by Karel Kilimnik
March 12, 2016
Welcome to the Eighth Edition of Eyes on the SRC.
There are no resolutions directly pertaining to the district’s most recent assault on public education, namely the Hite administration’s placement of four more neighborhood schools into his “Turnaround Network”. This month, we simply follow the continual erosion of school staff and resources and the continued outsourcing of services.
At the Monday February 29 hearing of the Education Committee of City Council, Dr. Hite announced that he would be creating more Turnaround Schools by the end of the week. That Friday, the names of the four elementary schools to be “turned around” were released: Roosevelt, Munoz-Marin, S W Mitchell, and Rhodes. Principals and teachers would have to reapply for their jobs, and the district could eliminate the entire staff if it chose to. A series of community meetings were scheduled for the following week, the first one, at Roosevelt, to be held the following Monday—giving the parents and community minimal notification (shades of the October 2014 SRC last-minute/early morning meeting to cancel the PFT contract). APPS members have attended all four meetings, and the level of anger and frustration voiced by parents and community members is unprecedented. These schools have all been through some kind of conversion—or two—in the past five to ten years. Parents at every school said that they would fight to keep their teachers. District staff has been unable, or unwilling, to answer basic questions such as where the funding will come from, how the conversion would take place, why the decision was made before the community meetings, and why it is necessary to get rid of teachers and principals.
Next SRC meeting: Thursday March 17, 5:30 PM. To register to speak call 215.400.4180 by 4:30 March 16. It’s best to identify yourself as a teacher, parent, or community member as the rules stipulate that only “one member of an organization can register to speak.”(There is another SRC Action Meeting on March 24.)
Plan to attend the rally in support of all schools fighting any kind of turnaround, including the four schools just targeted and the three schools previously named as Renaissance schools—Cooke, Huey, and Wister:
Thursday March 17 at 4:15 on the steps of 440 (before the SRC meeting).
The full list of resolutions for the March 17, 2016 SRC meeting is posted on the Philadelphia School District website.
Human Resources
Resolution A–2
Operating Budget/Categorical Grant Fund: $79,037 Contract with The New Teacher Project – Teacher/Principal Screening and Recruitment
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver, and perform a contract with The New Teacher Project, Inc., to provide teacher recruitment, teacher screening and principal screening with The Office of Talent, for an amount not to exceed $79,037, for the period commencing April 1, 2016 through August 31, 2016.
Description: The School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Talent is currently engaged in recruiting and hiring the highest quality teachers and principals. To support recruiting and hiring, the Office developed rigorous, competency-based selection tools and an expanded scope of recruitment activities. The vendor will support the implementation of our competency-based selection models with fidelity. Such support will allow the District to efficiently screen candidates, giving assistant superintendents and other District leaders more time to focus only on those who are eligible to be hired and empowering hiring teams to conduct more effective interviews. Specifically, the vendor will provide additional capacity to expand recruitment efforts, review applications, conduct phone interviews, and evaluate data activity submissions for teacher and principal candidates. All final hiring decisions will be made at the district.
Teacher Selection Process Services
- Application Review –Review all teacher candidate applications and rate each candidate according to District’s teacher application rubric. Results will be uploaded to the District’s online applicant platform and candidates will be tagged according to final ratings.
- Phone Screen – Conduct a 45 minute phone interview with all teacher candidates who pass the initial application review and assign scoring. Results will be uploaded to the District’s online applicant platform and candidates will be tagged according to final ratings.
- Data Activity Review – Review data activity submissions for all teacher candidates tagged to move forward per the results of the phone screen. Candidates will be rated according to the the District’s teacher data activity rubric. Results will be uploaded to the District’s online applicant platform and candidates will be tagged according to final ratings, to be shared with principals.
Principal Selection Process Services
- Application Review – Review all General Principal and Turnaround Principal applications and rate each candidate according to the District’s principal application rubric. Results will be uploaded to the District’s online applicant platform and candidates will be tagged according to final ratings.
- Phone Screen – Conduct 45 minutes phone interview with all principal candidates who pass the initial application review and assign scoring. Results will be uploaded to the District’s online applicant platform and candidates will be tagged according to final ratings.
- Data Activity Review – Review data activity submissions for all principal candidates tagged to move forward per the results of the phone screen. Candidates will be rated according to the District’s principal data activity rubric. Results will be uploaded to the District’s online applicant platform and candidates will be tagged according to final ratings, to be shared with assistant superintendents.
