PHILADELPHIA–“The announcement by the School Reform Commission that they were cancelling the PFT contract and imposing terms is every bit as outrageous as the manner in which they scheduled and held their ‘public’ meeting.

“In August 2013, the PFT put contract proposals on the table that would have saved the district millions of dollars and averted the current budget deficit. Governor Corbett’s SRC is clearly not interested in negotiating with the educators of Philadelphia. They have been spending vast amounts of time and money on union-busting strategy sessions with their lawyers, and not nearly enough time working with the PFT on how to restore programs and services to our schoolchildren.

“The SRC has been quick to point out what school district employees in nearby counties pay for health care. What they fail to mention is that Philadelphia’s educators are paid far less than their suburban counterparts, and spend thousands of their own dollars for classroom supplies for their students.

“The SRC’s tactics are shameful, and they know it. Why else would they promote the SRC meeting with a barely legible newspaper advertisement rather than their standard practice of putting it on the District’s web site?

“This is not an effort by the SRC to address the fiscal crisis. This is the Corbett Administration’s attempt to vilify the PFT in order distract from his horrible record on education funding and boost his chances of re-election. Today’s action is a last-ditch effort by the Corbett Administration to weaken the standing of our educators with Philadelphia’s parents and community members.

“The PFT is closely examining the district’s legal pleadings and will be fighting the SRC’s latest attack on the teachers and school staff of Philadelphia.”

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Source: https://www.facebook.com/PhilaFedofTeachers