I am still fuming over the
fiasco here in Philadelphia last Friday. For those who missed it, Our Governor
was scheduled to visit one of the top high schools in the state, to honor
Central, Masterman and Carver High Schools, for their stellar PSSA performance
last year. This was a very big deal because, in his three years of leading the
state, he has not once set foot in a school in Pennsylvania’s largest school
district. He cut funding, redistributed education money to politically
connected districts, and refused to raise taxes or transfer tax revenue to
schools. He blatantly refused to help the state-run, financially destitute,
Philadelphia School District, and had never bothered to visit any of the
schools to see what teachers are up against every single day. He’s probably
kicking himself now for not visiting earlier. He would have gotten a better
reception a few years ago, than he got in his aborted visit to Central on
Friday.
I am thrilled that our
beleaguered city had THREE of the top schools in the state despite the high
poverty and draconian budget cuts our city schools endure. But the general
public should know that these are very selective magnet schools that admit only
the best of the best. I would have been very surprised if they had not
done well. Kids that attend neighborhood schools would kill to be admitted to
any one of those schools for high school so they could avoid the drama and
apathy that so often seeps into their local schools. That said, I congratulate
the wonderfully smart and articulate students that attend the three high
schools. They were very dissatisfied with the outcome of the Philly schools’
financial inadequacies, and were prepared to let him know at their
now-cancelled meeting him.
Philadelphia has a very
vocal parent organization, Parents United for Public Education, as well as an
active and vocal student-run Student Union. Both groups have joined the
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers in marches, protests, and testifying before
the SRC meetings. The union sent some representatives to Central to voice their
displeasure, but the large majority in attendance seemed to be parents and
students out to exercise their civic rights and responsibilities against a
leader who has shown disdain for public education. What a better way to learn
civics than to participate in a non-violent protest?
When it became apparent that
the Governor was going to be met by protestors, he moved his entourage to the
safety of his downtown office, insulated from any dissent. He decried the
protest as an adult bunch of theatrics that would have taken away from the
honor he was about to bestow on the schools. What he may have realized,
however, was that there were as many, or more students inside the building who
wanted to know why they didn’t have a library, supplies, books, and enough
counselors. They wanted to know why their classes were filled to the brim, their
teachers overworked, and the other schools in the city had it much worse than
they did. They were dressed in red in solidarity against the crippling budget
cuts schools in the city have endured this year. They had a petition prepared
to present, and an open letter to the Governor asking for help. These were not
just any students. These are the ones that will get accepted into prestigious
universities and do great things in the future. These are the kids that will be
able to vote in a few years, and hopefully express their displeasure with
Pennsylvania’s lack of support for public education.
What he may not have
expected is that his avoidance of controversy at Central High School would make
things much worse for him politically than if he had addressed the protestors.
He is running for a second term, even while his poll numbers indicate he is the
least popular governor ever.
Good luck, Mr. Corbett! You’ll
need it.
**************************************************
See an excellent response to
the situation in the media. Someone has an Attytood.
http://articles.philly.com/2014-01-20/news/46377817_1_tom-corbett-philadelphia-students-no-show#ik8uuA7vDCCu3k1Z.99
Still learning!
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