Teachers union president arrested at Philadelphia schools protest
City
officials voted to close 23 schools, part of a wider trend of
consolidating city schools that extends to other large US cities
Philadelphia officials voted to close 23 schools. Photograph: Andrew Fox
The president of the second largest US teachers' union was
arrested on Thursday night at a protest against plans to shut down
schools in Philadelphia, part of a trend of closures that activists are fighting around the country.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, was detained along with 18 others, outside a meeting at which Philadelphia officials voted to close 23 schools.
The trend of consolidating city schools and charters extends to other large cities: since mayor Michael Bloomberg took office in 2002, New York has closed 140 public schools and vocally promoted charter programs, while Rahm Emanuel's administration has announced up to 80 closings this year in Chicago. On 7 October 2011, 672 New York City school employees were laid off.
Research for Action, a nonprofit for education and policy, has found that cities who adopt this policy save on payroll reduction, but the costs of transportation and transition limit gains. Because of poor neighborhoods, old buildings and infrastructure are often difficult to sell at profit, if at all. Their research (pdf) also shows that large-scale closings rarely improve student performance, and transferred students are more likely to drop out unless placed in an equal or better performing school.
Activists from 18 cities, including Philadelphia, Newark and Detroit, have filed a complaint with the Department of Education, which has agreed to investigate the closings, though also claims it does not have jurisdiction over local districts.
The activists contest the merger of public and charter schools and have called the closings a violation of the Civil Rights Act, indicating studies that show a disproportionate number of African American and Hispanic communities affected.
In Philadelphia on Thursday, the School Reform Commission (SRC) spared four schools but ordered 23 closings after a debate that chairman Pedro Ramos called "heart-wrenching". Thirty speakers testified against the closings, which are part of a five-year plan to reduce the $1.35bn deficit facing the district. He said the decision was inevitable after years of "perpetually just limping along". The SRC plans to counteract years of low enrollment and academic performance by shuttering some schools for the sake of creating a "portfolio" of good schools.
Outside, Weingarten led protesters in a chant of "Fix schools, don't close them", and told a crowd of several hundred people: "The kids of this city have suffered from cut after cut. Do you want a future where kids suffer and Wall Street does all right?"
Although scheduled to testify to the commission, she was arrested and released shortly thereafter, quickly tweeting: "Fresh out of custody – we must continue the fight for fixing & ensuring great public schools for all kids – in Philly & US."
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, was detained along with 18 others, outside a meeting at which Philadelphia officials voted to close 23 schools.
The trend of consolidating city schools and charters extends to other large cities: since mayor Michael Bloomberg took office in 2002, New York has closed 140 public schools and vocally promoted charter programs, while Rahm Emanuel's administration has announced up to 80 closings this year in Chicago. On 7 October 2011, 672 New York City school employees were laid off.
Research for Action, a nonprofit for education and policy, has found that cities who adopt this policy save on payroll reduction, but the costs of transportation and transition limit gains. Because of poor neighborhoods, old buildings and infrastructure are often difficult to sell at profit, if at all. Their research (pdf) also shows that large-scale closings rarely improve student performance, and transferred students are more likely to drop out unless placed in an equal or better performing school.
Activists from 18 cities, including Philadelphia, Newark and Detroit, have filed a complaint with the Department of Education, which has agreed to investigate the closings, though also claims it does not have jurisdiction over local districts.
The activists contest the merger of public and charter schools and have called the closings a violation of the Civil Rights Act, indicating studies that show a disproportionate number of African American and Hispanic communities affected.
In Philadelphia on Thursday, the School Reform Commission (SRC) spared four schools but ordered 23 closings after a debate that chairman Pedro Ramos called "heart-wrenching". Thirty speakers testified against the closings, which are part of a five-year plan to reduce the $1.35bn deficit facing the district. He said the decision was inevitable after years of "perpetually just limping along". The SRC plans to counteract years of low enrollment and academic performance by shuttering some schools for the sake of creating a "portfolio" of good schools.
Outside, Weingarten led protesters in a chant of "Fix schools, don't close them", and told a crowd of several hundred people: "The kids of this city have suffered from cut after cut. Do you want a future where kids suffer and Wall Street does all right?"
Although scheduled to testify to the commission, she was arrested and released shortly thereafter, quickly tweeting: "Fresh out of custody – we must continue the fight for fixing & ensuring great public schools for all kids – in Philly & US."
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