Who is Afton Partners?

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by Ken Derstine
March 14, 2017

In a recently released report by Afton Partners, the cost of students leaving Philadelphia public schools to transfer to charters was examined. The study had been commissioned in February, 2015 by the School Reform Commission which functions as a school board and makes all final decisions for Philadelphia schools.

Click here to read the entire Afton report.

In “is the glass half full or half empty” coverage, the Philadelphia Inquirer published Report: Philly schools still face costs when students go to charters vs. the Philadelphia Public School Notebook’s Students leaving Philly schools for charters less costly than once thought.

According to The Notebook article, the resolution calling for the contract with Afton said the analysis would take place between February 20, 2015 and May 1, 2015. SRC officials claim the report “got lost in the shuffle as old administrators left and new administrators replaced them.” The District’s Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson, appointed February, 2016, said he first got word of the report last summer and has been working with Afton “to make sure the report addressed all questions.”

Why is the report being released now? Could it have something to do with a bill in the Pennsylvania House introduced by Speaker Mike Turzai on March 6th which would require the Philadelphia School District to add 3,000 charter seats per year? This bill would undercut the charter oversight authority of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission (SRC). The establishment of the SRC in 2001, as part of the state takeover of the School District, abolished local control of public schools, along with any hope of any type of democratic process. A 2014 bill passed by the legislature imposed a $2/pack cigarette tax for school funding; it included a last-minute provision that the SRC consider applications for new charters each fall.  Rejected applicants would be able to appeal to the state Charter Appeal Board.

Now, invoking the state rights’ provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Turzai wants to completely take even this oversight from any local influence. He has been aggressively intervening in the SRC’s charter approval process lobbying for approval of charters that the SRC has rejected. The SRC’s Uri Monson said the bill is unnecessary because in the SRC’s five-year financial plan presented last year there is an already projected annual growth of charter enrollment of between 2,700 and 3,000.

Click here to read the entire article.

Eyes on the SRC – March 16, 2017

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by Karel Kilimnik
March 13, 2017

 More Outsourcing
This month’s resolutions show the continued privatization and outsourcing for professional development and other services that historically have been provided by district employees. Instead of recruiting and supporting educators who are knowledgeable about their subject and able to provide support to all schools, Dr. Hite and the SRC continue to pay vendors with no ties to Philadelphia or any commitment to long-term service to the students or the community. Not only is this a questionable use of taxpayer dollars, it is insulting to the district’s teachers and school professionals. Look around and see the amazing things that teachers are doing without adequate resources. They nurture and support each other as collaborative projects are created for their students. Teachers are holding this district together with ingenuity and determination and yes, grit. We see so many stories in the local press about the remarkable work teachers are doing every day—yet the “cash-strapped” district’s dollars continue to flow to the private sector, depriving our students of the experience of dedicated district educators.

 SRC Delivers Public Assets to Private Interests
Resolution A-10 continues the selling of vacant school buildings. Rapid gentrification is taking place in many Philadelphia neighborhoods. Shuttered school buildings are prime targets of developers and realtors driving this gentrification. The W.S. Peirce School sits at the edge of one such area in South Philadelphia. The Alterra Company is listed as the buyer. Many questions go unanswered in this tersely worded resolution. What is the asking price? What has Alterra offered? What is the market value? Communities are seeing that these vacant properties can either be given the tools to strengthen their neighborhood or be priced out of current residents’ reach.

WHAT IF… ?
What if that $150,000 for Relay Graduate School of Education, $3 million for Carnegie Learning, and $15 million for the Children’s Literacy Initiative were spent in classrooms? Let’s look at what $18 million could buy instead of putting it into the pockets of private companies. After all, there have been no raises or steps increases for PFT members since 2014. With that $18,150,000, the district could hire 160 counselors or nurses, 105 assistant vice-principals, or 428 school aides. This would help to build a thriving school district where the focus is on meeting every child’s needs instead of the yearly piecemeal diversion of funds into a few selected schools.

Note: The next two SRC meetings are Thursday March 16 and Thursday March 23 at 4:30 PM. Call 215.400.4180 by 3:30 the day before to sign up to speak.

Click here to read selected resolutions for the March 16th SRC meeting and the APPS analysis.

 

 

Ears on the SRC – February 16, 2017

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by Diane Payne
February 25, 2017

Speaking Out for Public Education

All four appointed commissioners were present. The as-yet-to-be-PA Senate-confirmed Estelle Richman attended as a member of the public, as she did at the last meeting. Members of Youth United for Change (YUC) spoke in support of Kensington Health Sciences Academy and against any staff turnover that might occur as a result of being targeted as a Priority School. Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School (FACT) supporters spoke in favor of SRC-7 which approved their application to expand.

Note: in place of a complete resolution, the SRC posted a comment that SRC-7 is a “quasi-judicial” resolution and that more information could be found on the Charter School Office page of the district website. It is a violation of the PA Sunshine Act for any governmental body to vote on any motion or resolution without posting publicly or reading it in its entirety at the meeting—and without giving the public an opportunity to speak on it. In a move that we would consider a possible falsification of the public record, the SRC posted a full resolution, which is NOT the one they voted on, two days AFTER the meeting.

Seven APPS members spoke at this meeting. The actions of the SRC continue to tear at the fabric of our PUBLIC education system through resolutions that are passed each month which give away schools, approves more charters, forces out staff, accepts grants with privatizing conditions, and continues to outsource district jobs. If we believe in public education as a cornerstone of our democracy, then confronting this Commission remains crucial.

Victory for Innocent Teacher!

Click here to read the rest of the post.

 

APPS testimony before the School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017

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On February 16th, 2017 the Philadelphia School Reform Commission met for its monthly Action Meeting.

This is testimony of members of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools at the meeting

Click on the pictures below to view individual videos. Speakers are in order of appearance at the SRC meeting.

Note: The video quality of these testimonies is poor because of the obstacles the SRC has made in the videoing of the meetings. In the past, video was made from an unobstructed view. We are now told that video must be done in a very restricted area which is behind the speakers and over the heads of the audience. This means, besides showing the speakers from behind, there are constant interruptions of the field of view by anyone blocking the view when moving around in the audience. When we asked senior staff why the change, they told us that they decided that was the best place. No other explanation. (Look at the videos of APPS testimony before the January 19th, 2017 meeting  and compare the video quality with the current postings.) 

The audio is not affected.

This is yet another sign of the erosion of our democratic rights, in this case, the right to the public being informed about what goes on at meetings of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission through a professionally done video. When you view these videos, keep in mind the SRC does not want you to see them.

Video of APPS member Lynda Rubin testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Lynda’s testimony.

Video of APPS member Kristen Luebbert testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Kristin’s testimony.

Video of APPS member Diane Payne testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Diane’s testimony.

Video of APPS member Karel Kilimnik testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Karel’s testimony.

Video of APPS member Barbara Dowdall testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Barbara’s testimony.

Video of APPS member Robin Lowry testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Robin’s testimony.

Video of APPS member Lisa Haver testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 16, 2017.

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Click here to read the transcript of Lisa’s testimony.