Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Chester Pa. School District Broke; Teachers to Work Without Getting Paid

That Can’t Be Right; Teacher’s Unions Are Supposed to be Evil

Chester Pennsylvania is not a great place to live, in fact it is not even a good place to live.

Chester Upland is one of the poorest districts in Pennsylvania – and the pay reflects that. Education support professionals and teachers earn considerably less than their peers in neighboring districts.

The pay may be low in Chester, but the stakes are unbelievably high. Drugs, poverty and gang-related violence have left a trail of hardship and heartbreak across the city. In 2010 Chester had the highest murder rate in Pennsylvania, and just 18 months ago the city was operating under a state of emergency after a rash of violence.

But people do live there and that’s not the worst of it.  The worst of it is that the school district has run out of money. 

Chester Upland, one of the poorest districts in Pennsylvania, made the stunning announcement in December that, without an infusion of cash from the state, it could no longer make payroll – starting with employees’ January 18th checks.

 Devastating state budget cuts had rendered the district destitute and had left its teachers, support professionals and administrators with two choices – find other employment, or continue showing up to work with no certainty of when they would be paid as promised.

So everyone who has been following the news about the greedy, care-only-about-themselves teacher’s union would surmise that the teachers would walk off the job, after all, all they care about is their own paychecks and benefits. 

That did not happen.

At an early January meeting, members of the Chester Upland Education Association and the Chester Upland Education Support Personnel Association, affiliates of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the National Education Association, passed a resolution promising to stay on the job – even without pay – as long as they were individually able. The teachers and support professionals vowed to band together to keep the schools running for as long as they could.

But don’t tell the Conservatives who are trying to destroy teacher unions with restrictive laws and destroy public education with destructive cuts and diversion of public tax money to private schools.  It would ruin their day.

2 comments:

  1. I found it unconscionable that Sara Ferguson (teacher) was invited to the State of the Union apparently to bring attention that MORE stimulus money needs to go out to states. As it is $12 bill was cut from food stamps to keep teachers/ police etc paid.


    It has always ( until recently!) been the job of local communities through property taxes etc to fund public workers. Now due to the corruption/fraud - bailouts of Wall Street/ banksters (trillions - much of it secretly) - money to states have been drastically cut. Foreclosures due to ( not sub prime/ these were first to go belly up/ thanks to Barney Frank/ Dodd/ etc) businesses, companies shut down.


    The President did not see fit to mention the drastic conditions in Penna! Perhaps, if those destroying beautiful Penna with hydro-fracking/ secretly done in 2005 under Cheney; that exempted them (only agency) from clean water/ clean air act --were TAXED teachers wouldn't be put in such a position.


    I was thinking of Sara (out of her element) amongst all the MONEYED politicians (average worth of Congressmen over $600,000 - Tea Party members worth approx $1.3 million/ others: Most are millionaires / multi- millionaires) and her working for NOTHING!


    She and her peers so concerned about the children which others (Washington) have ignored. Ignored, when at the same time all we hear is how we have to be competitive with the rest of the world!


    The greater amount of those (seal clapping event) at the State of the Union (Republican & Democrat) send their darlings to $$$ one of the many Private Schools in the area (elsewhere) costing from $30,000 to $50,000 per yr/ where only gourmet organic foods are served.


    Classes are small and teachers aren't asked to contend (both sets of children end up robbed) with behavioral, emotional, handicapped, children where test scores do not take into consideration those with severe learning disabilities. Classes in these private schools have 15-20 students.


    The rich send their children with handicaps to specialized schools; where professionals bring out the best in them. Not so in public schools. We know the move is to have Charter schools ( they choose students) with the public schools left with mentally challenged/ special students (little to no money)!


    The first thing that President Obama did upon being elected was to cancel ( 2,100 children) the voucher program of inner city kids. Kids who were thrilled to be given the chance to attend schools like SIDWELL ( President's children, VP grandchildren - wealthy attend). Instead they were sent back to the chaos of Washington's public schools!


    I wondered what Sara was thinking seeing Mrs.Obama done up in a shimmering cocktail type dress / Alexi brooch - designer sling back shoes/ the cost of this ONE outfit over $3000! It is simply pure hypocrisy that children across the nation are being denied their RIGHT to a decent education with Washington elite living in a totally different, rare atmosphere of $170 per lb KOBE beef - upwards of 15 mill thus far spent on vacations/ while telling those working for meager wages (or no wages) that we're in a time of shared sacrifice/ turn down thermostats ( White House is kept at constant 72-74 degrees!).


    Imagine a Democratic President cutting (drastically) food stamps and home heating assistance while the USA pays $ 400 per GALLON for gas in Afghanistan and a million dollars in bribes to Taliban should a convoy of supply enter in from Pakistan!!! Where's Jesse - where's Al - where's the Black Caucus? Who is going to speak up for these kids and these teachers???


    I'm disgusted at the utter hypocrisy (both parties) in their kicking the poor / work a day folks to the curb. And ho-hum another CAMPAIGN season (they now last 2 yrs) with the same old, same old, same old empty promises. All meaningless.

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  2. How Dare You!

    You are the first person I have ever seen attack Prince Charming and Cinderella (although Michelle is a size 11)with such venom.These people are heroes of the poor,do you not see all they have done for the poor?
    At least they didn't try to call tomato sauce on pizza a vegetable,like our friends with the GOP!

    The truth is: None of these Politicians,whether D or R are your friend.

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