– The following letter in opposition to NB 1722 was sent to every PA Legislator in the Philadelphia Delegation:
On behalf of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, I write to you to once again express the Federation’s vehement opposition to House Bill 1722. When I heard that there has been some recent movement surrounding this bill in the House, I was left to wonder how such a bill could even be discussed when Philadelphia’s schools are under such a state of duress. Students go to school every day in under-resourced schools and classrooms across the city, and their teachers are committed to providing them with the very best. However, teachers are not capable of producing text books, computers, counselors, and so much more that’s missing. And yet, instead of focusing on the real issue at hand—Governor Corbett’s more than $1 Billion dollars in education funding cuts across the Commonwealth—members of the House think it prudent to discuss seniority.
Often times, we hear anecdotal accounts of a child losing his or her favorite teacher “because of seniority”. Let me be very clear: no one has ever lost a teacher because of seniority. Teachers are cut from schools due to budget shortfalls. And it just so happens that under Governor Corbett’s watch, we have had a massive, unprecedented shortfall—one that directly caused the layoffs of nearly 4,000 public school employees in Philadelphia last June. Again, let me reiterate: seniority is not the problem. Budget cuts are.
When laying off 4,000 staff members in a school district, I can understand that some politicians may look for ways to justify it, to make it seem less immoral. They’d like to say, “Well, we laid off the bad teachers!” When it comes down to it, however, there simply is no morality in laying off 4,000 people committed to serving Philadelphia’s youth. That is why my members and I have been advocating for funding day in and day out throughout this crisis.
With the new evaluation system being implemented (again- another unfunded mandate from the state), and the notion that this brand new system (being forced upon under-resourced schools) will be tied to layoffs is simply unconscionable. We have excellent teachers across the district, and all of them are saying the same thing—they simply cannot do the best for our children under the current budgetary constraints. Instead of addressing this, we will implement a new evaluation system to not only rate those teachers but then determine their layoff status?
The Federation is not looking to “protect bad teachers” via our position on seniority.
We look to support struggling educators, through various means—including our PFT/School District Collaboration, Peer Assistance and Review (PAR). Through the PAR program, we have been able to work to help struggling teachers improve their practice. If, at the end of a period of intensive interventions, that teacher has not made the appropriate gains, he or she will be terminated. This is the fair and moral way of ensuring that all students in Philadelphia have great teachers.
Using a budget crisis as an excuse for union busting and blaming seniority for the dire financial straits of Philadelphia’s school system is immoral. It is a dishonest characterization of my hardworking members, and it is an insulting affront on all Philadelphians to assume that they will believe that Governor Corbett’s massive budget shortfalls could be fixed by doing away with seniority.
I urge you, as a member of the Philadelphia delegation, to ensure that Philadelphia’s children are protected and that their schools are funded. Let’s not waste one more critical moment entertaining the idea that seniority is the root cause of our financial straits.
Seniority has never caused a layoff. Governor Corbett’s cuts, however, have caused thousands.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Kind Regards,
JERRY T. JORDAN
President
Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/philadelphia-federation-of-teachers/letter-from-pft-president-jerry-jordan-to-the-philadelphia-delegation-in-harrisb/837898999573512
