►
Description
From the FY2018 Philadelphia City Council Budget Hearing held Wednesday, May 17, 2017:
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan testifies on the School District of Philadelphia Budget.
Full hearing: https://youtu.be/iqhGkEr2774
C
Thank
you
very
much
Councilwoman.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
the
opportunity
to
be
here
this
morning.
I
first
want
to
take
a
moment
to
express,
on
behalf
of
the
members
staff
and
the
Executive
Board
of
the
PFT,
how
much
our
thoughts
are
with
the
CW
Henry
family
I
had
the
opportunity
to
be
there
this
morning
when
the
children
returned
to
school
today
and
I
am
happy
to
report
that
it
was
a
very,
very,
very
smooth
normal
opening
for
the
children.
C
The
principal
and
the
staff
did
a
tremendous
job
and
they
are
prepared
to
do
everything
they
can
to
support
the
children,
and
there
are
a
lot
of
support
personnel
present
in
order
to
provide
counseling
and
other
support
for
the
children
and
staff
at
Henry.
So
I
felt
very
confident
when
I
left
that
today
is
going
to
be
a
great
day
for
the
children
at
the
Henry
school.
Thank.
B
C
You
but
the
internet
at
CW,
Henry's
school,
serves
as
a
reminder
of
how
important
it
is
where
school
children
have
access
to
counselors
nurses
and
school
staff
that
can
guide
them
through
the
trauma
of
incidents
like
these.
In
previous
years,
I've
come
before
you
and
I
forget
at
a
laundry
list
of
challenges
facing
Philly
students
and
educators.
C
C
C
Last
week,
we
shared
with
you
the
results
of
the
survey
of
pft
members
about
the
impact
of
this
unacceptably
long
period
without
a
new
contract
after
five
years,
without
a
raise,
never
find
themselves
unable
to
plan
for
the
future.
Many
are
working
second,
jobs
to
make
ends
meet
and
about
half
are
actively
looking
for
employment
outside
the
district
and
about
75%
have
indicated
that
they're,
stagnant
paychecks
and
increasing
personal
expenses
have
forced
them
to
reduce
their
spending
on
classroom
supplies
for
their
students.
C
This
is
a
huge
issue
and
one
that
the
PFP
has
been
speaking
on
for
the
past
several
years.
There
is
absolutely
no
way
a
philly
classroom
can
be
adequately
stocked
or
a
mere
100
dollars
per
year,
allotment
provided
by
the
district
and
educators
by
more
than
just
school
supplies
for
their
students.
Many
buy
food
clothing
and
other
essential
items
that
their
students
are
often
lacking.
C
City
Council
has
done
a
great
deal
to
increase
public
school
funding
at
the
local
level,
and
we
thank
you.
You
have
also
been
a
tremendous
ally,
as
you
joined
us
in
the
call
for
a
nucleus
T
car
tract
today.
I
ask
that
you
continue
to
stand
with
feelings,
educators
in
these
efforts.
For
our
part,
we
will
continue
to
hold
rallies
demonstrations
and
other
activities
to
call
attention
to
this
issue.
Today
we
are
also
delivering
a
petition
signed
by
over
2000
educators
and
community
members
to
mayor
Kenney
and
governor
wolf.
C
The
petition
calls
on
these
leaders
to
tell
the
district
to
put
the
sixty
five
million
in
new
annual
revenue
towards
settling
a
new
contract.
Our
members
have
dealt
with
five
years
of
frozen
salaries
and
growing
instability,
it's
time
to
show
Philly's
educators,
the
respect
and
appreciation
they
deserve
after
five
years,
without
a
raise.
The
right
thing
to
do
is
to
use
the
new
revenue
generated
by
the
reassessment
of
real
estate
taxes
to
invest
in
the
men
and
women
who
educate
our
children.
C
We
fully
understand
that
deep
fiscal
concerns
are
at
the
root
of
many
challenges
facing
our
schools,
and
that
is
largely
due
to
the
state's
inadequate
and
inequitable
funding
formula
for
public
education.
A
report
from
the
education
Law
Center
demonstrates
that,
because
of
lower
real
estate
values,
poor
school
districts
in
cities
like
Philly,
Chester
and
Redding
have
significantly
less
to
spend
on
public
schools
than
wealthier
Pennsylvania
districts
in
2014.
