This letter was sent today by Superintendent William Hite to staff members in Philadelphia.
The only conclusion to be drawn is that the leadership of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia don’t care about children and whether they get an education.
What are they thinking? My child is okay, tough for yours.
Shameful!
Here is the letter:
Dear Colleagues,
For weeks, the District has been awaiting additional funding from the
city that will allow us to restore the crucial services and staff
needed to open and manage schools.
With the first day of school only a month away, if the District does
not receive at least $50 million by Friday, August 16, we will be
forced to consider delaying the start of the 2013-14 school year. This
may involve delaying the opening of all schools, opening a partial
number or operating on a half-day schedule. We will not be able to
open all 212 schools on Monday, September 9 on a full-day schedule in
the absence of additional funds for supports and staff.
I must be able to tell parents that when their child is walking
through the hallways, eating lunch or at recess, an adult will be
supervising them. I must be able to tell parents that counselors will
be available to serve children in our largest and neediest schools,
and that an assistant principal will be on hand to resolve any
disciplinary issues that keep children from learning. I must be able
to tell parents that the principal can leave the office to address
issues and support staff in other parts of the school. At this point,
I cannot do so.
We will continue to keep you abreast of what will hopefully be a swift
resolution to this urgent matter. I appreciate your continued patience
and support.
Sincerely,
William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This makes me think of an old saying: It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need, and our military has to have a bake-sale to buy a bomber.
The schools definitely need the money, but you are confusing the federal government’s responsibility for national defense with each state’s responsibility for education. The money does not come out of the same pot.
Good Lord, Harlan. This is like correcting a person’s grammar at a cocktail party. Do you really wanna be that guy?
OMG. Please. Socialism is an economic system related to distribution of goods & production. This is a blog & discussion about public education policy.
Harlan, It is the state of Pennsylvania who is not adequately funding education. There is no confusion here as to where the money is coming from.
Did you ever apologize for accusing Diane of race baiting?
Well, folks, HU is quite correct in what he has stated. He said nothing of socialism.
Although the intention of the saying is not to confuse which government entity funds what but that our society is more than happy, unfortunately, to spend so much money on death and destruction and not cut that back in order to increase spending on life and living (as a percentage of GDP the two sectors are fairly close.)
Are you serious? The error is an error of thought on a blog about education policy. It is NOT a cocktail party.
There was confusion in the mind of Concerned Citizen where the money was coming from. I’m not familiar with the funding relationship between Pennsylvania the state and Philadelphia, the city. There’s Michigan and the Detroit schools. We have a robin hood law. Is Pennsylvania legally obligated to pay the 50 million?
I say the teachers should open the schools themselves but only admit the number of students they can legally supervise. OCCUPY PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS. Make the cops arrest you. Make the Governor call out the national guard.
But better get your union’s support and legal advice on how to do it, because none of you want to be wiped out by a liability suit if some kid gets injured.
Show some guts, but protect yourselves too. Time for Hite to take a Hike.
Time for Hite to take a Hike.
Time for Hite to take a Hike.
Time for Hite to take a Hike.
Great slogan, Harlan. 🙂
Harlan, I think most of us know the roles of state and federal governments in funding education. I think that maybe the concerned citizen was just trying to make a point that maybe, as a nation, our priorities are really screwed up.
Then the federal govt needs to stop mandating programs they aren’t going to fund!
It sure does. In both cases it’s taxpayer money. You apparently aren’t aware of the federal governments involvement in education, both in money and policy.
Annihilating the teachers’ union is worth any price the students must pay. Hite came (and was brought) to Philadelphia with the express purpose to implement the Broad Foundation blueprint for closing public schools in favor of, ultimately, for-profit charters. No amount of community disintegration is too great for their larger purpose.
Barbara McDowell Dowdall
Sent from my iPhone
All the money Gates, Bloomberg, Broad have “donated”..now it’s time to help a real cause. Take one less trip on the private jet. Cut back on donations to lobbyists, think tanks, politicians to do your bidding.
Where’s Michelle Rhee and Students FIRST now?
Where are all the hedgeucators now?
Let’s see how much they really care about the students in our cities.
Thanks, Linda. When districts are in mortal peril, the reformers are on vacation
Hedgecators- perfect.
State & federal government officials should be more than ashamed- they should be publicly humiliated. The US has the largest economy on earth. In one weekend, congress, the treasury & executive branch officials came up with over $7 trillion to save the financial institutions from themselves. But public schools are starving and can’t open? Their response- crickets.