The volume and pace of this level of applicant evaluation requires between 5-10 consultants. Services by the vendor will allow the Office of Talent to maximize its recruitment and staffing efforts, expedite the price of hiring, and better cultivate the highest quality talent to work across the District.
ABC Code/Funding Source $79,037.00
1100-055-9400-283B-3311 ($49,037.00) Operating
334X-G07-9400-2272-5831 ($30,000)
APPS comment: Why is the District allocating any money for hiring to The New Teacher Project? Isn’t this the job of the Office of Talent? Let’s take a closer look at The New Teacher Project. Their board members have direct links with the Broad Foundation, Bain Capital, and Stand for Children. Only 6 of their 18 member leadership team are former teachers and 5 of those six were TFA teachers. TNTP’s research, funded by the Gates Foundation and the Walton Foundation among others, and on which TNTP bases their teacher and principal training, is questionable at best. Their slogan for attracting teachers is “Join us because we don’t train teachers – we train great teachers”. Nothing about education or learning, just the corporate mantra of “training” and “great teachers”.
Resolution A-20
Settlement of Civil Action – Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools and Lisa Haver
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes the School Reform Commission, through the Chair, and The School District of Philadelphia, through the General Counsel, to enter into a settlement agreement with Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools and Lisa Haver, in a form satisfactory to the School Reform Commission and the Office of General Counsel, in exchange for releases of all claims for alleged violations by the School Reform Commission of the Sunshine Act, including: (i) all claims that the announcements of reasons for executive sessions by the SRC are insufficiently specific; (ii) all claims that the SRC is engaging in private deliberations simply because the members of the SRC may refrain from discussing resolutions during their public meetings; and (iii) all claims arising out of or in connection with the special public meeting of the SRC held on October 6, 2014, and dismissal of the civil action filed General Counsel in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and the appeal filed in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, at no cost to the School District.
Description: On November 4, 2014, Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools and Lisa Haver filed a lawsuit against the SRC, the School District and Chairman William Green in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, November Term, 2014, No. 382, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief for alleged violations by the School Reform Commission of the Sunshine Act. On January 19, 2015, plaintiffs filed an Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Motion for Preliminary Injunction, which Motions were denied by the Court by Order dated February 3, 2015. On February 26, 2015, plaintiffs filed a Notice of Appeal to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania from the Order denying their Motions, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania; No. 284 CD 2015. This resolution documents the settlement of the issues between the parties.
APPS comment: For months this Resolution has appeared and then disappeared right before the SRC Action meeting. Is there really going to be an end to this lawsuit? Will it be successfully mediated? Or will more money be spent on lawyers?
Executive
Resolution A-21 (Pending)
Operating Budget: Contract with Vendor TBD – Chief Talent Officer Search
APPS comment: More money spent on finding high-paid administrative staff? How much will this search cost? Why is there no other information?
Resolution B–3
Categorical Grant Fund: $300,000 Grant Acceptance from the Fund for The School District of Philadelphia – Innovative Teacher Development Coordinator
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to accept with appreciation a grant of up to $300,000 from the
Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, to create the the position of Innovative Teacher Development Coordinator, reporting to the Assistant Superintendent of the Innovation Network, for the period beginning March 18, 2016 through June 30, 2018.
Description: The Barra Foundation has awarded a grant to the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia to launch a collaboration between the Innovation Network of the School District of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and the Drexel School of Education. This collaboration will create a training ground for modern teaching methods, grounded in the practice of the schools in network and taught by the world-class faculty of both Penn and Drexel with classroom-based practitioners as potential adjunct professors. This grant would create a “Innovative Teacher Development Coordinator,” reporting to the Assistant Superintendent of the Innovation Network and collaborating with the Office of Talent. This position would be fully dedicated to fostering a jointly- developed teacher development model for the Innovation Schools with an eye towards developing training that could be leveraged in other district schools and learning networks.
ABC Code/Funding Source $300,000.00
APPS comment: The Innovation Network seems to be creating its own little universe with its own Innovative Teacher Development pipeline. What is wrong with traditional colleges of education? Why is this separate creation needed?
Remember that Chris Lehman, former principal of Science Leadership Academy , is not only assistant superintendent of the Innovative Network but also Chair of the Board and Superintendent of Inquiry Schools, a “non-profit venture of creating and supporting inquiry-driven, project-based modern schools.”
Inquiry Schools provides consulting services to school districts to sell their product. Now they are teaming up with the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel to create more opportunities for their brand. SRC commissioner Feather Houstoun’s daughter (Kate Houston, Program Office, Health and Human Services) works for the Barra Foundation.
