Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools

Eyes on the SRC – February 16, 2017

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By Karel Kilimnik
February 14, 2017

Introduction

At this meeting, Dr. Hite will announce the fate of the eleven Priority Schools targeted for this year’s version of turnaround. Four out of the five options presented (with few details) at public meetings involve pushing teachers out of their schools—without due process—by having them re-apply for their jobs.

Last fall, the SRC approved $200,000 to hire Cambridge Education to do what the Superintendent’s staff should have done: assessing what is working in these eleven schools and how the district could make them work better. The Cambridge report offers very limited data based on meetings with an undetermined number of parents, students, teachers, and community members. APPS members who attended the meetings reported very small turnout at most schools. Cambridge Education did not earn that fee and the SRC should demand a refund. You can read our reports on the Priority Schools and Cambridge Education here.

These Priority Schools are the latest phase of the demolition derby playing in our school district. Last year it was placing three schools into the Renaissance Charter Program. Pushback from the community was so fierce that one of the charter companies dropped out of the running. The previous year it was allowing parents to vote on staying with the district or being turned over to a charter management company. They voted overwhelmingly to remain with the district. As a result parents are no longer allowed to vote on the fate of their children’s schools. Who knows what next year’s cohort of schools to be “turned around” will be called.

We list the resolutions below which illustrate the continued destabilization of the district. Our schools have been stripped of essentials, most of which have not been restored, since Hite’s 2013 Doomsday Budget. There is no guarantee that every school will be able to have an adequate number of counselors and nurses after this year. If a school does not have an outsider donor like the Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) showering them with money it is difficult to survive. But these funders come with their own agenda that silences parent, student, and teacher voices.

Our comments are not meant in any way to criticize the specific schools mentioned but the inequities in allocated resources . Both Hill-Freedman World Academy and SLA-MS appear to offer many opportunities to their students and families. We firmly believe in the necessity of having a high-quality and equitable district where every single student is valued, where every school is fully resourced. We envision a district where private funders supplement rather than providing necessary resources, such as purchasing a teacher for one school chosen by them (see Resolution A7).

Note: Because of the district’s change in formatting the Resolution Summary, we have experienced technical difficulties in producing this issue of Eyes. The SRC staff, in answer to our question, has said that due to the high volume of pages posted for the February 16^th SRC meeting they cannot post it in Word format as was done previously. That makes it impossible for us to copy individual resolutions without transcribing each one.

In the December 2016 Eyes we noted that Resolutions SRC 1 and 2 referred to policies with no description. This month we have policy descriptions that involve numerous pages. Next month, the SRC should post them as an addendum and not as part of the actual resolutions. They certainly have far more resources than we do to resolve this technical issue in the interest of greater transparency.

(Eyes December 2016) APPS Analysis: If the public is to review this information, then links should be provided for the policies listed here on the district’s website. Where is the description for each item? The PA State Sunshine Act states that the public has the right to comment “on matters of concern”. The wording here may be an effort to provide more information but it falls short of providing enough background for the public to comment.

The next SRC Action meeting is Thursday February 16^th at 4:30 PM. Call 215.400.4180 before Wednesday February 15, 4:30 PM to sign up to testify.

Click here to read Resolutions of Note and the APPS analysis.

Ears on the SRC – February 8, 2017

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Ears on the SRC: Special Meeting February 8, 2017

by Diane Payne
February 14, 2017

This special meeting of the School Reform Commission was held for the sole purpose of voting on the three remaining charter school applications. A total of five applications were submitted to the district by the November 15^th deadline, but the Metropolitan Philadelphia Classical and the Wilbur Wright Aerospace and Aviation Academy applications were subsequently withdrawn. The three remaining applicants were Deep Roots Charter School, Friendship Whittier Charter School, and KIPP Parkside Charter School.

Commissioners present included Chairwoman Joyce Wilkerson, Commissioners Farah Jimenez, Bill Green, and Christopher McGinley. Governor Wolf’s newest appointment, Estelle Richman, has not yet been confirmed by the State Senate, but she did attend the meeting as an observer.

Hearings to analyze the applications were held in December and January by the Charter School Office (CSO) with outside hearing officers overseeing a panel for each applicant. The only notice for these hearings were buried on the district website, so APPS members were not present at the December hearings. However, one or more APPS members attended the January hearings for four applicants (Wilbur Wright Aerospace withdrew before the hearing process, Metropolitan withdrew after). APPS’ Research Committee has written analyses of each charter based on the application itself, information given at the hearing, and independent research.

