On August 21 and 22nd, PFT President Jerry Jordan made himself available for one-on-one meetings with members in front of 440. Below are the comments from one member who spoke with him.

Dear Jerry,

You invited teachers to come to the table today and air their thoughts, feelings and very real experiences in the face of unprecedented budget cuts, ongoing contract delays, a demand that teachers be a funding source for our struggling schools and a continued lack of concern or political will to honestly address these issues. 

I have come today as a retired teacher.  I retired in June, 2013, as the lack of a contract resolution continued to loom and budget cuts were going to directly affect my ability to do my job effectively.  I taught kindergarten in a culturally diverse neighborhood in a building that was so overcrowded it was recording 169% enrollment.  In my last year of teaching, 12 out of my 30 students were ELL students from a very diverse background.  Two of those students came into kindergarten speaking no English at all.  I was fortunate to have a part-time classroom assistant that fully supported and enhanced my kindergarten program.  I was able to offer a developmentally appropriate, differentiated writing component known as Kid Writing and a math component with daily small group instruction that assured the children were getting the best possible start because of this support. 

I learned at the end of the 2013 school year that the classroom assistants would be cut.  The contract was still unresolved.  Politicians and School District administration were demanding that teachers become a funding source.  Evaluations were to be built around the junk science of value added measure.  Basic contract issues, which are students learning conditions, were being violated.  Schools were continually threatened to be closed and there was nothing on the horizon that signified positive change. 

So, I became one of those statistics of experience and professional expertise that opted to retire.  I wasn’t quite ready to retire and felt that I still had much to offer the teaching profession but I knew the quality of what I could do had been and was continuing to be eroded by sources beyond my control. 

Thank you for allowing me to “come to the table” today.

By Klint Kanopka

One of the reoccurring themes in this entire budget crisis is that the teachers need to “step up” and do their part.  This is a thinly coded demand for monetary concessions, but we’ve done that already and with significant savings for the district.  The proposed contract includes salary decreases for all staff on a sliding scale from 5-13%.  The state government, the SRC and the School District of Philadelphia seem to think it is reasonable to balance their budget by looking to their employees as a revenue stream, but they’ve chosen to ignore the contributions that have already been imposed on the PFT, which I’ll attempt to quantify below.

First, some background on how dire the budget is, as school is set to open in under a month.  The current $81 mil budget cap is about 3% of the school district’s overall budget.  One of the plans that’s been proposed is holding school until the money runs out, but there hasn’t been a clear assessment of what that might look like.  When you subtract out costs that don’t reduce with time (rents, charter payments, central office, building engineers, utilities, etc.) and assume an even distribution of the remainder, you arrive at a cost of about $6.75 million per instructional day.  Without the $81 mil, the SDP has 93.5% of its remaining time-dispersed budget.  This equates to a loss of 12 instructional days, moving the end date for the year to June 2nd.  This might not sound awful, but it’s 6.7% of the entire school year.  However, it may be worth chopping off the last 12 days of the year in order to prevent schools from having to absorb the newest suggestion of cuts of staff and services.

The alternative proposal, which looks, at least, postponed for now, is to lay off staff and increase class sizes into the 40’s.  Those of us working in schools know that this is essentially impossible, from space constraints (many teach in rooms that can barely fit the 33 students they already have) to a compounded inability to reach and meet students’ social, emotional and academic needs.

So let’s get back to Chairman Green and Governor Corbett’s telling the PFT to “step up” and give additional concessions in order to close the deficit (caused primarily through state funding cuts and administrative mismanagement, but I digress). 

To assist the district, in 2013 the teachers’ union agreed to skip their yearly salary increases, known as step raises.  The average step increase, calculated from the salary schedule, is $2862.63.  For the 13-14 school year, there were 18,390 teachers employed in the district.  That year we saved the district about $52,643,827, a figure that could have bought nearly eight instructional days.  This savings is reoccurring, because every year the teachers are earning less than they should be.  

For the coming 14-15 academic year, considering the step raise we already skipped and the new one we probably won’t get, the district will be able to save $105,287,654.  This figure is 4% of the district’s total operating budget, 23% more than the current deficit and accounts of an amount that would pay for almost 16 instructional days.  Every time we forego step increases, the savings compounds.

