Education Funding News in Brief

Battle Waged in Philadelphia Over Quashing of Union Contract

By Denisa R. Superville — October 14, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission and the city teachers’ union are headed for a showdown over whether the school district can unilaterally disregard the union contract—which expired in 2013—and require union members to pay $27 to $71 per paycheck toward their health benefits.

The commission made the stunning move last week, after more than 21 months of negotiations with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Other unions had made similar concessions, said William J. Green, the commission’s chairman.

Members of the commission, created by state law in 2001 to manage the 130,000-student district, argue that the law gives it expansive powers to make the contract changes. Despite that, the commission and the state education department promptly headed to court to request a declaration affirming the action.

Meanwhile, hundreds of high school students boycotted classes in protest of the commission’s action, according to local media accounts.

PFT President Jerry Jordan called the commission’s move a “union-busting” tactic that he vowed to fight. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said it was a “well-planned Hail Mary ambush” by Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, who is battling for re-election amid criticism that he made massive education cuts during his first term.

“This is not an effort by the SRC to address the fiscal crisis,” Mr. Jordan said in a statement. “This is the Corbett administration’s attempt to vilify the PFT in order [to] distract from his horrible record on education funding and boost his chances of re-election.”

Mr. Green and schools Superintendent William R. Hite said the move was necessary to help the perennially underfunded district free up revenue and avoid more cuts and layoffs.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 15, 2014 edition of Education Week as Battle Waged in Philadelphia Over Quashing of Union Contract

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding A Court Ordered Billions for Education. Why Schools Might Not Get It Now
The North Carolina Supreme Court is considering arguments for overturning a statewide order for more school funding.
6 min read
A blue maze with a money bag at the end of the maze.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Schools Want More Time to Spend COVID-19 Aid for Homeless Students
Senators want to give districts more time to spend COVID relief funds for students experiencing homelessness.
4 min read
New canvas school bags hanging on the backs of empty classroom student chairs in a large modern classroom
iStock/Getty Images
Education Funding ESSER Isn't the Only School Funding Relief That's Disappearing Soon
Federal relief aid, policies to prevent schools from losing enrollment-based funding, and support for vulnerable families are expiring soon.
10 min read
Vector illustration of a businessman's hand holding a slowly vanishing dollar sign.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Schools Lost Ground on Funding in Recent Years. The Recovery Could Be Slow
School funding took a hit a few years ago. It might be some time before it recovers.
5 min read
Tight crop of a dollar bill puzzle missing one piece
iStock/Getty