A
study
by
power
shows
even
deeper
disparities.
C
When
race
is
factored
in
districts
that
serve
large
minority
populations,
we
see
less
state
funding
than
districts
that
serve
mostly
white
students.
Governor
wolf
has
made
strides
to
recruit
toward
increasing
Pennsylvania's
public
school
spending,
but
without
restoration
of
the
nearly
1
billion
dollars
in
funding
cut
by
the
Corbett
administration.
It
will
be
years
before
districts
like
Philadelphia,
see
significant
gains
and
funding
until
we
can
restore
the
lost
funds
or
dramatically
increase
funding
levels.
C
Phillies
children
will
never
have
the
same
same
access
to
art,
music
clubs,
athletics
and
other
programs
and
services
available
to
students
in
our
neighboring
suburbs.
The
outlook
for
Philadelphia
is
even
bleaker
when
you
consider
the
Charter
voucher,
a
nanny
worker
legislation
being
pushed
by
some
legislators
in
Harrisburg.
C
The
PFT
has
been
pushing
for
more
funding
and
against
anti
public
education
legislation,
but
we
can't
do
it
alone.
We
need
City
Council
to
join
us
when
we
write
letters
and
visit
our
Pennsylvania
representatives
and
Senators.
We
appreciate
the
decisions
made
by
this
body
to
bring
more
revenue
to
our
schools
and
hope
that
we
can
count
on
you
to
keep
fighting
alongside
the
PFT
to
give
teachers
and
school
employees
the
support,
compensation
and
respect.
That's
been
lacking
for
the
past
1,000
355
days.
Thank
you.
B
Thank
you
very
much,
and
certainly
all
of
us
in
City
Council
are
looking
forward
to
having
a
contract
settled,
and
we
have
so
many
folks
from
down
here.
You
know,
have
children
of
our
own,
our
staff
does
is
Wellman,
so
we're
certainly
1,000%
with
you
on
trying
to
get
a
contract
for
those
or
many
many
days.
That's.
D
We've
been
tracking
them,
obviously,
but
the
importance
and
recognition
that
the
contract
is
also
contributing
perhaps
to
the
teacher
vacancy
situations
and
also
in
particular,
for
us.
A
couple
of
things
that
we
noticed
is
that
in
specialized
fields
in
particular,
so
special
education
speech
and
occupational
therapy,
we
are
really
really
struggling
to
fill
those
positions
without
a
contract,
because
those
are
highly
desirable.
C
You
Councilwoman,
the
instability
that
is
in
the
system
as
a
result
of
the
lack
of
a
contract
causes
teachers
who
apply
for
positions
to
apply
in
other
districts
where
there
is
some
stability.
People
are
not
able
to
plan
their
lives,
the
lives
of
their
family
and
they
really
need
to
know
in
Philadelphia.
I
have
talked
to
a
number
of
our
young
teachers
who
have
said
that
they
are
not
able
to
plan
their
families
because
of
the
lack
of
a
contract
and
that
their
wages
are
stagnant.
C
Of
Philadelphia
is
certainly
far
behind
many
of
the
surrounding
about
67,
surrounding
school
districts
and
of
the
salaries
we
have
been
for
a
while.
However,
by
not
having
received
any
kind
of
wage
increase
for
the
last
five
years
and
for
the
new
teachers
who
are
hired
when
they
come
to
Philadelphia,
they
are
told
that
they
will
earn
additional
money
according
to
the
number
of
years
that
they
serve
in
the
school
district.
They
get
something
called
an
increment
year,
one
salary
the
year
two
salary
is
a
little
bit
higher
because
of
its
wool
increase
year.
C
Three
salary
is
a
bit
higher
until
they
reach
the
maximum
step,
which
is
step
11
and
for
the
last
four
years
those
steps
have
been
frozen
as
well,
so
the
teachers
are
not
getting
those
and,
as
a
result,
they're
leaving.
As
you
know,
a
large.
The
majority
of
my
membership
are
women.
They're
young
women
and
many
of
them
have
children.
C
I
don't
have
to
tell
any
of
you
the
expense
of
childcare
and
what
that
cost
a
family
when
they
need
to
have
put
a
child
one
or
two
or
more
children
in
childcare
every
month
and
without
being
able
to
depend
on
step
increases
as
well
as
wage
increases.