What kind of country keeps children & families in fear of their school being shut down? What kind of country bankrupts their schools and watches as they wither away? What kind of country forces kids & teachers to endure broken air conditioners, leaky roofs, tattered books, broken AV equipment? What kind of country sets up their entire educational system up to fail?
Who are we? This isn’t the US I grew up in.
And where are our leaders? Where is our president?
Who would ever have thought our most vulnerable children would get the shaft from our first biracial president? Obama, your mother would be ashamed of you.
hey, don’t blame the people, they are being fooled. educate them and they will rebel against this abomination. I am not the we you speak of, I am no one and trying to help.
Glad to see, Linda, you have finally understood Obama.
I have been ranting about him for over a year. I voted for him once and I am now disgusted. He has betrayed us and I have no faith in him at all. I saw this video and then he turned his back on the teachers in Wisconsin and Chicago. Shame on him!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SA9KC8SMu3o
So true. I read an interesting article where Bill Ayers and a group from Chicago wrote a letter to the UN about the school closings in Chicago. I think they made an appeal that it was a human rights violation. When I read about it I couldn’t help but think about how embarrassing the school closings are since they are taking place in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I look at what is happening in Philadelphia the same way. Unbelievable. It really is hard to believe.
Until I read the comment that he is a Broad Superintendent, the letter sounded so sincere. Knowing that piece of information, I bet he has sources that he could get the money from if he really wanted to put students first.
Alabama, he could start with himself. We have all been asked to participate in “shared sacrifice” (right–we all know how that works), how about Hite foregoing some of his padded salary/perks until the situation is resolved?
Now THAT would be a leader.
Agreed!
These people (the top 1%) don’t believe in public education at all. They feel that it is unfair that they have to pay taxes for other peoples’ children and then pay for private school. They just want to break it and walk away. Everybody will have to pay for their own education, just like healthcare. It is very similar to the philosophy with healthcare. Soon, people will have the freedom to be educated or not, like in many 3rd world countries. They don’t want to save anyone. They see public schooling as a type of welfare or Socialism. This is the mindset.
How could our country let such a thing happen? They won’t be protected forever.
And the question I would like to see fully examined on this blog is whether that view, that “public schooling [is] a type of welfare or Socialism.” Leaving aside “welfare” for the moment, is it true that a public education system is a type of Socialism? What is the overwhelming government interest in operating as a government function a comprehensive education system? Why is not a universal voucher equally as good?
Public education is a great topic for historical AND economic study at the survey level.
For American history, a student can study the Articles of Confederation period with the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. And read about Thomas Jefferson’s rationale to fund public education.
For economics, a student can see the free rider problem is all its splendor–with an opportunity to see how the public good can be served by what seems to be the antithesis of our anti-socialist spirit.
After reading the framer’s writings as to why public education is necessary to maintain our republic, then perhaps you might join us misguided opponents of privatization to defeat this internal threat to our way of life.
But hey, I’m just a teacher–what do I know?
Are the police, firemen, and military a form of socialism? Why do you not include them too. They all provide a service for the group. Charters are corporate welfare. A total scam.
DIALECTICS Diane. they have been playing the create the problem, announce the problem ( this letter)…. create the solution….” because what other choice do we have?”…….solution discovered!
in this case ….CHARTERS.
All roads lead to charters. takes away power from the parents and the teachers and local property owners, and local government and puts it in the hands of distant corporate educrats, oh lets play school mogul!! …
Have you been here? they are everywhere… this is what is being done in the local suburban towns, and in the archdiocese here. Every lovely suburban town has a perfectly good solic stone or brick school in the center of it just sitting empty. because they had to merge everybody to a big regional school. so these schools are empty. kids can’t walk to school anymore and we have an eyesore with weeds around it. wonder what that plan is ( see HUD housing) The same Charter pushers, some were even on the Blue Ribbon Commission that recommended closing Catholic schools in predominantly white areas of city and suburbs…. Can you say Charter? SOCIAL ENGINEERING. Gates dollars and the FED are poisoning every institution here, with appeals to greed and appeals to dogooders and the help of local hero’s led by their alliances to the regional equity movement ( see stanley kurtz books and articles about it) and globalist organizations ( see ICLEI/Nutter). Any media talk of it pushed down the memory hole. . the real issue is the desires of one group to transform and restructure every avenue of public freedom using massive deception ruses and a central planning 3 RING CIRCUS acheived by using the Hegelian Dialectic and all the alinskyan tools in the toolbox. starting with lies and doublespeak. its pathetic. The slow march through the institutions designed by Antonio Gramsci has been in play for years and the public schools have reached their experation date. mission accomplished. these schools could be opened, its a joke find out where the money goes Diane…. this is Philadelphia.
