Thursday - Friday.....
When Pennsylvania received its waiver from No Child Left Behind, school districts around the state gained flexibility in using once-restricted federal dollars. But Philadelphia was not so lucky.
Tuesday......
Less than three weeks left. The good news: Each school is staffed for student registration. Either a secretary who has been called back from layoff or a temp worker is at each school. Hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on all weekdays but Wednesday, when the hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday........
Superintendent William Hite and the School Reform Commission continue their commitment not to budget a penny that they are not sure of getting as schools struggle to prepare for opening under unprecedented conditions. They have decided that the $50 million from the city is gettable, despite the tug-of-war between Mayor Nutter and Council President Darrell Clarke over how to raise it.
Countdown, Day 17: NCLB waiver frees up federal money, but it's no help in Philly
Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 14:41 Posted in Countdown to calamity? | Permalink
By law, districts were required to use 20 percent of their Title I money for Supplemental Education Services (SES) – generally, afterschool tutoring from private providers – and to transport students to better-performing schools. Philadelphia is scheduled to receive about $140 million in Title I funds in 2013-14, which is what led PFT president Jerry Jordan to send out a press release earlier this week, saying that $33 million could now be redirected to other purposes in the District, like bringing back laid-off classroom staff or restoring intervention and enrichment programs.
Anger and frustration aimed at Hite and SRC at meeting
Submitted by thenotebook on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 12:00 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Paul Jablow
Robin Dominick, her 2nd-grade daughter, Leah, at her side, told the School Reform Commission on Thursday night that she was worried about putting her child in a split-grade classroom.
“Can you tell her what to do when a 3rd grader bullies her, with no counselor and no aide?” asked Dominick, president of the Home and School Association at Powel School in Powelton Village.
Maureen Fratantoni, president of the Home and School Association at Nebinger Elementary School in South Philadelphia, pleaded for the rehiring of the school’s music teacher, Aaron Hoke, who was transferred.
Philly teachers: We won't stop until we get fair schools funding
Submitted by thenotebook on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 10:55 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks
More than 1,000 Philadelphia teachers, parents, students and supporters marched through a rainstorm in Center City on Thursday to protest school budget cuts and thousands of layoffs.
The peaceful crowd walked from the Comcast Center to City Hall, and eventually to the School District's headquarters, waving signs and chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Corbett has got to go!" When they arrived at their final destination, the rain finally let up. A series of School District employees, students and union leaders gave speeches outside as the School Reform Commission met inside.
A rally for more funding for a struggling school district
Submitted by thenotebook on Thu, 08/22/2013 - 20:51 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Tom MacDonald for NewsWorks
Rallying for more funding for the city's schools, at least a thousand protesters took to the streets of Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
Mostly teachers, the crowd surged toward the Philadelphia School District headquarters, where the School Reform Commission was to meet for the last time before the school year begins Sept. 9.
Teachers' union ads target Mayor Nutter
Submitted by thenotebook on Thu, 08/22/2013 - 15:58 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks
The Philadelphia teachers' union is taking a shot at Mayor Nutter with a new ad campaign.
The group's TV, radio, newspaper and online advertisements tie Nutter, a Democrat, to Gov. Corbett, a Republican, who has been knocked for cutting schools funding in past years.
"You've sided with Gov. Corbett, against my kids, against their teachers," says public school parent and activist Kia Hinton of Nutter in the radio ad. "You've let us down. You've been starving our kids of the education they deserve."
Masterman principal to Philly School District: This isn't 'functional'
Submitted by thenotebook on Thu, 08/22/2013 - 11:29 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Kevin McCorry for NewsWorks
Last week, Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite received the $50 million assurance from the city that he had demanded in order to open schools on time.
Hite said the assurance would bring District schools back to a "functional" level.
But as District principals learn exactly how that money will be allocated to rehire staff for their schools, some disagree with his assessment.
Tuesday......
Countdown, Day 20: Schools bring back staff, but many can only afford aides
by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 20 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity?
The bad news: Principals have been confronted with difficult personnel decisions, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the $50 million accepted from the city last week with such fanfare is not going very far.
Schools received details about their additional staff allotments last Thursday. The District has so far declined to provide those details, but some facts are clear from information that principals have shared with staff and parents.
For instance, it is clear that not all schools will have full-time counselors. That is true even of high schools with college-bound students -- what Superintendent William Hite said was a priority for him.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard confirmed that not every high school would have a counselor, but said that there were no "hard and fast numbers" that determined whether a school was allocated one or not. "It’s going to be a mix of looking at the size of the school, the need of the students, and using principals’ input," he said.
Based on interviews and communications that the Notebook has been receiving from school staff, only Promise Academies and schools with enrollments above 600-700 (there were differing reports) have so far been been allotted a counselor. Only schools with enrollments above 850 were allotted an assistant principal, according to information shared by principals.
