Philly fights school plan

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:23:00 +0000

On a weekday evening, at a renovated West Philadelphia church, a wide array of community members discussed the state-appointed School Reform Commission's (SRC) recently-announced plan to privatize most of the Philadelphia School District -- labeled by SRC head Thomas Knudsen as "decentralization.”

The meeting came on May 8th, just two weeks after the SRC announced their radical proposal. A woman in her mid-thirties, voice quivering slightly, admitted: “We knew that what happened in Wisconsin last year would happen here too. This is going to be a huge fight.”

The agenda of this meeting of public school teachers, students, labor organizers and seasoned activists (including members of Occupy Philadelphia) included crafting a response to what some here see as the “Shock Doctrine” being applied to Philadelphia public education. Residents have received an ultimatum from the city: accept property tax hikes – which Mayor Michael Nutter says would raise upwards of $92 million, but would disproportionately affect low income residents -- or let schools close.

Salon.com > Dustin Slaughter

Philly fights school plan