These are all enlightening and very interesting comments. Unfortunately, the movers and shakers don’t share our views..at least most of them anyway. Should we run away with our tail between our legs? Heck no!
But, we do need to be informed, open minded and realistic. Not all the big hitters in education from top to bottom are necessarily “bad”. Most though, are very indoctrinated and somewhat brainwashed, or else they wouldn’t get to their current position. We know what happens to managers, executives and especially political appointees when they fall out of favor; they are demoted and lose power, or else lose their positions entirely.
We must realize that there is a larger, global picture here. I’m not talking about educational conspiracy, but I am saying there is an element of control and implied or real power in our educational system that reaches out to other countries. Do we really want the United Nations or the EU involved in our US educational system?
Already we have the big bucks flowing here and there, with programs and requirements. Their agenda, as stated so often in this forum, is the privatization of the US public education system. One only has to look to other industries, such as the US prison system.
Stats can lie, and we know that liars use statistics, but by conservative estimates, close to 10% of all US Federal prison systems have been privatized, and juvenile correction is controlled by about 50% private companies. In some states this figure is much higher. This is a sign that the prison system will continue to change into private hands to the point that all US prisons, Federal and most states, are privately operated.
Where did this idea come from? The EU. Europe’s prisons are mostly privately operated.
Is the same thing happening in US education? I believe it is.
In this case the wolf is wearing the sheep’s skin of such rhetoric as, “better managed, more efficient, more easily staffed (hire and fire staff at will), standardized pay and benefits, consistent discipline, MORE COST EFFECTIVE (whatever the blazes that means)”, etc.
I’ve worked / taught in privately run charter schools and it’s no better, and in most cases a worse assignment than public schools.
So, stand as firmly as you can against privatizing our children’s education. As our UK brethren and sistren would say concerning the privatization move, “That’s rubbish. They’re all a bunch of tossers!”
If I were a parent in Philadelphia, it would not matter one bit my background, I wouldn’t pay a dime in taxes unless the leadership resolved this incredibly bad matter.
This is GREAT news.
I hope they really do delay the start of school for at least a week.
Maybe then parents and community members will see how much money is taken from children and paid to administrators and reformers.
Until the parents suffer, nothing will change.
The teachers in each building should OCCUPY their schools, along with their friends and family to increase the numbers. This is the chance, like the UAW sitdown strike in Flint which broke GM and brought them to the bargaining table.
oh yeah, the letter above is the scare letter, the declaration of action to cause reation to further the predetermined goals. sheesh, once you know this it just screams at you! oh we just need 50 million dollars by friday thats all, then we’re good. because we cannot teach without buying bill gates or Hewletts latest computers or more common core templates and flashy wordles. sounds like my hoarder friend who just needs a hundred dollars by friday to pay the rent on his storage space….. are your emotions fully engaged?
Teachers could certainly OCCUPY their buildings and teach. Remember that the Civil Rights Movement ran Freedom Schools for rural children wherever they could find the space, and back in the 70’s Philly teachers did the same. From “The City As A Schoolhouse”, here is how the pioneering Parkway Program took care of high school. Math, physics and chemistry was taught at the Franklin Institute. English and Literature met at the Main Branch of the Free Library. Biology took place at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Statistics classes were run out of an insurance building. All physical education classes used the YMCA. Zoology and anthropology convened at the Philadelphia Zoo in Fairmount Park. More than a dozen places of worship offered up classrooms and so did Smith Kline, the Philadelphia Inquirer, KYW-NBC radio and assorted TV stations. Philadelphia Free Public School teachers did this work once and they can do it again. Be Gone Broad Foundation!
Harlan–I LIKE your 9:37 & 9:51 PM comments. We are past the breaking point, and action must be taken.
If you know your labor history, this is known as a lockout.
http://tinyurl.com/yu4h4m
I don’t think that the conclusion to be drawn is a lack of concern for students. To the contrary, it seems to be a call for help to benefit students. I read this as an indictment on political appropriation, educational costs (salaries), and tax payer reluctance.
I say NOT ANOTHER DIME in taxes that only seem to go to the reformers and the testing companies.
