The Notebook

(Philadelphia-March 30, 2010) - “With today’s announcement it’s clear that the School District is returning to the failed experiments of the past. Giving public schools to outside managers hasn’t worked for 10 years in Philadelphia, documented in a study by the Rand Corporation. That study, done during the Vallas administration, concluded that the diverse provider model did not increase student achievement. We need to stop experimenting with our children.

“During negotiations, it was our goal to turn around public schools, not to outsource them. The PFT didn't negotiate Renaissance Schools language to include charter schools or HMO's.

“Teachers and parents have known all along what kids need to be successful:  small classes in safe schools; essential books, technologies and supplies; a broad and rigorous curriculum; meaningful professional development and support for teachers and staff; as well as counselors, nurses, programs to engage parents and elective courses, career and technical education programs and extracurricular activities that level the playing field for disadvantaged students.

“Instead of strengthening public education, the administration is moving down the same road as New Orleans, Chicago and Detroit and dismantling it.

“This plan makes a mockery of collaborative labor-management relations. And instead of making neighborhood schools a lifeline for disadvantaged students and a beacon of hope in struggling communities, the district is once again auctioning them off to the highest bidders.