by
Steve Singiser
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]
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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