Students protested a decision by School Reform Commission, a polarizing governing body that’s supported by the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia.
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I spotted a Philadelphia police officer dancing to protest music outside of a high school a year ago today.
She stopped clapping her hands immediately when she noticed me looking.
The groove she fancied was provided by students majoring in instrumental music at the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in South Philadelphia, where one of at least three protests were taking place the morning of October 8th, 2014.
The civil disobedience was in response to what took place two days prior on October 6th: the School Reform Commission, an appointed body, unilaterally voted to cancel their contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and imposed changes on their healthcare package.
The President of the PFT, Mr. Jerry Jordan, asserted that the SRC – which justified its decision by suggesting it was in the best interest of the children – wasn’t acting in good faith when it performed its vote in a meeting barely publicized.
Needless to say, many students didn’t feel the SRC was acting in their best interest, and to show their displeasure, youth occupied the sidewalks in front of schools – and one cohort organized themselves in front of the school district’s headquarters – and protested the decision, holding up handwritten signs and urging drivers passing by to honk if they support teachers.
“There needs to be more democracy when it comes to decisions made, especially when it comes to the contacts, said a student at Science Leadership Academy named Nikki, who grew up in Mississippi where they had an elected school board.
An elected school board has been a topic of discussion in Philadelphia for a while now, and public will for it certainly grew a bit after the contract controversy.
Even political will in the City has increased, but that doesn’t matter because Mr. Jim Kenney, a likable politician who secured the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia and is perceived as a sure win, is not in favor of a school board populated by individuals who the electorate chooses.
“My optimum situation would be a fully appointed school board by the Mayor, but I could live with a hybrid SRC, with an expanded number of seats and more parental involvement,” Mr. Kenney said on stage at the Community College of Philadelphia, during the Moving Philadelphia Forward Mayoral Forum on April 9th, 2015.
The actions taken by the SRC last year was ruled illegal in Commonwealth Court, though they’ve since appealed to the Supreme Court, where the case currently sits, a ruling hasn’t yet been decreed.
Mr. Fernando Gallard was said to be pleased with the court’s decision to hear the case, though Mr. Jordan and his team felt that the matter should never have made it to the courts, but rather handled at the bargaining table.
The district remains steadfast in its position that, in response to financial challenges, the PFT must engage in shared sacrifice by chipping in for its healthcare, which would save the cash-strapped school district $200 million over four years.
Equally as bullish on his position is Mr. Jordan, who said the PFT has contributed numerous times to mitigate the deficit, but neither he nor his members are “indigent servants.”
Nothing has changed in either party’s temperament, and this stalemate is reflective of the larger unfortunate truth: regarding Philadelphia’s education crisis, nothing’s changed but the date.
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Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™