It seems that the only consistency in the restoration is that all schools were allocated at least two noontime aides. Among the eight schools that the Notebook obtained staff allotment and resource information on, every school said they got two or more noontime aides; schools with multiple campuses received additional aides.
In addition to the aides and an allotted assistant principal or counselor for larger schools, schools got a pot of money (it's not clear whether it was on the basis of enrollment or on enrollment and a combination of other factors) from which they could purchase additional staff -- counselor, assistant principal, aides -- or use for books and supplies. But small schools did not get nearly enough to purchase an additional full-time professional, and they were not permitted to purchase part-time teaching positions. Most used the extra money for additional aides or supplies.
Gallard reiterated Tuesday that all schools would have "counseling services," but said that how that will work has not yet been finalized.
The current PFT contract, which expires Aug. 31, requires that each school have a counselor. But in June, that went out the window when 283 counselors were laid off.
"In terms of counseling resources, District guidelines determined that only schools with greater than 600 students would receive a counselor," wrote one principal of a small elementary school in an email to her staff last week. "As additional funding is released, this may change. I am hopeful that we will eventually be able to secure the services of [name withheld by the Notebook], who worked so closely with administration, teachers, parents, students."
One high school with fewer than 300 students received two noontime aides and $76,000, which the principal originally wanted to use to keep an innovative program, buy books and supplies, and get a part-time physical education teacher. However, the principal was told she couldn't use the money for a part-time slot, so she decided to put it into books and equipment.
"Absolutely, the $50 million was not enough to get a counselor in every school," Gallard said. "I've said it, [Hite] said it. ... Not every school that needs it will get a counselor or an assistant principal. That's why we're counting on $133 million in labor savings to put resources back in the schools.
"We want to bring everyone back, but we don't have the money."
Robert McGrogan, president of the bargaining unit that represents principals and assistant principals, said that none of his laid-off members had yet been restored.
He said among the 127 laid off, about 100 have not retired or gotten other jobs and are still actively looking to return to District jobs.
"They still don't know if they'll be restored, when or how they'll be notified, when they would start working, or where," he said.
He estimates that by what he's seen so far in terms of allocations, perhaps 60 assistant principals will be rehired.
He warned that people should not think that the $50 million has solved many problems.
"If anybody feels we're over the hump, they have an artificial sense of security," he said.
Gallard acknowledged that "even if we get the entire $304 million, schools won't even be close to looking like what they looked like last year." One reason is that the figure doesn't include $134 million in lost federal aid that won't be replaced. To date, the District has been able to restore barely $80 million in cuts.
He said that the District would provide a detailed breakdown of how the $50 million is being spent by the end of the week.
Monday........
Countdown, Day 21: Mayor says kids, not teachers, being asked to do heaviest lift
by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 19 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity?
So they have put those millions back into the District budget. Not so for the $45 million grant the state has committed but is holding back, pending concessions from the teachers' union in contract talks.
Nutter said he thinks another plea to the Corbett administration to deliver the $45 million now is futile, despite the uncertainties still swirling about as schools try to open Sept. 9 under tumultuous conditions. And the mayor has not put out any new ideas for trying to pry loose some additional cash that may ease the school opening process.
He still wants a cigarette tax, but that can't happen in time because the General Assembly isn't due back until later in September.
As for the $45 million that is contingent on the unspecified labor reforms, Nutter told WHYY and the Notebook on Friday, "All I can tell you is that the General Assembly put that provision in that bill, the governor signed that bill, and until the education secretary determines that the conditions have been met, that's that. I can't do anything about that."
The money is the state's, he said, and "they can do whatever they want. Sometimes the executive gets to be the executive and make decisions. ... My focus is to work on where I do think I can do something."
Nutter also said that while he is unclear on what reforms the state expects, "significant" savings from the union negotiations are a given.
He was asked why the teachers' and principals' unions should feel that they should make $133 million in concessions when the city and state came up with less than that amount, at least for this year, despite being asked for $180 million. In answer, he returned to the familiar theme that children are being hurt while adults squabble.
"The teachers are certainly being asked to make a lift," he said. "I think the folks who have had the heaviest lift are school students. That’s my opinion. They’re the ones that are trying to get an education. They’ve given the most, sacrificed the most, and have had the least in any of this kind of conversation. And that’s because of what adults are doing or not doing. Everybody’s got to put something on the table here in a shared sacrifice. Students have given, parents have given, taxpayers have given, other unions have given, the city has put up, the state has put up. We can debate about who’s done what and how much, and all those issues, but everybody’s got to put something on the table, and we’re now down to the last component of this, which are the contract negotiations with teachers and principals."
The negotiations with both the teachers' and principals' bargaining units are continuing in their usual secrecy. There is no indication from anyone how far along they have gotten. Publicly, judging from last week's School Reform Commission meeting, the PFT and the District are far, far apart. Traditionally, negotiations start early but don't get down to serious business until near the end of the process. One might hope that this year would have been different, but it doesn't look that way.
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