It's
causing
us
to
lose
a
lot
of
teachers,
teachers
and
other
educators
who
are
in
what
we
call
high
needs
areas
such
as
math
science,
world
languages,
speech,
pathologists.
C
We
are
competing
with
the
surrounding
districts
for
those
teachers
and
I
guess.
A
couple
months
ago,
I
saw
a
flier
announcing
a
recruitment
drive
that
the
suburban
districts
are
having
they
were
having,
and
they
were
particularly
going
after
being
able
to
increase
the
number
of
minority
teachers
in
their
district,
and
so
they
were
becoming
and
they
sent
them
into
Philadelphia
schools
to
teachers
because
they
want
our
teachers,
I've
been
told
by
administrators
who
left
Philadelphia
and
have
taken
one
superintendent
positions
in
other
districts.
C
What
they
say
is
that
if
you
can
get
a
teacher
from
Philadelphia,
you've
got
a
great
teacher,
because
filling
teachers
know
how
to
teach
with
very
little,
and
they
can
make
very
little
look
like
it's
a
lot
and
they're
very
talented.
So,
not
only
are
we
having
trouble
with
recruiting
teachers
we're
having
trouble
with
retaining
them,
and
now
the
surrounding
districts
are
recruiting
the
minority
teachers
and
we
have
a
really
low
number
of
minority
teachers
in
the
Philadelphia
School
District
now,
and
it
certainly
will
not.
D
Thank
you
very
much
and
I
appreciate
the
work
that
the
Union
has
done
to
highlight.
The
impact
on
teachers
and
especially
teachers
who've,
had
to
take
second
jobs.
I
can't
tell
you
the
number
of
times
that
I've
been
out
just
you
know,
kind
of
living,
my
own
personal
life
and
come
across
a
teacher
who's
either
you
know
waving
the
table
or
working
an
extra
job
at
a
hardware
store
or
all
these
other
places,
and
it
is.
It
is
really
upsetting
and
I.
D
E
You,
madam
chairman,
good
morning,
good
morning,
I,
have
some
questions
that
you
might
not
be
able
to
answer
and
I
respect
that
if
you
can't
answer
them,
please
don't
answer.
Okay,
you
know
I
looked
up
the
definition
of
negotiation,
okay,
because
this
has
been
going
on
for
five
years
and
my
understanding
of
negotiation
is
basically
the
bargaining
give-and-take
process
between
two
or
more
parties,
each
with
its
own
aims
and
needs
and
viewpoints,
seeking
to
discover
common
ground
and
reach
an
agreement
to
settle
the
matter
of
mutual
concern
or
resolve
a
conflict.
E
C
Would
say
counseling
that
you
know
I
I
will
answer
it
this
way,
that
the
Federation
is
prepared
to
settle
the
contract.
Today,
however,
just
as
you
said
when
you
described
the
definition
of
negotiations,
the
district
is
the
other
player
in
this
and
whether
or
not
they're
willing
to
take
the
many
of
their
demands
off
the
table
to
make
it
happen
that
I
can't
speak
to,
and
so.
C
E
Just
going
to
tell
you,
though,
in
the
business
world
I
know
it's
different
in
the
education
world.
If
we
had
an
argument
or
a
negotiation
that
lasted
five
years,
okay,
at
some
point
in
time.
During
that
five-year
period,
we
would
have
gone
to
a
professional
mediation
service
and
in
fact,
the
courts
in
Philadelphia.
Send
you
to
professional
mediation.
E
B
would
even
take
into
court
and
with
the
resolve,
the
situation
I'm
just
suggesting
it
as
a
way
to
have
the
two
parties
come
together
and
conclude
because
I
can't
imagine
a
new
teacher
wanting
to
teach
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
with
no
contract
for
five
years
and
no
raises,
has
to
be
extremely
difficult
to
hire
quality
teachers
in
this
environment.
You're.
C
Absolutely
correct
and
it's
not
only
difficulty
in
hiring
of
new
teachers,
but
it's
there's
a
big
problem
in
retaining
the
current
teachers
that
we
have,
because
they
don't
want
to
remain.
They
will
go
to
another
district
where
they
are
able
to
get
a
higher
salary
and
be
know
they
have
a
contract
and
that
they're
going
to
get
additional
compensation.