The Barra Foundation has supported the PSD’s School Redesign Initiative. Several of these schools have used their SRI funds as a way of getting rid of their teachers by making forced transfers part of the model (not telling the teachers at the schools who apply until after the money is granted).
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Resolution B–4
Categorical/Grant Fund: Ratification of Contracts and Amendment of Contracts with Various Vendors – Preschool Programs
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the execution, delivery, and performance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, of a contract with Korean Community Development Services, to provide community-based early learning services for up to 38three- four year-year-old children, for an amount not to exceed $119,672, contingent upon receipt of both a Pre-K Counts Expansion Grant in the amount of $2,150,250 and a Head Start Supplemental Assistance Expansion Grant in the amount of $1,445,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the acceptances of which were authorized by Resolution No. B-6, approved by the School
Reform Commission on June 18, 2015, for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016;
and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the execution, delivery, and performance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, contingent upon receipt of the supplemental grant funding, of amendments of contracts to be entered into separately with the various providers of comprehensive early childhood services, originally authorized pursuant to Resolution No. B-6, approved by the School Reform Commission on June 18, 2015, in the specific individual amounts and for the reasons/circumstances set forth below:
Mercy Neighborhood Ministries of Philadelphia, contract increased by $115,830 from the $280,800 approved by Resolution B-6, to an amount not to exceed $396,630, in order to support the operation of up to 33 additional full-day preschool service slots (for a new total of 73 students), for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016;
The Lighthouse, contract increased by $280,800 from the $842,400 approved by Resolution B-6, to an amount not to exceed $1,123,200, in order to support the operation of up to 80 additional full-day preschool service slots (for a new total of 200 students), for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016;
Today’s Child Learning Centers, contract increased by $63,180 from the $1,137,240 approved by Resolution B-6, to an amount not to exceed $1,200,420, in order to support the operation of up to 18 additional full-day preschool service slots (for a new total of 180 students), for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016;
Total Childcare Systems, contract increased by $63,495 from the $597,600 approved by Resolution B-6, to an amount not to exceed $661,095, in order to support the operation of up to 20 additional full-day preschool service slots (for a new total of 100 students), for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016;
Your Child’s World Learning Center, contract increased by $133,380 from the $2,230,200 approved by Resolution B-6, to an amount not to exceed $2,363,580, in order to support the operation of up to 38 additional full-day preschool service slots (for a new total of 348 students), for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016; and
Youth Enrichment Programs, contract increased by $190,485 from the $522,900 approved by Resolution
B-6, to an amount not to exceed $713,385, in order to support the operation of up to 60 additional full-day preschool service slots (for a new total of 130 students), for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the execution, delivery, and performance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, contingent upon receipt of the supplemental grant funding, of an amendment of the contract originally entered into with American Kitchen Machinery & Repair, pursuant to Resolution No. B-6, approved by the School Reform Commission on June 18, 2015, by increasing the amount of the contract by an additional $5,000 from the
$30,000 approved in Resolution B-6, to an amount not to exceed $35,000, in order to support additional food service appliance maintenance, installation, and decommission, for the period commencing March 1,
Description: This ratification is being requested in accordance with SRC Policy 820, subsection 8, regarding acceptance of grant funding.
On January 7, 2016, the District was awarded additional funding by the PA Dept. of Education to expand the total number of three- and four-year olds in preschool. The District is proposing to expand preschool services in priority-need communities.
This goal will be accomplished through the distribution of supplemental pre-k program funding beyond that originally authorized by SRC Resolution B-6 of 6/18/15 to a total of seven (7) existing partner entities that serve high-need areas/populations in order to expand citywide comprehensive pre-k service capacity effective March 1, 2016, in alignment with associated expansion grant implementation guidelines and directives.
The nominal overall modifications to the District’s existing citywide program network being proposed through this resolution have already been reviewed and provisionally approved by all relevant funding agencies.
