What it means for parents to support teachers + Our Public Ed Hero of the Day: Senator Vincent Hughes | Parents United for Public Education

Our Public Ed Hero of the Day: Senator Vincent Hughes | Parents United for Public Education:

Our Public Ed Hero of the Day: Senator Vincent Hughes

by parentsunitedphila

Senator Vincent Hughes visits Gompers Elementary, one of 29 schools slated for closure. (Source: senatorhughes.com)

Color us grateful.
In response to last week’s jaw-dropping summary of the District’s preliminary contract proposals to Philadelphia teachers, Senator Vince Hughes tweeted:

What it means for parents to support teachers

by helengym

This sign from last summer’s Chicago Teachers Union strike defines where parents and teachers should align. (Source: Associated Press)

Like many parents across the city, the preliminary release of some of the terms of the Philadelphia teachers contract made me heartsick. For months I had watched city and district leaders make promises about mass school closings – they were necessary for financial viability, they would concentrate resources in remaining schools, they would put more students in “high performing seats.” Of course, no such promises had ever been delivered upon by over a decade of studies of hundreds of school closings in cities all across the country.
But nothing brought home the betrayal of such statements more than the news of what Philadelphia school leaders like Paul Kihn, a former McKinsey strategist, were really focused on:

• dramatic wage & benefit concessions – as much as 26% for teachers earning just $55,000 per year;
• statements that for “teachers to advance, they must move out of the classroom”;
• eliminating step increases for teachers who get advanced degrees like masters and doctorates;