And
so.
E
We
may
not
be
able
to
answer
this
question
I'm
going
to
put
point
blank.
For
example,
if
five
years
ago,
the
school
board
or
sources
school
district
was
offering
100
million
dollars,
I'm
taking
these
numbers
out
of
the
air
and
the
teachers
were
looking
for
five
hundred
million
or
today
we're
closer
to
the
middle
point
or
not.
C
C
C
C
F
You,
madam
chair,
mr.
Jordan,
thank
you
for
coming
this
morning.
Your
input
is
I,
think
very,
very
important
for
the
process.
I
just
want
to
thank
you
and
your
leadership
team
at
the
PFT
for
always
caring
about
our
children
and
putting
them
first
because
I
know
in
your
actions
and
your
words
and
I've
seen
you
many
times
in
schools.
That's
the
forefront
of
this
and
that's
what
we
you
know
lead
do
and
it's
appreciated.
Thank
you
for
your
confidence
this
morning
to
be
with
the
children
that
had
this
traumatic
incident.
F
Important
doesn't
have
to
be
there,
but
you
were
there
so
noted.
Do
you
have
a
sense
of
what
the
attrition
rate
actually
is?
They
were
approximately
we're
losing
teachers
every
year
we
can't
fill
the
slots
because
we're
having
difficulty
attracting
teachers,
I
mean
if
you
don't
have
a
contract
many
times.
Why
would
you
go
and
you
have
all
these
other
opportunities
for
the
actual
attrition
rate?
They
have
a
sense
of
what
that
might
be
any
years
by
about
30%.
C
F
C
H
Not
sure.
If
you
address
this,
tell
me
if
you
will,
from
your
perspective,
have
we
had
any
communication
and
I
know
when
you're
advocating
you
work
with
other
teachers
in
other
regions
and
Philadelphia
is
not
other
we're.
The
largest
were
not
the
only
district
that
that
charter
school
reimbursement
could
have
been
some
supportive.
C
H
Your
not
appreciate
your
response,
and
my
hope
is
that
we
will
find
a
way
through
the
current
negotiations
to
not
make
charges
we'll
reimbursement
that
line
item
a
thing
in
the
past,
but
that
we
will
continue
to
put
it
in
the
forefront
of
our
advocacy
for
the
funding
for
public
education
while
we're
in
Harrisburg
the
next
issue.
I
wanted
you
to
comment
on,
and
you
mentioned
it
briefly
in
response
to
two
questions.
H
Was
the
issue
regarding
teacher
recruitment
and
retention
and
a
major
issue
for
me,
particularly
in
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia,
has
been
the
presence
of
minority
teachers,
particularly
african-american
males
I've
talked
about
this
with
the
school
district
when
they
were
in
front
of
us
last
year.
Think
I
mentioned
it
again
this
year,
but
am
I
correct
and
hearing
you
that
the
very
few
minority
teachers
that
we
have
in
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia
are
being
heavily
courted
by
our
suburban
partners
or
other
others
in
our
region.
H
C
So
that
comes
out
of
a
teacher's
pocket
and
you
know,
and
then
there
are
others
are
just
working
conditions
in
general
that
really
cause
teachers
to
leave.
You
know
we're
in
a
period
now
in
this
country
that
there
are
jobs
that
minority
males
particularly
could
not
black
males
and
black
females
could
not
get
of
40
50
years
ago.
C
They
are
now
available,
and
so
people
are
leaving
and,
as
example,
district
are
heavily
recruiting
minorities
because
they're
looking
for
a
diverse
of
workforce,
and
so
they
come
to
Philadelphia
and
they're,
offering
them
more
money
and
better
working
conditions,
we're
going
to
make
sure
you
have
books
and
paper
and
supplies
and
a
better
salary.
So
you
know
we
are
competing
with
the
surroundings
of
school
districts.
Well,.
H
I
just
wanted
to
unknown
for
the
record
and
I
know
my
time
is
up,
and
you
actually
address
my
third
and
final
question,
which
was
an
issue
surrounding
teacher
resources,
and
you
talked
about
that.
I
want
to
thank
the
teachers
in
the
school
district
of
Philadelphia
for
their
work.
In
addition
to
that,
the
resources
that
teachers
spend
out
of
pocket,
you
know
one.
