In a bankrupt Pa. school district, teachers plan to work for free

[David_42]

I will never get tired of people bitching that teachers are overpaid when teacher shortages are popping up more and more.. I applaud these teachers and school staff for helping the kids.
In a bankrupt Pa. school district, teachers plan to work for free

Employees of the Chester Upland School District in Pennsylvania will show up for work on the first day of school next Wednesday, but they don’t expect to get paid.

The district, which has been struggling with financial and academic problems for decades, is on the edge of insolvency and cannot make payroll, state and local officials have said.

So on Thursday, about 200 members of the local teachers union voted unanimously to work without pay as the new school year opens. They were joined by secretaries, school bus drivers, janitors and administrators.

“The thought of it is very scary,” said John Shelton, 60, dean of students at the district’s only middle school and a 23-year employee. “It’s mind-boggling because there’s truly uncertainty. But we are all in agreement that we will come to work, so that the children can get an education.”

Shelton, who will be able to count on some income from his moonlighting job as a janitor, said he and his colleagues are willing to sacrifice because the students rely on the schools. “Some of our children, this is all they have as far as safety, their next nourishing meal, people who are concerned for them,” he said. “We are dedicated to these children.”


The district is about 20 miles west of Philadelphia and serves roughly 3,300 students, most them low-income.

A similar financial collapse occurred in the district in 2012, and the teachers also agreed to work without pay then. In the end, a federal judge ordered the state to pay the district, and lawmakers arranged a bailout, so that employees’ paychecks were just a couple of days late.

[Pennsylvania school district on verge of collapse (and using free labor to stay open)]

Chester Upland’s current fiscal crisis, however, is more serious, said Jeff Sheridan, a spokesman for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D).

“They are in such dire financial shape right now,” he said, “unless something drastic happens . . . the school district is in danger of not existing.”

The governor is grateful to the teachers and other employees who are willing to work without pay, Sheridan said, adding, “It’s helpful and we commend them.”

But it’s not a solution, he said.


Chester Upland is facing a $22 million deficit that could grow to more than $46 million without major intervention, Sheridan said. He blamed several factors: local mismanagement, state cuts in education spending under the previous governor and a state law that requires traditional school districts to pay charter schools significant amounts for students who live within their boundaries but attend charters.

Public charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run, have been growing to the point that they educate nearly half the students who live in the Chester Upland district. Chester Upland pays local charter schools about $64 million in tuition payments — more than it receives in state school aid.

State law includes a funding formula that is especially generous toward special education students who attend charters; Chester Upland has to spend $40,000 per student per year for every special education student from its district who enrolls in a charter school. That’s twice the amount the district spend on its own students with special education needs and more than any other district in the state, Sheridan said.

Chester Community Charter School, a nonprofit institution managed by a for-profit company, is the largest charter in the district. It began in 1998 with 100 students and now enrolls 2,900 students, nearly as many as attend the traditional public school system.

This week, a Pennsylvania judge denied a request by Wolf and Chester Upland officials to reduce the district’s payments for special education to charters by about half, or nearly $21 million, in the 2015-16 school year.

Wolf based his request on a recommendation by a 2013 bipartisan legislative commission that the law should be changed to bring payments to charter schools more in line with what it costs traditional public schools to educate special needs students. The committee also recommended lower payments to online charter schools, which currently get the same per-pupil payments that brick and mortar schools receive. That change would save the Chester Upland district an additional $4 million a year, state officials said.

 

[Mr. H.]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

 

[David_42]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

Oh, get the fuck out of here. It is most definitely due to lack of funding, teacher shortages are becoming more and more common, hell, salaries aren't even that high for teachers these days considering the importance of their job. Teacher unions? Yeah, explains why these employees are working for free. Keep hating teachers.

 

[Mr. H.]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

Oh, get the fuck out of here. It is most definitely due to lack of funding, teacher shortages are becoming more and more common, hell, salaries aren't even that high for teachers these days considering the importance of their job. Teacher unions? Yeah, explains why these employees are working for free. Keep hating teachers.

I don't hate teachers.

Sheesh. Jumpin' my ass an' shit.

Mrs. H. was a teacher. That's where I gained insight into the clusterfuck that is the education system.

 

[David_42]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

Oh, get the fuck out of here. It is most definitely due to lack of funding, teacher shortages are becoming more and more common, hell, salaries aren't even that high for teachers these days considering the importance of their job. Teacher unions? Yeah, explains why these employees are working for free. Keep hating teachers.

I don't hate teachers.

Sheesh. Jumpin' my ass an' shit.

Mrs. H. was a teacher. That's where I gained insight into the clusterfuck that is the education system.

I'm sleep deprived and trying to fall asleep by rambling on this forum, have a blunt?

 

[Mr. H.]

And I'm now a substitute teacher. So when I get my paycheck and $4.65 goes into the TRS (Teacher Retirement System), that disallows me from making a tax deductible contribution to my IRA (I have other sources of income).

Just another example of a broken corrupt system known as "education".

 

[Mr. H.]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

Oh, get the fuck out of here. It is most definitely due to lack of funding, teacher shortages are becoming more and more common, hell, salaries aren't even that high for teachers these days considering the importance of their job. Teacher unions? Yeah, explains why these employees are working for free. Keep hating teachers.

