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PFT Follow-up

12/4/2012

2 Comments

 
I find it very interesting that when someone writes a piece approving or supporting an organization it can be often ignored but when an organization is criticized, many people pay attention.

First I want to apologize for misleading anyone: the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has played an active role in the Philadelphia Coalition for Advancing Public Schools (PCAPS). They attend meetings and have used their voice to help influence policy and requests from that group. 

That being said, it is important to note that I had to be reminded of that fact by others, which harkens a different problem: public relations. The PFT should be a support network and resource for its 15,000 members and - to a certain extent - it is. But when it comes to providing specific suggestions from the headquarters at 1816 Chestnut Street, there is often little fanfare. 

I was recently pointed to the testimony Jerry Jordan gave at the City Council meeting last week and told that this was a good indication of what the Union is proposing. While I agree on many (if not all) of the points presented in this testimony, I find it hard to call it a true proposition. 

In the fifth paragraph, Jerry states, 

         "To be clear—there are many specific things in the Boston Consulting Group’s plan that we disagree with. But the real           
         problem with the plan is the process under which it was developed and presented to decision makers and residents of 
         our city." 

While I agree completely with this statement, it still does not point out anything specific that the Union supports. The testimony continues to provide numerous examples of problems with the process and specific considerations that the PFT disagrees with. At the end of the piece we finally see two (mostly) concrete suggestions (emphasis added):
  • No system can thrive under the years of consistent disinvestment that our public schools have been subjected to. Our parents, teachers and students are doing all they can with limited resources. We need Harrisburg to take more ownership in the success of our schools by devoting the resources our district needs to be competitive with neighboring counties, who spend nearly twice as much per pupil, resulting in significantly higher student performance.  

  • We are calling for a school funding strategy that combines adequate levels of state, local and federal investments to ensure that our schools are providing the high quality academic resources, programs, materials and services to every child.

Now these suggestions I can completely get behind. I just wish the PFT would bring them up earlier and start advertising them to its membership (me) in a more conducive manner. If that happened, I think there would be more active meetings in schools across the District and more people attending general meetings.
2 Comments
Andrew Saltz
12/4/2012 10:21:58 am

I think you're being too easy. I have been to numerous meetings and rallies. Not once have any of the following questions been raised or probed:
1). What is the role of unions in the post-industrial world?
2). How do we evaluate teachers in a fair an equitable way? Is LIFO the best way to do things?
3). **What does a school and an educator look like in 10 years?**

I think there are a lot of good people in PFT and I think they mean well. They might even answer these questions. But these are the questions that drive me and, I would argue, many other young teachers in the city. How is it OK that Twitter is years ahead of the union?

Reply
John Kennedy
12/5/2012 09:06:17 am

The author makes many good points, of course, none of which is new. Many people have been critical of the PFT and especially Jerry Jordan who has taken or seems to have taken a back seat in all this. If the Chicago Teacher's Union followed his path, Obama;s buddy out there, would have decimated their union just like Jordan is allowing the 'reform" movement to do to us. Of course, we should be screaming loud and long in an organized way but we aren't and the bigger question should be WHY. Reasonable people can ask if Jordan has another agenda, especially give the success our unionized friends had in Chicago by NOT being silent or passive. If I were a young teacher in Philly, I'd be very afraid for my future under Jordan.

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    I am a math teacher in the New York Department of Education. I infuse technology and real-world problems into my curriculum in order to prepare my students for the future. I would love for people across the country to recognize we teachers can't do it alone. If you don't believe me, come visit my classroom!

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