We
used
to
have
a
store
in
Willow,
Grove
mall,
and
it
is.
H
It
is
slipping
my
mind
right
now,
but
it
was
the
teachers
store,
it
is
sense,
clothes,
and
now
we
have
to
go
across
the
bridge
because
I
find
myself
with
a
four
year
old.
Now
it's
no
longer
see
other
teacher
teachers
in
there
when
I
go,
but
I
now
have
to
go
to
those
stores
and
they're
not
being
reimbursed
for
most
of
what
they
spent
and
I
just
wanted
to
state
that,
for
the
record,
you
know
I'm
always
looking
for
happy
compromise.
H
A
C
C
G
A
C
A
Over
the
five
years
and
I
understand
you're
in
negotiations
now,
but
but
it
has
been
five
years,
is
it?
Is
it
that
it
must
be
that
far
of
a
divide
between
the
school
district
and
the
PFT
to
have
gone
on
for
five
years
without
reaching
contract?
Is
that
correct
or
is
there
something
different
than
than
just
very
far
apart
on
important
issues?
Well,.
C
Certainly,
our
you
know:
you're
not
going
to
negotiate
a
contract
without
resources,
and
you
certainly
know
the
school
districts
resources
and
there
are
a
bit
of
other
issues
that
are
discussed
in
negotiations
that
are
non-economic
issues
as
well.
So
between
the
two
of
those
are
topics
that
are
always
discussed
at
negotiations
and
have
to
be
resolved.
Is
there.
A
Any
discussion
about
under
the
work
environment,
on
a
standard
of
equity
in
all
public
neighborhood
schools,
I,
understand,
there's
magnet
schools
and
they
have
somewhat
of
a
different
set
of
standards
depending
on
what
the,
whether
it's,
music
or
academics,
but
in
terms
of
just
neighborhood
schools.
Is
there
a
discussion
with
the
SRC
about
ensuring
that
all
schools
are
equally
resourced.
A
C
Equally,
resources
up-
that
is
just
an
expectation-
I
mean
that
I
believe
very
strongly
on
the
product
of
Philadelphia's
neighborhood
schools.
I
did
not
attend
a
magnet
school.
I
went
I
graduated
from
West
Philadelphia
High
School,
and
it
was
very
well
resourced
when
I
was
a
student
and
I
believe
that
all
of
the
neighborhood
schools
should
be
very
well
resourced,
because
children
deserve
it
and
parents
who
send
their
children
to
the
neighborhood
school.
Should
you
know,
get
every
opportunity
for
their
children
to
get
a
good
education
in
a
neighborhood
school.
A
C
G
We're
expanding
our
around
the
Commonwealth's
have
been
impacted
in
that
regard,
although
we
don't
know
that
what
the
outcome
may
be
for
the
lawsuit,
my
name
is
has
some
hope
somewhere
of
may
go?
Has
there
been
any
conversations
with
you
and
other
similar
leaders
with
other
school
district
on
wealth
about
how
to
prepare
for
what
that
Supreme
Court
cases,
maybe
and
also
any
strategies?
If
the
Supreme
Court
says
to
the
General
Assembly,
you
need
to
file
the
funding
formula
under
the
Rendell
administration
or
some
other
type
of
directive.
G
C
Not
had
a
great
deal
of
X
with
my
colleagues
and
other
districts,
but
what
the
PFT
has
been
doing
is
that
we've
been
working
at
the
part
of
the
coalition
led
by
power,
and
they
have
been
doing
some
remarkable
work.
I
do
believe
we'll
be
in
Harrisburg
around
June
21st
as
a
part
of
that
coalition
to
push
or
word
one
that
same
issue
and
I
think
that
next
week,
in
Harrisburg,
Senator,
pings
I
think
one.
G
I
know
you're
very
focused
on
negotiating
the
contract.
I
just
think
that
could
be
an
opportunity.
I'm
aware
the
work
the
powers
been
doing,
especially
with
some
of
our
southeast
PA
counterparts
and
their
Montgomery
Chester
Delaware
counties,
but
I
also
think
that
a
number
of
the
rural
counties-
and
you
may
reference
to
this
in
your
earlier
testimony
as
well
as
counsel
and
Parker,
that
a
number
of
rural
counties
are
had
really
been
impacted,
significantly
got
charged
for
reimbursements
being
eliminated.