The CSO also had significant concerns about each of the remaining three applicants. Their reports can be found here on the School District website.

Resolution from the Floor

Click here to read the entire Ears on the SRC – February 8, 2017.

APPS testimony before the School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017

src-2-8-17 — February 8, 2017 meeting of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission

A report on the meeting from the Philadelphia Notebook.
Philly approves one new charter school, rejects another two | Newsworks – February 9, 2017

On February 8th the Philadelphia School Reform Commission met in a special meeting to vote on the application for three new charters.

This is testimony in order of appearance of members of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools at the meeting.

Click on the pictures below to view individual videos.

To view all the videos on one page click here.

Video of APPS member Lynda Rubin testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of APPS member Lisa Haver testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of APPS member Lisa Haver testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of APPS member Karel Kilimnik testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of Temple Law professor Susan DeJarnatt testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of APPS member Diane Payne testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of APPS member Barbara Dowdall testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

Video of APPS member Richard Migliore testifying before the Philadelphia School Reform Commission – February 8, 2017.

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

District and DHS Violate Due Process Rights of Teacher

marianne-kennedy-src-11-15-16 — Marianne Kennedy testifying before the SRC on November 15, 2016

by Lisa Haver

This commentary was published by the Philadelphia Daily News on February 8, 2017
Commentary: Shame on those who tainted teacher who was only trying to do good

Although understandable fears have arisen recently that the constitutional rights we have taken for granted are under attack, Americans, for the most part, still have confidence that those rights remain intact. All citizens have the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, to have an attorney present during any trial or hearing, to a fair and speedy trial before an impartial judge and to present evidence and witnesses. Both the Fifth and 14th Amendments state that no citizen can be “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law” and that all levels of government must adhere to these laws.

Many who read the article last month about the plight of Philadelphia teacher Marianne Kennedy were shocked to learn that those rights apparently do not apply to all Philadelphians.

After coming to the aid of a troubled student with a history of behavior problems last June, Kennedy was summoned by a social worker at the city’s Department of Human Services to come in and “have a conversation” about an incident at the school when the child lay on the floor, screaming and blocking access to a classroom. The DHS worker assured Kennedy she did not need to have an attorney present, and a colleague who accompanied her was barred from the interview. Kennedy explained that the child’s parents, who had just lost custody of him, had a history of drug abuse and that the school’s staff and administration had worked with his guardian to provide emotional and academic supports for him.

Kennedy was shocked to find a few weeks later that her employer had been notified by DHS that she had been identified as a child abuser and that the district was already taking steps to have her terminated – even though she was not, and still has not, been provided with any notice of allegations that specifically states what she could have done that could be construed as abuse.

Several witnesses, including the principal, submitted statements sent to DHS and the district that Kennedy followed proper procedure and never did anything to harm the child. Only the organized and vocal support by her colleagues and community members prevented Kennedy, a teacher with over 20 years of exemplary service to the students of the district, from being fired. There is no law that says that a preliminary determination by one DHS worker must result in the firing of any school district employee.

DHS scheduled a hearing six months after that initial interview, presided over by an administrative law judge hired by that agency. Kennedy has spent those six months in “teacher jail,” even though she had no formal hearing before the School Reform Commission – a clear violation of her tenure rights. Thus, Kennedy was guilty until proven innocent. Her reputation was damaged and her livelihood threatened without due process. She has had to raise thousands of dollars for attorney’s fees.

Kennedy is one of a number of Philadelphians who work with children in schools and day-care centers who now find themselves branded as criminals before they ever see the inside of a courtroom. Not only have they been denied their constitutional rights, many have lost their livelihoods and their reputations – not because they have been convicted or even arrested, but because one bureaucrat at the city’s Department of Human Services makes a determination based, very often, on hearsay.

Mayor Jim Kenney and other elected officials have shown courage and leadership in fighting to defend the constitutional rights of immigrants and other targeted groups. Those same officials must take immediate steps to prevent denial of due process and equal protection under the law by any city agency under their own authority.

Click here for more coverage of Marianne Kennedy’s case.

Also see:
As child abuse allegations in Philly schools rise, ‘teacher jail’ thrives and reputations are at stake https://tinyurl.com/y9a4ow9r – Inquirer – July 21, 2018

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