Committee Hearing, September 24, 2001

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - - - Room 401, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, September 24, 2001 1:30 p.m. - - - RESOLUTION 010531 - Resolution authorizing City Council's Committee on Education to hold public hearings to investigate whether Edison Schools, Inc., or orhter privatization efforts, can resolve the financial and education crisis facing the Philadelphia Public Schools... - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER, Chair COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILMAN WILSON W. GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 (215) 561-2220 I N D E X RESOLUTION 010531 PAGE DEBRA KAHN, Secretary of Education .......... VERONICA JOYNER, Parents United for Better Schools................................. 54 KARIN BIVENS, NAACP ......................... 59 EDWARD SCHWARTZ, Institute for Civic Value .. 64 VICTOR JONES, Chester High School ........... 76 PATTY CRUICE, Teacher ....................... 81 JASENA NIVES, Youth United for Change ....... 92 EMMANUEL FILPO, Youth United for Change ..... 95 LYNN MARTIN, Parent ......................... 98 EWUARE OSAYANDE, Black Radical Congress ..... 101 BERNARD JOHNSON ............................. 108 ALICE YARBOROUGH ............................ 106 SARAH GILLIAM, Parents Union ................ 116 EVELYN GIBSON, ACORN......................... 121 JILMA WILSON, ACORN ......................... 124 GERALD WRIGHT, Parent ....................... 127 KAY MCKINNA, League of Women Voters ......... 137 HELEN GYM, Asian Americans United ........... 138 ALDUSTUS JORDAN, PCCY ....................... 142 WALTER HOLMES, Fifth House .................. 145 JANET LONSDALE, Parent Involved Network ..... 152 WENDALL HARRIS, Phila. Home and School ...... 155 ARNOLD HALL, Phila. Home and School ......... 157 ROSITA JOHNSON .............................. 159 PHYLLIS GILBERT, Peace Action ............... 163 RITA ADDESSA, Gay & Lesbian Task Force ...... 166 DIANNE MOHNEY ............................... 172 LOU INCOGNITO ............................... 175 TERRANCE WILSON ............................. 181 3 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. 010531

Good afternoon, everyone. We're getting ready to start the hearing. Good afternoon. The Council Committee on Education is now in session with a quorum of the Education Committee members. I am Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, Chair of the Committee. In attendance we have Councilwoman Blackwell, Councilman Goode, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Councilman Cohen. Also in attendance we have Councilman Ortiz and Councilman Nutter. And I believe at the moment those are the Councilpeople in attendance. Will the Clerk please read the title of the resolution into the record?

Good afternoon. We're here for Resolution 010531, authorizing City Council's Committee on Education to hold public hearings to investigate whether Edison Schools, Inc., or other privatization efforts, can resolve the financial and education crisis facing the Philadelphia Public Schools and to propose viable recommendations to the City and State Administration that will advance our mandate that we provide quality public education while exploring policies to address the school district's structural deficit and future resource 4 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. 010531 needs. Thank you.