I don't hate teachers.

Sheesh. Jumpin' my ass an' shit.

Mrs. H. was a teacher. That's where I gained insight into the clusterfuck that is the education system.

I'm sleep deprived and trying to fall asleep by rambling on this forum, have a blunt?

Don't bother me while I'm Bogartin'.

 

[Mr. H.]

But that's ok. I too make shit up as I type.

 

[David_42]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

Oh, get the fuck out of here. It is most definitely due to lack of funding, teacher shortages are becoming more and more common, hell, salaries aren't even that high for teachers these days considering the importance of their job. Teacher unions? Yeah, explains why these employees are working for free. Keep hating teachers.

I don't hate teachers.

Sheesh. Jumpin' my ass an' shit.

Mrs. H. was a teacher. That's where I gained insight into the clusterfuck that is the education system.

I'm sleep deprived and trying to fall asleep by rambling on this forum, have a blunt?

Don't bother me while I'm Bogartin'.

Come on son.

 

[MACAULAY]

This article must be read with a keen eye for propaganda.

Sounds like the Citizens of this District are sending their children to Privately run Charter Schools in droves--where their kids can get a real education.

And that they have said Fuck You to the lazy greedy Public Employee Unions who have bankrupted the District.

 

[David_42]

This article must be read with a keen eye for propaganda.

Sounds like the Citizens of this District are sending their children to Privately run Charter Schools in droves--where their kids can get a real education.

And that they have said Fuck You to the lazy greedy Public Employee Unions who have bankrupted the District.

Woah, woah.. You're actually blaming the teachers? Jesus christ, what is wrong with you people?

 

[S.J.]

They SHOULD be working for free since the kids they're "teaching" are smarter than most of them.

 

[bodecea]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

bloated salaries?

 

[David_42]

They SHOULD be working for free since the kids they're "teaching" are smarter than most of them.

What is wrong with you? Why do you feel the need to vilify teachers that you literally know nothing about?

 

[MACAULAY]

This article must be read with a keen eye for propaganda.

Sounds like the Citizens of this District are sending their children to Privately run Charter Schools in droves--where their kids can get a real education.

And that they have said Fuck You to the lazy greedy Public Employee Unions who have bankrupted the District.

Woah, woah.. You're actually blaming the teachers? Jesus christ, what is wrong with you people?

-----------------------------------

I said your article is propaganda.

These teachers you want to paint as altruistic are the greedy incompetents who have driven the District into Bankruptcy and their students into the privately run schools where they can get a decent education.

It is the citizenry revolting against Socialism--which invariably means Mediocrity or worse. Even in Pennsylvania, they can figure out a Socialist Scam when it comes to their own children.

You are a Socialist...your opinion will likely be different than the awakened citizens in Pennsylvania who have wised up to Socialist Public Employee Unions who are looting the system through fraudulent co-conspiracies with Democrat Elected Officials.

Whats wrong with you people? You are Socialists, that's whats wrong.

______________

 

[S.J.]

They SHOULD be working for free since the kids they're "teaching" are smarter than most of them.

What is wrong with you? Why do you feel the need to vilify teachers that you literally know nothing about?

I haven't met many public school teachers who weren't morons. Lousy grammar, can't spell worth a shit, ignorant fucks and predators in a lot of cases.

 

[David_42]

This article must be read with a keen eye for propaganda.

Sounds like the Citizens of this District are sending their children to Privately run Charter Schools in droves--where their kids can get a real education.

And that they have said Fuck You to the lazy greedy Public Employee Unions who have bankrupted the District.

Woah, woah.. You're actually blaming the teachers? Jesus christ, what is wrong with you people?

-----------------------------------

I said your article is propaganda.

These teachers you want to paint as altruistic are the greedy incompetents who have driven the District into Bankruptcy and their students into the privately run schools where they can get a decent education.

It is the citizenry revolting against Socialism--which invariably means Mediocrity or worse. Even in Pennsylvania, they can figure out a Socialist Scam when it comes to their own children.

You are a Socialist...your opinion will likely be different than the awakened citizens in Pennsylvania who have wised up to Socialist Public Employee Unions who are looting the system through fraudulent co-conspiracies with Democrat Elected Officials.

Whats wrong with you people? You are Socialists, that's whats wrong.

______________

You have absolutely no evidence for your claim, your hatred of teachers had led you to believe everything supporting teachers is propaganda.

 

[David_42]

They SHOULD be working for free since the kids they're "teaching" are smarter than most of them.

What is wrong with you? Why do you feel the need to vilify teachers that you literally know nothing about?

I haven't met many public school teachers who weren't morons. Lousy grammar, can't spell worth a shit, ignorant fucks and predators in a lot of cases.

Then you're truly delusional, I pity you.

 

[bodecea]

They SHOULD be working for free since the kids they're "teaching" are smarter than most of them.

What is wrong with you? Why do you feel the need to vilify teachers that you literally know nothing about?

I haven't met many public school teachers who weren't morons. Lousy grammar, can't spell worth a shit, ignorant fucks and predators in a lot of cases.

I consider the source of the above post.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I wonder about these "bankrupt" school districts. Is it for a lack of funding or years of mismanagement, bloated salaries, underfunded pensions, and teacher union strong-handing?

Nope, only underfunding by conservative tax agencies.