Learning from Chicago | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Learning from Chicago | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Learning from Chicago

by thenotebook

Sub Title: 

As charters and cuts erode teacher jobs here, Philadelphians draw lessons from the organizing successes of another big-city union.

Author: 

by Bill Hangley, Jr.

Author Bio: 

Bill Hangley, Jr. is a freelance contributor to the Notebook.

Asked what “portfolio management” means to him, Jerry Jordan’s answer was swift and certain:
“Big business. Outsourcing. It’s literally getting rid of public service,” said the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
But when asked about the PFT’s strategy for slowing a trend that has seen thousands of teaching jobs shifted to non-union charter schools, Jordan’s answer was more general: “We have to work more closely with the parents and the people in the community in order to make sure our schools are funded adequately. We can’t survive another billion-dollar cut.”

Image: 

Image Caption: 

Anissa Weinraub of Teacher Action Group

Photo Credits: 

Harvey Finkle

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