We need legislation limiting how much money people who do not teach 3 or more classes a day can make.
Only then will the taxpayers open their wallets.
24 schools closed…4,000 essential personnel laid off..in June….Actually as a Philadelphia teacher, I was very concerned about the bare-bone staff that was left to supervise 140,000 students on Sept 9th. . It just was too much of a security risk. Each building was scheduled to have 1 principal and 1 teacher per classroom….large classrooms. NO others. No secretaries, no psychologists, no counsellors, no nurses, no classroom assistants, no noon-time aides, no transportation guidance after school, no art, no music, no athletics… Some elementary schools have 1,000 students (K-8)….HS’s have 1,500 students, others 3,000. ..1 principal, and classroom teachers. nothing more. the student population from 24 closed schools would all be arriving at new schools, unfamiliar, insecure, poorly supervised. In normal staffing, these offices would have 4 asst. prin. and 3-4 secretaries..each. Principals will be conducting registration for new enrollees and transfers themselves…no office staff. Those have all been laid off. Truthfully, I am genuinely relieved we might not be opening. This is a disaster just demanding to happen.
In 2013, where would you expect the deformers to hold a group hive five and congratulatory road show?
In Philadelphia of course. To wit:
September 30 – October 1
Union League Club – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Co-hosted by Delaware Valley Grantmakers
and Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust)
How can a philanthropist increase the number of great K-12 options in their city? Join donors from across the country as we examine the most promising strategies to grow what works in all of a city’s schools—charter, district, and Catholic/private—and explore the challenges and benefits of a city-based, multi-school sector strategy. How can donors increase a city’s total number of high-quality K-12 seats, regardless of the school sector(s) they fund? We’ll discuss investments that hold the promise of improving multiple types of schools and learn how donors are uniquely positioned to accelerate city-wide student achievement.
Discussions Include:
Incubating and attracting top school providers
Can school choice benefit private and public schools?
Building teacher and leader pipelines that serve all schools
How can blended learning be used in a purposeful city-wide strategy?
What does each sector— charter, district, and Catholic/private—do best, and what can each learn from the other?
Speakers Include:
Katherine Bradley, president, CityBridge Foundation
Mark Gleason, executive director, Philadelphia School Partnership
Scott Gordon, CEO, Mastery Charter Schools
Ethan Gray, executive director, Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust)
H. Edward Hanway, chairman, Faith in the Future Foundation
Jeremy Nowak, president, J. Nowak and Associates
Don Shalvey, deputy director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Andy Smarick, research fellow, Bellwether Education
Schedule:
Monday, September 30
12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.: Site Visits*
Schools Include:
Mastery Charter Schools
Mercy Vocational High School
These school visits will feature an interactive, donor-led conversation of how philanthropists can grow and replicate high-quality schools to achieve major student performance gains in cities.
*Roundtrip transportation will be provided from the Union League Club
4:15 p.m. Special Session (optional):
Not Business As Usual: How Executives are leading Catholic School Reform
This special session will feature prominent business leaders who will explore the role of lay leadership in developing new and innovative Catholic school models.
6:00 p.m. Opening Reception
Tuesday, October 1
8:00 a.m. Breakfast Roundtable Discussions
9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Conference
A significant portion of the conference will give attendees the opportunity to engage in intimate, topic-specific working sessions and discussions about different investment options for accelerating city-wide student achievement.
Meeting Location:
Union League Club of Philadelphia
140 S Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 563-6500
As a nobody teacher in Philadelphia, born and raised here, I am truly stunned by this event at the Union League, the priciest, most snobbish, insulated institution in our city. There is nothing “public” about the place, and, in fact, they barred Catholics from being club members for many years. Who pays for all of this? Is this not actually being funded indirectly by taxes handed over to private concerns? One can almost cry, thinking about the education of kids who are no more than statistical entities on a balance sheet for these people.
The are taking a tour of a private Catholic vocational school where they must prepare students for minimum wage work, because that is all that will be left in our city for our students to look forward to. They want no more unions and no more Blue Collar wages, no more living wages for college educated teachers, social workers, counselors, librarians, and the like. As all these opportunities disappear, what exactly are we preparing the students to do after school?
I am sorry to say I agree with Jo Marley. Packing classes full of 33 students, crowding them in like cattle in a pen, with no resources, little supervision in the hallways or lunchrooms, is a formula for bad things to happen. We are not like charter or parochial schools where you can just refuse entry to a young person because they are troubled or needy.
This is a disgrace.