ABC Code/Funding Source
4E1X-G01-9150-1807-3291 PA Pre-K Counts Grant Program ($378,652.00)
216X-G01-9390-1807-3291 Federal Head Start Grant Program ($593,190.00)
Resolution B–5
Categorical/Grant Fund: $6,724.53 Ratification of Amendments to License Agreements with Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha ($3,701.20) and Today’s Child Learning Centers ($3,023.33) – Head Start Programs
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the execution, delivery and performance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, of an amendment to a License Agreement, originally entered into with Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha, pursuant to Resolution No. B-25, approved by the School Reform Commission on June 18, 2015, by increasing the licensed space at Trinidad Center by an additional 1,140 sq. ft. from 7,331 sq. ft. authorized by Resolution B-25, to 8,471 sq. ft., and by increasing the license fee by an additional $3,701.20 from $71,403.94 authorized by Resolution B-25, to not less than $75,105.14, for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016. All other provisions of Resolution B-25 shall remain in full force and effect; and
be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission hereby ratifies the execution, delivery and performance by The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent, of an amendment to a License Agreement, originally entered into with Today’s Child Learning Centers, pursuant to Resolution No. B-25, approved by the School Reform Commission on June 18, 2015, by increasing the licensed space at Feltonville Center by an additional 1,000 sq. ft. from the 14,155 sq. ft. authorized by Resolution B-25, to 15,155 sq. ft., and by increasing the license fee by an additional $3,023.33 from $128,385.85 authorized by Resolution B-25, to an amount not less than $131,409.18, for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016. All other provisions of Resolution B-25 shall remain in full force and effect.
Description: By Resolution B-25, approved on June 18, 2015, the School Reform Commission authorized The School District of Philadelphia to execute, deliver and perform license agreements during the period commencing July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 with: Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha (APM) for use of approximately 7,331 square feet at the Trinidad Center, 1038 West Sedgley Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, under certain terms and conditions; and Today’s Child Learning Centers (TCLC) for use of approximately 14,155 square feet at the Feltonville Center, 4901 Rising Sun Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. under other certain terms and conditions.
APM has requested the use of an additional 1,140 square feet of classroom space at the Trinidad Center in order to deliver high-quality, guideline compliant Head Start programming to 19 more enrolled children for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016; similarly, TCLC has requested the use of an additional 1,000 square feet of classroom space at the Feltonville Center for the period commencing March 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016 to provide Head Start services to 18 more students.
This resolution, which seeks approval for an increase in the amount of space being used at the respective facilities as well as a corresponding increase in the licensing fee at both sites, is being presented to the SRC at this time as a ratification in order to be effective as of March 1, 2016, in alignment with the mandated start date for FY16 Head Start expansion programming funded by the School District of Philadelphia.
ABC Code/Funding Source $6,724.53
APPS comment: A word of caution concerning district-run Head Start programs. In 2013 the district abruptly announced it was moving 2,000 Head Start “seats” to “community-based sites.” This slipped under the radar except for staff at the Trinidad Center who came to SRC meetings in a valiant attempt to save their center. They were eagerly awaiting a playground to be installed from a grant written by a teacher. The playground was built but the center had been transferred to a community-based group and the teaching staff lost their jobs.
This erosion of Head Start centers with certified teachers continues to grind on under the usual justification of cost saving measures. The “seats” have to be in centers rated at least a 3 (of 4) on the Keystone Stars Performance Standard, but with sketchy oversight, as we have seen in the charter sector, the ratings don’t mean what they advertise.
What is really happening is union-busting and getting rid of those costly certified teachers. This is not to say that all community-based programs are not developmentally appropriate programs, but it is certainly something to be aware of when this issue arises. And it will. Of the 18 schools listed under the Turnaround Network, six are early childhood programs (either Head Start or Bright Futures). SDP’s 2013-2014 Head Start Restructuring Plan
Resolution B–6
Categorical/Grant Fund: $89,250 Contract with Public Health Management Corporation – Kindergarten Transition
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform a contract with Public Health
Management Corporation, to support improvements to the School District’s efforts to transition students and their families into kindergarten, for an amount not to exceed $89,250, all of which will be funded by a grant from the William Penn Foundation, acceptance of which grant was authorized by Resolution No. B-1, approved by the School Reform Commission on December 17, 2015, for the period commencing March 18, 2016 through March 17, 2017.
Description: A key component of the School District’s Action Plan is Anchor Goal 2, ensuring that students are reading on grade-level by third grade. Creating and sustaining a pre-K to Grade 3 learning continuum is a significant component to ensuring that third graders have the foundational skills they need for long-term academic success.