If I look at my own salary, I’ve already given back in the form of 1) a missed step raise, 2) no high-needs subject bonus (meant to attract physics, math and chemistry teachers) and 3) no recognition of the Master’s degree I completed in December.  If I compare my actual earnings to my expected salary for the 13-14 school year, I’ve already taken my 10% pay cut.  This doesn’t even factor in the loss of compensation for the debate team I coach or the hours I spent tutoring students.  Let’s also ignore the 5% of my salary I spent on supplies for my classroom, lab and extracurricular activities.

Viewed uncritically, the language used to frame these cuts might make them appear more palatable to the public, but the people pitching them aren’t conceding over one quarter of their six-figure salaries.  For teachers who earn less than our suburban counterparts and are forced to purchase all of our own teaching supplies, these cuts have a massive impact on our homes and classrooms.  Cuts that are being spun to “save our schools” are actually the exact cause of death for extracurricular activities, hands-on inquiry investigation, and classroom innovation.  

Today, the SDP took a small step in the right direction by taking additional salary reductions off the negotiating table. However, there was zero mention of the millions already saved by these de facto cuts, or any discussion of when they might be restored. In a situation where the future of our children and city are at stake, what sense does it make to demonize and exploit the very people, the working educators, who step up to bat for them every day?  Maybe the state thinks they can sit on their hands and demand more from those giving the most, but the numbers don’t lie.  We can’t afford it.

Klint Kanopka is a physics teacher at the Academy at Palumbo.

On July 21st, The School District of Philadelphia unveiled its School Redesign Initiative. The details can be reviewed at the initiative's website or via PDF.

While WE would like to see this as a sign that the SDP actually recognizes educators as capable of leadership and positive transformation, several of the initiative’s features raise red flags. The initiative may be an improvement over charter takeover and Promise Academies, both of which strip teachers of their professionalism and autonomy. However, the SRI is a long way from a comprehensive, sustainable redesign, and it undervalues both the communities it serves and the educators it employs.

• If this initiative valued educators, it would turn to schools first and work with that building's staff directly. Instead, it lets any group apply for control of any school, pitting current staff against any number of outside interests. (Groups must prove they have a “connection” to the school, but what exactly that entails is unclear.) Moreover, a winning group can force out all of the current staff.
• If this initiative valued local communities, it would allow those communities to select a redesign model for themselves. (Like the families of Steel and Munoz-Marin, who overwhelmingly voted for the plan proposed by their current educators!) Instead, it hands the decision off to a "panel" with no explanation as to how the members will be selected or how the group will reach consensus.
• If the district valued collaboration between educators and community members, it would have set the first deadline a month or two into the school year. This would give stakeholders time to listen to each other, share ideas, and make plans that best serve their students before forming a team. Instead, the letter of intent is due August 19th, less than a month from the announcement of the initiative, and in the middle of summer break.
• If this initiative believed in teacher professionalism and autonomy, it would allow all schools to create "redesign" programs. Instead, the initiative will only accept between two and ten proposals. These groups will receive a relatively small grant (around $30,000) and, more importantly, a three year "grace period" where they are exempt from district assessment and closure. Of course, the grace period doesn't cost a penny -- why not award this autonomy and safety to all schools, and trust teachers to be the professionals that they are?

Most importantly, this initiative distracts from the big picture in Philadelphia schools: without adequate funding, our schools will continue to be a shadow of their former selves. Any attempt at transformation before funding is restored is overconfident at best, and purposefully misleading at worst. Educators have been asked to "do more with less" for years while their colleagues are being laid off by the thousands -- and those same educators have been putting together redesign plans for years, in response to threats of closure and charter takeover. The initiative is our city's version of "Race To The Top," where a lucky few will win a small prize while all schools continue to struggle.

The rapid timeline, lack of transparency in its development, and unveiling in the midst of a funding crisis all lead us to consider the SRI with skepticism. As always, working educators in our schools are yet again being given the message that we are targets for takeover, turnover, and removal. If your school is eligible (see pages 32-35 of the PDF), please talk with your colleagues and mobilize your school community to defend itself from outside “reform.”  Proposal letters for the SRI are due August 19th.

