Parents United absolutely supports the District’s request of $60 million from the City, however, we ask City Council to consider the following: The District must immediate re-do its budget. It is irresponsible for City leaders and city residents to support $60 million in funds when there is no indication of how those funds will be …
Parents United for Public Education has won its state Right To Know request to gain public access to the list of 60 schools identified by the Boston Consulting Group for closure and to the firm’s criteria for school closings – a request for information the District has consistently denied to the public. Last spring, the Boston Consulting Group …
On December 13, 2012, the School District of Philadelphia recommended 37 schools for closure. There were impassioned pleas and hard-worked proposals. There were well-written reports of community input. There was anger. There were tears. There were rallies, chants and marches. There was organization, mobilization and solidarity. And then the School Reform Commission voted to close …
After last week’s vote in the School Reform Commission, which closed down 23 schools in Philadelphia creating education deserts in communities already suffering from public disinvestment, I went home, turned out the lights and buried my head under the covers. The past week has felt like a collective sense of mourning for our schools and …
Mayor Nutter didn’t come out the front door of his office in City Hall last night. I’m sure mayors have good reason to have alternate exit routes available, and it may be that he uses that other door regularly, rather than just yesterday. I’m not sure, since I’m not in the habit of sitting outside …
Like many parents across the city, the preliminary release of some of the terms of the Philadelphia teachers contract made me heartsick. For months I had watched city and district leaders make promises about mass school closings – they were necessary for financial viability, they would concentrate resources in remaining schools, they would put more …
A few months ago, I made the decision to sign on to a complaint filed with the Philadelphia Board of Ethics. The complaint, signed by members of Parents United for Public Education, the NAACP, and the Philadelphia Home and School Council, was concerned with the William Penn Foundation’s financing of a private consulting group in …
What makes Parents United for Public Education different? We’re creating a citywide voice for change, across schools, neighborhoods, and for a public school system that values not only quality but equity. We make a difference.
Last week a number of parents and students were surprised to see this ad on their weekly student transpass: This week the following ad appears on student transpasses: And here’s next week’s ad: A few media outlets have picked up on some concerns we raised on social media about the advertising. For clarification, this … Continue reading »
(This post is being updated regularly as new information unfolds) Read the complete list of school closings here. This afternoon the district will announce the closing and consolidation of dozens of schools listed above, setting in motion a year of turmoil and uncertainty for thousands of families across the District. We are deeply concerned about the … Continue reading »
In anticipation of tomorrow’s announcement of dozens of school closings, Parents United for Public Education posted this statement. We will be attending the PCAPS rally at the School District, 440 N. Broad Street, tomorrow at 4 p.m. The District will announce the school closings list at a 2 p.m. press conference. Parents United statement on … Continue reading »
Yesterday, Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and School Council and the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP filed a complaint with the City Ethics Board requesting an investigation into whether the Boston Consulting Group, private donors, and the William Penn Foundation acted as lobbyists and principals to influence policy in the School District … Continue reading »
Sabrina Stevens, AKA Teacher Sabrina, crashes a meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) which has promoted controversial laws nationwide like Parent Trigger and Stand Your Ground. What she says next speaks exactly to a host of situations in Philadelphia including the Boston Consulting Group: “I see a a majority of private sector members … Continue reading »
Jeremy Nowak is out as president of the William Penn Foundation. In light of his abrupt departure, deeper questions emerge about the role the foundation played under his tenure. For months, Parents United for Public Education has raised questions about the Foundation’s role in funding and directing the work of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Two … Continue reading »
On Monday, Nov. 26th City Council hosted an education committee hearing on the Boston Consulting Group. Parents United co-founders Helen Gym, Gerald Wright and Cecelia Thompson waited four hours to testify and finally left around 5 p.m. with 15 people still on the schedule before us. Needless to say we were very disappointed that parents … Continue reading »
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