Philadelphia public schools clusterfrak

Philadelphia public schools are largely a mess. Well, one sure way to improve the quality of public schools is to dramatically cut funding, right? RIGHT. Public school funding has been cut by 1 billion (heckofa job, Tommy Corbett) Well, that shit has some consequences beyond closing one in six Philadelphia schools and laying off 3,800 teachers and staff.

So, Philly public school teachers are in the midst of negotiating their contract, which expires this summer. The opening offer from the school district? Oh, we want to slash your pay by as much as 13% and also hey work approximately an additional hour per day. And no raises until 2017. ÀND to begin contributing 5 to 13% to their benefits. AND no more optical, dental, or prescription coverage. AND no more seniority credits when lay-offs happen -- you taught for thirty years -- sorry granny, no job security for you. AND no more caps on class sizes. Good luck, parents, gettin' your kids some education in a class of forty kids. AND most librarian positions eliminated.

Fuck.

This for teachers who work in schools where violence is so endemic that from 2005-2010, 4,000 assaults on teachers by students occurred. And the teachers teach kids who predominately qualify for free lunches. One third of Philadelphia children fall below the poverty line, making it one of the poorest of the nation's cities. Only 60% of students graduate. Less than 60% score as proficient in reading and math.

Angrycat sez: Oh, 'bad cat' indeed. Yeah, I'm your cute uneducated prop.  And exactly who is scooping my poops every day?  Hint: Someone with two thumbs and two graduate degrees, that's who.