For more information, you can also RSVP to the next SRI information session on August 12th. (The Caucus of Working Educators attended the July 30th session; check out our coverage on Twitter.)

It doesn't take that many protestors to make waves! On July 13th, the Caucus turned out a group to protest Arne Duncan's recent appearance in Philadelphia, and the press took notice.

"We are protesting the high-stakes testing that are a part of this 'Race to the Top' [grant] damaging our schools," said Academy at Palumbo nurse Eileen Duffey, who held a poster that read, "School nurse says 'no' to Arne Duncan's high-stakes test."

Check out the full story here.

Caucus members learned earlier that Secretary of Education Duncan will be visiting Philly tomorrow, and Philly teachers will be there to tell him what we think of his pro-testing, anti-public education policies. 

Working Educators is encouraging people to join us at the DoubleTree Hotel (Broad and Locust) to protest Duncan's policies from 12-1pm. However, if you are unable to make it, there will be Caucus members at CCP from 10-11am as well. 

Duncan will be making two stops, first at CCP from 10-11am, and then from 12-1pm at the DoubleTree Hotel at Broad and Locust. These visits were just announced publicly today via a City of Philadelphia press release. 

Duncan has been an avowed supporter of corporate education reform interests. At last week's national NEA Conference, the country's largest teacher union officially called for Duncan's resignation.

Bring signs, sign-making supplies, noisemakers, and most of all- your passion and vision for a robust and equitable public education system in Philadelphia. 

This week kicked off the opening meetings for two of WE's Social Justice Unionism Summer Book Clubs, with the rest starting over the next few weeks. 

It's never too late to join in with teachers, parents, and community members us to discuss some of the most pressing concerns to education, teachers, and unions. Click here for descriptions of the books we're reading this summer.

Book club times and dates are listed in the calendar below. Because many of the events are at members' homes, we have not published the locations online.

Please email us at [email protected] for exact location info.

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Update: Working Educators is now an official co-sponsor of this event!

For inspiration on reigniting the labor movement today, Joe Burns believes we should look to the militant public worker strikes of the 60's and 70's. In Strike Back: Using the Militant Tactics of Labor's Past to Reignite Public Sector Unionism Today, Burns explores how during the 1960s and 1970s hundreds of thousands of teachers, sanitation workers, and other public employees rose up to demand collective bargaining rights in one of the greatest upsurges of labor history.

Joe Burns' book "Strike Back" uncovers this history of militancy to provide tactics for a new generation of public employees facing unprecedented attacks on their collective bargaining rights.

On July 10th at the Wooden Shoe, Joe will be discussing his book and leading a conversation on how we can rebuild a powerful labor movement in Philadelphia. Working Educators will be there, and we hope you can join us too!

Strike Back: Using the Militant Tactics of Labor's Past to Reignite Public Sector Unionism Today, by Joe Burns

Thursday, July 10th at 7pm

Wooden Shoe Books

704 South St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147

Click here to RSVP on Facebook

It is hard to imagine, but the PA House advanced a state budget in Harrisburg that is far worse for public schools than the budget Governor Corbett proposed earlier this year. Call Harrisburg this week to tell them this is unacceptable. 

Our friends at Education Voters of Pennsylvania are putting together a Statewide Call to Action on Friday, June 27th and Monday, June 30th. Please spread this info far and wide, and make sure to call your representatives.

As Ed Voters writes, "advocates must speak out loudly and with one voice in support of responsible funding for public schools this year. If we do not speak up now, public education will likely receive little more than scraps in the budget this year."

Please see the letter below for more info and full details on tomorrow and Monday's call-in days.

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Friends and Allies,

On Friday, June 27th, and Monday, June 30th, Education Voters will be holding the next "Call to Action for Public Education" days!

It is hard to imagine, but the PA House advanced a state budget in Harrisburg that is far worse for public schools than the budget Governor Corbett proposed earlier this year.

