Thanks to reader GST for bringing this important story to our attention: a court in Pennsylvania ruled that the School Reform Commission may not cancel the contract of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. This is a battle that has gone on for two years, as the unelected School Reform Commission looks for ways to cut the budget. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia schools are suffering from former Governor Tom Corbett’s deep budget cuts, and the Legislature has refused to fulfill its responsibility to the children of Philadelphia.
Commonwealth Court judges have handed a win to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, ruling that the School Reform Commission cannot throw out the teachers’ union’s contract and impose new terms.
The decision was confirmed by Jerry Jordan, PFT president, on Thursday morning.
“This is a very big victory,” Jordan said.
After nearly two years of negotiations, the district had moved on Oct. 6 to cancel the teachers’ contract and impose health-benefits changes that would save the cash-strapped system $54 million annually, officials said.
In the decision, judges said that neither the state Public School Code nor the Legislature have expressly given the SRC the power to cancel its teachers’ contract.
“This Court is cognizant of the dire financial situation which the Districtcurrently faces and the SRC’s extensive efforts to achieve the overall goal of properlyand adequately meeting the educational needs of the students,” Judge Patricia A. McCullough wrote for the court. “There have been numerous difficult decisions that the SRC has been forced to make in an effort to overcome these economic hurdles, including a one-third reduction in staff and theclosing of 31 schools in recent years.”
But the law does not give the SRC the power to cancel a collective bargaining agreement.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/school_files/District-cant-impose-contract-court-rules.html#GVqP31QcrCMOdFmZ.99
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The fight, it seems, never ends. On the same day that we celebrate a victory for Philadelphia’s teachers in court, it is reported that the Republican Speaker of the Pa. House visited Philadelphia to meet with charter school parents and advocates and call on the SRC to approve applications for 40 more charter schools in Philly. He suggested that the district, which is operating, as always, with a huge deficit which has meant massive teacher and counsellor layoffs and schools without nurses, could pay for these new charters with the receipts from the city’s cigarette tax, a tax which was specifically raised in September to allow the city public schools to operate, at a bare bones level, through the rest of this year. The Republicans would like to see privatization move apace and the union destroyed. The fight, it seems, never ends.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20150123_Turzai_touts_new_charters_on_day_Phila__schools_learn_of_more_money_problems.html
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If unions don’t hold the CBA up, then there is a real problem . Teachers in NYC and LA have a union that conspires against them. They are losing their jobs and basic rights. Thanks for the coverage….this is a big deal .
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How many of those 31 closed schools re-opened as charters, I wonder.
I asked my husband – when are we moving out of NY? My #1 responsibility is providing our child with the best public education we can afford. I put all our financial eggs in 1 basket to move to the “best” public school district our annual salary allowed. In 9/2010 – right when CCSS was being rolled out.
As a recently classified special ed student, I can’t even ask the teachers “do you think she will be able to graduate high school with a diploma”. Reason: she can’t and hasn’t passed Math since grade the end of grade 2! Our kid has failed math for 5 years and this is despite “RTI” (Response to Intervention) all 5 of those years (as well as parent paid private tutoring which is bankrupting us).
Our district received $45K under RTTT for “RTI” in 2010……it’s now costing the district upwards of $11 million a year to run “RTI”.
To NY AFT: Should I home school? Is that the answer? If I knw how to I would……………but I don’t know how to. Given that we are a little family with a few close friends, I guess I would start the search and pick “K-12” as my curriculum, oh no, that is a publicly traded CCSS venture! So where do I begin to learn HOW to home school. Which two of my three part-time jobs should I quit to home school?
TO THE NY AFT: We have lost too many good teachers via “attrition”; the uncertainty has everyone rattled. Some of those positions have been temporarily filled with Subs who make a whopping $16.50 an hour – can this be correct? That is what the Board minutes say………..it can’t be, right?
TO THE NY AFT: My husband is a proud member of a Construction union in NYC for 35 years. His union fights for their men & women. When I attend a team meeting at school, and state “how can you expect the ELA teacher to teach 28 students, 8 with IEPs, with a ‘part-time’ special ed sub?”. A few teachers have stated to my husband: “your wife would make an awesome Union rep for teachers”………hmmmm.
TO THE NY AFT: Please provide clear leadership to your/our NY State teachers. They are worried about their future. Those teachers with 10, 15 & 20 years experience are worried about their scores and their futures!
This blue collar parent needs these teachers to guide the kids and the parents! If you look at our District’s State Test scores, a whopping 67% of our students require AIS services. 70% failed the 2013 State Tests and 67% failed the 2014 tests.
Yet 75% were proficient in 2012; how can this be?
It’s crazy – thanks for the vent – I hope someone steps up to the plate.
NY AFT: HELP NY TEACHERS already!
In return, I promise to keep spreading the “I Refuse” chant to parents.
Thanks for the vent!
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Looks to me like the union contract is what upheld this decision. Now the plan would be to hold out another few days until Wolf is gov?
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Reblogged this on seldurio and commented:
Finally a win for collective bargaining!
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Sorry to put this here, but I don’t know where else to put it. The state of Utah is asking the state school board, which is stuffed with privatization supporters, what would happen if 2% (about 55 million dollars) was cut from school budgets. This is while Utah is sitting on a more than $600 million budget surplus. http://www.sltrib.com/news/2085640-155/state-budget-exercise-hints-at-charter-school?page=2
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Thank goodness for labor laws. . Hopefully Comgress doesn’t mess this one up…
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I am stunned this post isn’t full of comments! It is a pivotal element in what we are resisting
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