Thank you. Before we begin the hearing, I'd like to read a statement into a record. We're all here today to continue to a dialog regarding privatization and the future of Philadelphia Public School system. I want to welcome and to thank all of you for your attendance here today. Whatever our individual perspectives and agendas, we come together today united by our commitment and our unwavering resolve to guarantee the future for our children. In the interest of using our time most wisely, let me describe the structure and the format that we will be using today. We have, I think, about eight panels and each member of the panel will present a statement no more than three minutes. Then the entire panel will remain there for questions. We'll call the names in case you don't know which panel you're on. We'll call your names when it's your time to come up. As background, let me review the following: Last Thursday, City Council unanimously passed a resolution authorizing voter approval 5 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 before any Philadelphia Public School can be turned over to private management. The resolution requires a change in the City Charter. In August, the Governor hired Edison Schools, Inc., at a cost of $2.7 million to undertake a 60-day review of the Philadelphia system and to make recommendations. According to the Memo of Understanding signed by the Governor and Mayor Street, the Governor will then decide on a plan for fixing the schools and will present it to the Mayor. If the Mayor and the Governor cannot agree on the strategy by the end of October, the State will automatically take over the District's management. The Edison report is due at the end of this week and is still too earlier to tell how Governor Ridge's appointment to by President Bush to head the new cabinet level Department of Home Land Security will affect the possible State takeover and the future role of Edison Schools in our school system. I met with Edison on Friday, and they were prepared and agreed to send some representatives to today's hearing. This morning we received a call -- we, meaning my office -- that Edison will not be able to send anyone here today. 6 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 They, in fact, said all of their key people were called to Harrisburg in an emergency meeting. So I just need to let everyone know that no one here today will be representing Edison Schools, Inc. Community groups and education advocates throughout the City have announced a formation of a coalition of opposing both a State takeover of the District and any involvement by Edison, the nation's largest for-profit school manager in our cities. The Edison opponents contends that the District's troubles are largely due to inadequate State and City funds and that privatization will not provide a quick fix. The coalition contends that Edison has a questionable track record both financially and educationally. Edison contends that its detractors have not gotten to know Edison and its mission to provide world-class education with kids. Edison contends that despite the group's criticisms, it has a very impressive track record in improving troubled schools and that it will be releasing a report audited by the Rand Corporation, a nonpartisan research foundation, this week on its educational results around the country. These facts are our challenge and our 7 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 opportunity today. Let us use our time well. Before we begin, Councilman Ortiz also has opening remarks.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Throughout history, this nation, United States of America, even from its very beginnings in a letter that John Adams writes to Abigail Adams in terms of how the Republic shall be formed and what the priorities of the Republic shall be. He sizes that letter among the two priorities. The second priority being education, that whatever investment needs to be made in education -- and he used the words of those times because obviously people of our color were not included in education, but he did say the lower classes -- to bring the lower classes into the aspect of building the nation. And he said whatever the cost in order for the Republic to survive, that cost has to be met. And through the years, and those of us who are either grown or have come to the United States by other means and been immigrants -- my family came here when I was very, very small and I attended the lower east side public schools in New 8 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 York City. And even though there were barriers put before us and tracking systems that were established, the one thing that always kept us in line and believing, because our mothers believed it, was that education was the one vehicle and that the government would provide that and no matter whether you were rich, very rich, there was always going to be the public system to ensure a certain equality. Immigrants have come to the shore, Italians, Irish, and they all have enjoyed that privilege and the American dream recited in those lessons that we were taught. I know I have my teachers, Mrs. Bloom, Ms. Wicowski, you can always, any kid, can name you some teacher, Mr. Rickett, who had an impact, some impact on your direction later on in life. And there were teachers who were dedicated and did their job. Schools were not seen as a corporate system in order to make profit. They were seen as a vehicle to educate and make citizens that would create and build a Republic. That dream is being deferred to us. That dream is not being kept to this generation of kids who live in urban areas, mostly black and brown. And now, they don't say to you like John 9 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Adams said to Abigail in that sense that we will make any investment whatever the cost. They say to you, "You know, we just cannot keep on putting money in the system." Well, they keep putting money into the prison system, the judicial system. They keep on growing and growing and making more and more institutions that are crowded with our young, black and brown. For those systems, there is a tunnel of money to be put in. Reading, writing, and arithmetic, three things. You need schools that are up to the age, so we got to build new schools in Philadelphia. We can't just tolerate the Sheppards, the Reads and so on down the line. As citizens, we cannot tolerate that. We cannot tolerate a Governor who tells us that we have to tolerate that. (Applause.)

We cannot tolerate representatives and a legislature that tells us we have to do that. And we cannot tolerate a legislature and people who want to balkinize Philadelphia school kids. (Applause.)

In 1954, a united 10 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Supreme Court said that separate but equal was not equal. You could not have a Northwest school system, you could not have a West Philadelphia school system, you could not have a South Philly school system. You cannot divide the kids of this City. You have to have one public school system. Public, underlined, public. (Applause.)

And money is a very big part of the answer. And whoever tells you that it isn't is because they have it. (Applause.)

They have it. We don't need the Edison project to come in and tell us what's wrong with our public schools. Teachers tell you every day, principals tell you every day. Doris Smith put a panel together and told us that a couple of years ago. We need new schools, teachers that are paid well, paid well; we need to pay teachers well. (Applause.)

For that, you need money. We need classrooms with kids that have books, books for every subject matter. We need 11 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 computers in every school room of this City. We need teachers with kids per class. 4 (Applause.) 5

And we need music and 6 we need art. 7 (Applause.) 8

They're not luxuries. 9 When I was growing up in the lower east side in 10 tenements, if I had wanted to play a violin, I would 11 have had one to take home with me. We need and we 12 have a responsibility. We have abdicated on the 13 dialog of an education. The pity of it is that the 14 dialog on education on this City has not been on the 15 front burner. The City is not discussing this, the 16 citizens are not discussing this. In fact, we went 17 to court to try to prevent the takeover of the 18 parking authority. Give me a break. Patronage is 19 more important than public education. It isn't. It 20 can't be. We cannot abdicate to the Governor and to the State Legislature to find an answer for this. We had to fight and we got to fight and we got to unite. And we got to tell our Mayor, you can't negotiate this in the back rooms. You cannot negotiate this without of having the parents and the 12 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 citizens of Philadelphia having a say in the process. You cannot privatize without us having a say in the process. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you, Councilman. Councilwoman Blackwell.