The District has been working with community partners like those participating in the READ By 4th campaign to address many of the cross-sector training and support needs between and among the preK and K-12 sectors to enhance PreK-3 instructional alignment. However, the full impact of these efforts will not be fully realized without a concomitant attention to solving the considerable operational and infrastructure challenges this city confronts around the Kindergarten Transition experience, which include:
- ensuring that all five-year-olds are identified, registered and enrolled in kindergarten several months before the school year begins so that not only are the children ready for kindergarten, but kindergarten classrooms are ready for the children;
- ensuring that all families of incoming kindergarteners have an established working protocol around what to expect from their children’s teachers and are provided with meaningful tools and activities to facilitate
a smooth transition;
- ensuring that schools are able to support a smooth transition to kindergarten for all children by meeting each family prior to the start of the school year and reviewing relevant data to plan for the individual instructional needs of each incoming kindergartener.
With funds awarded through a grant from the William Penn Foundation to the School District to support Kindergarten Transition, which was formally accepted via SRC resolution B-1 of 12/17/15, the School District’s Office of Early Learning will develop a contract with Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) to provide a temporary, full-time individual to work as a Fellow with the District to design and support improvements to its kindergarten transition efforts.
PHMC is uniquely situated to assist the District in these efforts, as it operates the Southeast Regional Key (SERK), one of five regional keys working in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop and implement an integrated and coordinated system of quality improvements and professional development supports for schools and agencies serving children from birth through age 8. It has working relationships and convening authority with most if not all of the community-based early education care agencies in the region, and has a team of staff who are well-versed in the research and practice of early learning.
ABC Code/Funding Source $89,250.00
6OIX-G01-9CE0-2296-3291 William Penn Foundation Grant
APPS comment: What’s missing from Action Plan 3.0, Goal 2 is the fact that children need many types of support to become readers: small class size, classroom assistants, a certified school librarian working in a fully resourced school library, additional reading teachers (including a Reading Recovery Teacher), a full-time counselor, a full-time certified school nurse, and additional supports such as a social worker or Parent Liaison. The partnered non-profits should supplement services instead of attempting to replace them with inadequate programs . The William Penn Foundation is funding numerous Early Childhood Programs. This is certainly helpful but should not take the place of resources and services provided by certified school staff members. Our schools are not charities. They are the fundamental underpinning of a democratic society and need to be funded appropriately.
Resolution B–7
Categorical/Grant Fund: $40,000 Contract with EdPro Consulting, LLC
RESOLVED, that the School Reform Commission authorizes The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute, deliver and perform a contract with EdPro Consulting, LLC, to provide clear performance metrics, tools, systems and processes for monitoring the performance of external providers, for an amount not to exceed $40,000.00, for the period commencing March 18, 2016 through June 30, 2016.
Description: The purpose of this resolution is to authorize the utilization of $40,000.00 to contract with EdPro Consulting LLC, for an aggregate amount not to exceed $40,000.00 for the period commencing March 18, 2016 through June 30, 2016.
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) Opportunity Network seeks to improve contractor oversight in ways similar to the District’s recent improvements in Charter authorizing. The intent is to have transparent and helpful communication with contract program and school providers and new contracts for external providers with clear performance metrics, tools, systems, and monitoring processes for performance. SDP is seeking to contract and engage with EdPro Consulting, LLC, to review exceptional non-charter contracts from around the country and help SDP build the tools, systems, and processes for world-class contract oversight for external providers.
ABC Code/Funding Source $40,000.00
6MSX-G44-9840-239B-3291 Dell Foundation Grant
APPS comment: Yes, it truly is an Opportunity Network for Christina Grant, assistant superintendent of this Network and former superintendent of the Great Oaks Foundation. Great Oaks plans to decrease the number of teachers from 36 to 23 at J. Cooke Elementary if the SRC turns it over to the company. Instead the company relies on uncertified tutors at lower wages. Great Oaks has no experience running an elementary school or educating ELL students.
Back to the Opportunity Network and providing ample opportunities for EdPro. EdPro’s Founder and President Jessica Sutter is a Senior Consultant for Kitama, Inc. who “provide(s) strategic advisory support and management consulting services to senior education policy makers including Superintendents, Education Commissioners, Mayors, CEOs and other public education stakeholders.”
EdPro is working “to support the creation of a specialized SPR for schools in the Turnaround and Opportunity Networks”. (From the Resolution A-19 voted on at the November 19, 2015 SRC meeting. The SDP continues to outsource services that should come from within. Why is the Superintendent continuing his policy of hiring people who rely on private industry to provide resources and services?
Also see:
District posts Renaissance charter applications
Philadelphia Public School Notebook – March 15, 2016
Emails show effort to sway SRC on Wister charter conversion
The Notebook – March 17, 2016
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 