to eliminate class size caps and other proposals that will further degrade the quality of education in Philadelphia schools and our children’s opportunities to learn. Moreover, the focus on cutting essential services and personnel not only endangers the quality of education but would also put children in harm’s way.
It alarms us as parents to see the importance of class sizes, counselors and librarians, and “safe and healthful conditions” so casually dismissed. While the District says there should be no limits to class size, parents do not support any proposal to increase already excessive classroom levels of 30 and 33 for children. When the District calls for elementary school lunches to be limited to 30 minutes, we see our five and six year olds hustled through essential mealtimes. When the District says teachers are no longer entitled to “sufficient” textbooks,