The PA House is calling to eliminate the $241 million increase in state funding for proposed Ready to Learn Block grants and replace this with a paltry $70 million increase in Basic Education Funding. Under the House budget, PA school districts would lose about 70% of the increases in state funding they were expecting to receive this year and that they were relying on to balance their budgets.

The House budget is irresponsible and unacceptable.  It does not call for a shale tax or a cigarette tax.  Instead, it relies on the sale of state liquor stores (which the Senate has so far not supported), gimmicky sources of one-time funding, and the suspension of selected tax credits to balance the budget.

Budget negotiations are just beginning. While the budget is still fluid and negotiations are taking place, advocates must speak out loudly and with one voice in support of responsible funding for public schools this year. If we do not speak up now, public education will likely receive little more than scraps in the budget this year.

As with previous Call to Action for Education days, we are asking for broad participation from all organizations and individuals across the Commonwealth.  It is incredibly important the legislators in Harrisburg see that people are paying attention.  Communities are using these call-in-days to help spread the word about what is happening to our schools, so please join us again! 

I have attached materials that you can share as-is or customize, including how to make a good call and key points about the how legislators can improve the proposed budget, so people are prepared to call in. If there is anything we can do to support your efforts, please let us know.

You can always check our website where we have information and materials.

WHEN:  Friday, June 27 AND Monday, June 30, 2014

WHAT:  Call to Action for Public Education – It’s time for a fair budget for PA’s students!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:  Mark your calendar and plan to ask your own network to take action

Suggested communication schedule

- Put the date on your calendar today

- Send a “Get Ready” email on Thursday, June 26 or Friday, June 27 with action materials

- Send a Take Action email on Monday morning and promote the day on social media. Twitter:  #educationpa and #pabudget

Thank you for your support of our public schools. Please contact me if I can help you with this in any way or if you have questions.

Susan Spicka

Sample “Get Ready” email

On Monday, June 30, the Caucus of Working Educators, in collaboration with Education Voters PA, will be participating in a statewide call in day, to call Harrisburg.

Join thousands of parents, students, teachers and community members from across the state to SPEAK UP in support of our public schools on Monday, June 30^th.  

Under the proposed House budget, PA school districts would lose about 70% of the increases in state funding they were expecting to receive this year and that they were relying on to balance their budgets.

Budget negotiations are just beginning. While the budget is still fluid and negotiations are taking place, advocates must speak out loudly and with one voice in support of responsible funding for public schools this year. If we do not speak up now, public education will likely receive little more than scraps in the budget this year. We know that just 10 calls in one day to one legislator can make a difference in what a legislator pays attention to. 

Mark your calendar today for Monday, June 30th – and do 3 things in 10 minutes to make a difference! Click here for your legislators' phone numbers. Click here for tips on how to make a good phone call.

1.      Call your State Senator.

2.      Call your State Representative.

3.      Call Gov. Corbett's office at (717) 787-2500.  

Ask them to:

• Support the adoption of a shale tax, cigarette tax and any reasonable measure to raise revenue and close tax loopholes.
• Support an increase in the Basic Education Funding line that is equal to what was in the proposed Ready to Learn Block Grant.
• Support and advocate for state funding for charter school reimbursement to be restored.
• Support SB 1316/HB2138, the special education funding and accountability reform bill.  (Additional information about this bill can be found atwww.educationvoterspa.org)  

 Want to double your impact?  Ask a friend to make a call that day too!  

Please take 5-10 minutes on Monday, June 30^th  to help ensure a bright future for Pennsylvania! 

Visit us on the web at EducationVotersPA.org where you can Sign Up for Updates

Follow us on Twitter at @EdVotersPA and #educationPA

Caucus members participated in the PFT Lobby Day in Harrisburg on June 24.  We had some good conversations with legislators from all over the state and also heard some great speeches from the Philadelphia delegation!

Working Educators members have written a call to action for Philadelphia teachers to "speak out and shed light on the injustices that are occurring in our schools every day".

Published on The Notebook's Blog, the piece calls on teachers to take action on our Philly Teachers Sound the Alarm Campaign. Check out the full text below, then go contribute your post to Philly Teachers Sound the Alarm. 

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