G
Some
of
those
same
parents
who
were
doing
the
home
schooling
are
now
doing
the
type
of
charter
education
for
its
children,
they're
also
home
schooling,
which
is
now
having
impact
on
those
rural
school
districts,
because
those
dollars
are
leaving
that
rural
school
district
and
going
to
that
side
of
a
charter
and
it's
a
good
possibility
outside
which
are
going
to
be
based
in
a
urban
area
like
a
Philadelphia
or
Pittsburgh
or
or
Chester
reading.
So
they're
now
having
an
impact
I
just
think
there
is
an
opportunity
to
bring
a
larger
coalition
to
often
Harrisburg.
G
E
You
now
she'll
never
a
couple
other
questions,
I
won't
they
have
Jerry
and
by
the
way,
the
school
district,
and
it
was
in
last
week
or
two
weeks
ago.
Okay,
so
they
mentioned
in
2022,
we
could
have
a
deficit
of
700
million
schools.
They
also
mentioned
that
the
pension
fund
was
50
million
negative,
contributed
in
2011,
very
cool,
and
today
it's
close
to
255
million
above
our
percent,
and
it's
going
higher
than
that,
so
I,
don't
I
guess.
One
of
my
points
is
I
want
to
make
sure
that
we
offer
salaries
to
teachers.
E
We
also
talked
about
the
level
of
benefits
that
we
offer
because
I
noticed
in
the
city,
for
example,
we
offer
for
every
dollar
of
wage
in
city
government.
We
pay
eighty
seven
point,
seven
cents
in
benefits,
so
it's
an
example
and
37
percent
overhead.
We
offer
a
salary
of
50,000,
it's
really
hundred
twelve.
We
offer
a
salad
for
100,
it's
really
224.
My
only
purpose
is
in
mentioning
this
is
because
making
sure
you
want
to
make
sure
we
explain
to
any
new
hires
that
it's
not
just
the
salary.
C
C
I,
don't
know
if
they
told
you
that
for
10
years
they
didn't
contribute
to
the
pension
fund
at
all
and
that's
why
they're
contributing
the
amount
of
money
now,
because
across
the
Commonwealth
school
districts
were
given
a
pass,
while
the
educators
continue
to
contribute
the
full
amount
to
their
pensions.
Okay,.
E
And
I'm
a
different
note:
I
visited
last
year,
23
schools
and
one
of
my
concerns
is
we
talk
about
schools
and
the
teachers
and
the
principals.
So
I'll
just
give
you
my
perspective,
because
my
perspective
of
a
23
schools
that
I
visited
from
s
Weir
Mitchell
to
Spring
Garden
Elementary
to
Road
Elementary,
Webster,
Hancock,
George,
Washington,
Girls,
High,
South,
Julie,
Hyman,
Francis,
Scott,
Key,
West,
Philadelphia,
Lincoln,
Edison,
Ken,
Norton,
George
me
just
to
name
a
few.
Every
school
I
went
into
I
saw
great
teachers.
E
I
saw
great
principals,
I,
didn't
see
one
day
of
school
out
of
23
and
I'm,
mentioning
that,
because
I
think
it's
important
that
the
media
recognizes
six
issues
a
year
of
the
school
system
that
maybe
aren't
so
great
and
that's
played
up.
But
we
forget
about
all
the
great
teachers
and
principals
that
are
in
the
system
doing
a
great
job
every
day
I
want
to
through
these
classrooms.
E
These
teachers
are
doing
a
good
job
and
want
to
make
sure
we
tell
the
public
that,
because
so
many
especially
young
people
think
they
might
not
have
to
move
out
of
the
city
when
their
kids
get
to
kindergarten,
and
they
really
know
you
have
some
really
good.
Schools
just
want
to
put
it
on
the
record
and
I.
Thank.
C
You
for
that-
and
you
know
what
I
know
and
have
been
saying
for
a
long
time
and
I
listened
to
the
list
of
schools
that
you
mentioned
their
neighborhood
schools
and
there
are
miracles
happening
every
day
in
our
neighborhood
schools,
because
the
teachers
are
fantastic,
we've
got
some
great
administrators
and
they
do
a
great
job
for
the
children
and
the
kids
are
getting
a
good
education.
