by
Steve Singiser
Mar 30, 2014
.
Like
so many school districts across the nation which are scrambling to
figure out how to divide a pie that isn't growing nearly fast enough
to meet everyone's needs, the Philadelphia School District is in the
middle of a protracted and often acrimonious contract dispute.
.
What
distinguishes this situation in a novel, to say nothing of perilous,
way is how the district's superintendent may choose to handle the
crisis ... and why he might take that action:
.
Budget
season is closing in, the struggling Philadelphia School District has
a $14 million hole to fill this school year, and it needs $440
million in new funds for next year.
.
But
most significantly, the district has signaled it is willing to use
its "nuclear option" - invoking special powers bestowed by
the state law that created the School Reform Commission - to get what
it wants from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
.
Superintendent
William R. Hite Jr. has publicly said he must have work-rule changes
in order to compete with charter schools. [Emphasis added]
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On
one level, you want to slap your forehead when you read that last
sentence. But on another level, you just knew it was heading this
way, didn't you?
.
So,
what the heck does that sentence really mean? Follow me beyond the
fold for the explanation.
First,
let's look at the nitty gritty of what "work-rule" changes
Hite was referencing. They are, to say the least, predictable:
.
The
sources said the PFT [Philadelphia Federation of Teachers] had
offered some work-rule changes at the bargaining table, but nothing
near what the district says it must have: giving principals absolute
authority over hiring and firing staff; weakening seniority; and
halting the practice of higher pay for advanced education, among
other shifts.
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