Sorry.
E
And
I
guess
I'm
like
what
I
feel
we
need
to
do,
and
I've
told
this
to
the
school
district.
I
don't
know.
What's
that
mentioned
to
you
too
is
we
need
to
talk
more
about
the
positives
than
the
negatives,
because
the
positives
that
I
saw
far
outweigh
the
negatives
far
away
and
I,
don't
think
any
parent
should
feel
they
need
to
move
to
the
suburbs
because
of
the
schools.
I
think
the
schools
that
I
visited
in
all
areas
were
excellent.
I
didn't
find
one
school
that
I
wouldn't
attend
if
I
wasn't
going
at
the
kindergarten.
E
Last
question
half
by
one
of
the
see
your
position,
I
asked
dr.
heit
last
week,
financial
literacy
in
the
federal
reserve
has
a
program,
will
teach
teachers
how
to
teach
financial
literacy
and
I
actually
believe
that
the
one
way
to
take
people
out
of
generational
poverty
is
to
teach
children
from
kindergarten
to
12th
grade
specifically
kindergarten
to
sixth
grade
financial
literacy?
How
to
save
money?
What
is
an
interest
rate?
What
does
a
mortgage
all
those
things
that
maybe
we
were
taught
by
our
parents
I'm,
not
sure,
that's
being
taught
in
the
school
system
today?
C
Certainly
am
NOT
opposed
to
it
without
knowing
what
the
program
actually
looks
like
and
you
know.
Certainly
the
material
would
have
to
be
great
appropriate,
because
what
you're
going
to
teach
a
first
grader
is
going
to
be
very
different
from
what
you
would
teach
a
sixth
grader.
But
it's
something
that
young
people
need
to
learn
because
they
will
need
those
skills
for
their
entire
lives
and.
E
Just
so
you
know,
this
is
not
something
we're
going
to
ask
the
city
or
the
school
district
for
the
money
to
do
the
ten
schools
we're
going
to
raise
the
money
through
private
companies
and
charities
to
do
this.
I
have
commitments
from
several
I'm
committed
to
doing
it
for
schools
myself,
so
I
just
need
the
teachers
and
the
school
district
to
work
with
us.
E
D
So
I
think
we
talked
a
lot
about
how
important
the
teachers
contract
is
to
ensuring
things
that
a
lot
of
parents
need.
So
a
lot
of
us
as
parents
often
have
felt
that
we
don't
have
clear
legal
rights
with
the
district,
but
the
few
rights
that
we
do
have
are
actually
guaranteed
to
us
through
the
teacher's
contract.
So,
for
example,
the
question
of
a
counselor
and
the
importance
of
having
full-time
counselors
in
schools
was
in
part
coming
up
the
fact
that
that
was
guaranteed
within
the
former
PSP
contract.
D
We
were
able
to
win
thanks
to
your
help
and
to
a
broad-ranging
coalition
of
folks
done,
pushing
for
a
long
time
and
to
have
nurses
and
counselors
back
into
schools.
We've
been
pushing
on
lower
class
size,
ending
leveling
and
split
grades,
but
we're
also
particularly
interested
in
counseling
and
behavioral
and
climate
support
for
high
needs
schools
and
to
not
have
an
enrollment
based
approach
towards
how
we
staff
our
schools,
but
to
also
have
you
know
like
a
baseline
of
enrollment.
But
on
top
of
that
to
make
sure
it's
needs-based
and
responsive.
D
C
Exactly
I
mean
we
shouldn't
have
to
do
what
the
district
is
doing
today
and
I'm,
not
criticizing
and
I,
think
the
district
has
handled
the
Henry
situation
really
perfectly,
but
that
they're
pulling
psychologists,
they're,
regular
duties
to
the
Henry
school
they're,
pulling
counselors
from
other
schools
to
the
Henry
school,
because
you
need
those
services
there
for
those
children
there's
a
need,
but
that
we
need
to
have
more
of
them.
We
need
to
have
some
social
workers
in
many
of
our
schools
in
order
to
assist
the
children
and
the
families
you.
D
Know
I
think
that
that's
one
of
the
area's
I
know
that
right
now
the
P
of
T
and
the
district
are
working
on.
You
know
finalizing
the
contract,
but,
as
we
start
to
look
forward,
I
am
also
interested
in
working
with
you
and
others
to
more
deeply
look
at
the
PFC
contract
as
a
way
of
guaranteed
staffing
in
schools.
D
It's
been
particularly
distressing
as
a
parent
to
see
that
the
maximum
capacity
for
class
size,
for
example,
which
is
13
K,
did
2
or
K
diseases
came
to
three
and
then
33
and
4
to
12
is
not
considered
or
listed
as
a
maximum,
but
has
actually
looked
at
as
a
standard
that
teachers
are
distributed
at
the
standard
of
and
if
they
happen
to
go
over.
There
seems
to
be
like
very
little
consequence
around
that.
D
So
I'd
love
to
figure
that
out
I
think
you'd
have
a
lot
of
support
from
parents
and
others
who
want
to
see
more
behavioral
specialists
in
our
schools,
especially
in
our
high
need
schools,
guaranteed
language
access,
librarian
nurses,
more
counselors
than
schools,
not
less
and
particular
guarantees
about
after
school
and
before
school
care.
Programming.
Absolutely.
C
Those
are
just
so
important
and
they're
important
for
the
community
they're
important.
You
know
you
just
talk
a
touchstone
after
school
care
and
before
school,
particularly
for
working
parents
to
be
to
know
that
their
child
can
be
dropped
off
earlier
and
they
can
go
to
work
and
the
child
can
stay
later
and
it
really
helps
to
save
the
parents
from
a
childcare
issue
as
well
as
cost,
and
it
really
is
good
for
the
child.
A
C
A
A
I,
don't
imagine
there's
too
many
other
ways
to
change
the
governance
structure,
accountability
and
transparency
other
than
a
charter
change.
The
thing
that
council
can
do.
It
has
no
effect
unless
the
state
legislature
agrees
where
the
SRC
agrees,
for
example.
It
basically,
however,
does
lay
out
a
plan,
a
methodology
to
providing
equity
in
education
in
a
more
guaranteed
method.
I
would
say:
that's
my
opinion
are
not
asking
for
a
response,
not
trying
to
put
you
in
a
tough
situation,
but
I
will
put
you
in
a.
A
Okay,
the
SRC
as
you
negotiate
this
contract
I
did
hear
about
teacher
reimbursement.
I
have
a
great
interest
in
the
net.
I
did
introduce
a
bill,
it
is
in
committee.
What
would
be
amount
be?
Do
you
think,
if
you
can
tell
me,
regarding
your
expectations,
for
teachers
to
be
reimbursed
under
your
contract
with
this
SRC.
C
C
C
A
A
A
My
disagreement
with
them
is
that
the
fund
for
Philadelphia
schools
funds
many
things
and,
as
we
look
at
the
impending
deficit
of
the
SRC
700
million
dollars,
it
has
to
be
dealt
with.
They
have
not
up
until
now
may
teacher
reimbursement,
a
issue
or
a
priority
and
I
don't
know
that
if
they
run
into
other
priorities
that
will
remain
important
to
them.
A
Second
of
all,
I,
don't
think
they're
anywhere
near
the
numbers
that
you
just
talked
about
in
the
testimony
that
I
received
from
a
teacher
who
spent
$3,000
of
her
own
money,
and
so
I
do
think
that
we
should
have
a
teachers,
reimbursement
fund
that
could
be
funded
by
private
corporations,
state
government
or
any
other
methodology,
which
has
a
board
of
former
teachers
to
make
those
decisions
and
I
would
ask
you
to.
Please
take
a
look
at
that
legislation.
We
did
receive
very
favorable
testimony
from
the
retired
teachers
president
former
president
and
other
teachers
themselves.
A
I
would
hope
that
no
teacher
would
have
to
spend
their
own
money
for
fundamental
and
necessary
school
supplies,
but
in
reality
they
do
and
I
would
like
to
ensure
that
we
at
least
try
to
create
some
system
outside
of
the
current
SRC,
which
we
can
ensure
that
there's
money
to
reimburse
teachers.
In
addition,
it
would
not
be
subject
to
maintenance
of
effort
which
is
problematic.
Whenever
we
give
money
to
the
SRC
to
give
to
the
teachers
we
could
have
a
separate
fund,
but
please
look
at
that.
I
would
love
to
have
that
discussion
with
you.