Good afternoon, everyone. Let me thank the Chair of this committee and all those who work with her, her staff and certainly members in the community who have been dealing with the issue, the Veronica Joyners, the Bivens and others who have been fighting hard to try to do the best for public education for as long as I can remember. And when Councilman Ortiz mentioned Doris Smith, I'm reminded of her battle over the years, one for full day kindergarten which we now have, and for her filing a court and having the courts determine that the board has to have a plan that addresses factors including parental development, professional development of teachers, educational improvement, deseg strategies, safety, accountability and educational achievements. So 13 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 that means test scores, teacher training, deseg of all schools having the access to the equal and proper equipment including books, et cetera, were demanded by the courts years ago. And certainly, when we raise questions to Edison and any other interested people on education should be, we raise the points and repeated some she mentioned about safety and security, violence in schools, issues including test scores and maintenance of school buildings as well as the fiscal management and, et cetera, et cetera. So again, these hearings are much needed and are right on time. And we are hopeful that the record will reflect one so that all interested in public education will come forward and to have an open discussion with us about their views, what they see, and what we can do certainly to improve education in this City for our school children. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell. Before we begin to call on those individuals that are going to testify, I'd just like to make a comment that many City Councilmembers have children in public schools. So I just wanted to 14 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 make sure that you knew that. Many of us have children, nieces, nephews, et cetera. So this is really, really a very important issue to us. We're going to start our testifiers off with the Secretary of Education, Ms. Debra Kahn. For those who have never testified before, the table in the middle is where you will come when we call your panel up. We'll have one of the Sergeant-at-Arms show you how to use the mike. And you have to speak into the mike and identification, spell your name if you think it's difficult to spell, and you can use any other identifying information you'd like to go on record. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Kahn. Welcome.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. My name is Debra Kahn and I am the Secretary of Education for the City of Philadelphia. I really don't have any formal testimony here today. I'm here at the invitation of Chairwoman Councilwoman Miller but I am, of course, very interested and happy to be here with the members of the committee. I will be pleased to answer any questions that you might have. But really mostly I'm just here to 15 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 listen and to learn. I think this is an important part of our process, and having this public hearing at this time will be valuable to all us. Councilwoman Miller made reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between Mayor Street and Governor Ridge, and we are, of course, very much in the midst of the time period covered by that MOU. We are right now awaiting a meeting, actually, in light of the most recent events that we hope will be set up very shortly among Governor Ridge, Lieutenant Governor Schweiker and Mayor Street. This Saturday would mark September 29th which would be the date by which the Governor and the Commonwealth are supposed to be submitting to the Mayor, to the City, the plan or their proposed plan for addressing as the MOU reads the financial and educational challenges of the School District. And so I don't know yet as I sit here when this meeting will take place, but we certainly hope that it will be soon. I want to remind and reiterate that Edison Schools was, of course, not selected by the Mayor. It was chosen by the Governor, and it was our position that they would have the opportunity to choose whoever they felt that they needed to find 16 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 out whatever information they think that they needed to find out about our school district. But still, this Administration, our Administration, is committed to seeing this process that we've begun to see it through. I also want to emphasis again and repeat for the record, no decisions have been made on the part of our Administration as to what the outcome will be. We are very much keeping an open mind and not pre-judging any outcome. And really, our judgments will be made once we see this report, once we have an opportunity to look and to consider and to understand what proposals are being made of us. And it's at that time that we will start to make our judgments, not based on who's writing the report, but really on the content of the report. So until then, we're remaining flexible and open in considering our options and urging again really very much as Councilwoman Blackwell and Councilman Ortiz had indicated trying to focus on not so much on who runs our schools, but on why we run them and what we need in our schools. And I don't think any of us could agree more that we do need the whole array of what you talked about, decent quality buildings, 17 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 certainly smaller classes, up-to-date instructional materials, qualified teachers and enough teachers and enough principals and qualified well-trained personnel. These are the things that our kids need regardless of what that management and governance structure might be. So having said that, I am looking forward to hearing from the members of the community who are here who will share their thoughts and their ideas about how we should proceed in this process.

Thank you, Ms. Kahn. I have a question. Are you aware of any date deadline changes in light of Governor Ridge's new appointment?

Nothing official on that has really been determined. And I really do think that we need to await that meeting among Mayor Street, Governor Ridge, and Lieutenant Governor Schweiker before we can really comment on that.

Has that been scheduled, that meeting?

Not to my knowledge, not yet. The Mayor did speak with Governor Ridge and Lieutenant Governor Schweiker on Friday and I spoke 18 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 with him again day and we're waiting. The Governor had said that he would take the initiative to set that up.

Do you know if it is correct, it was stated in I believe Saturday's paper that Governor Ridge wanted to fast forward discussions prior to his leaving on October 5.

I read that also, but we have not been advised of that directly.

Okay. Thank you. Councilwoman Blondel Reynolds-Brown.

Good afternoon, Secretary Kahn. Are you using the word "report" and "plan" interchangeably? It was my understanding that we would be receiving a report on the findings which then presumably lay the groundwork for a proposed plan.

I'm glad you asked that. I actually think I probably was falling into the trap of using those interchangeably and should not have been. What we will be receiving is a proposed plan from the Governor. Whether or not Edison prepares any kind of final report or something, that is really an issue between Edison Schools and the 19 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Commonwealth as their client and that really is not something of which we have any involvement or any knowledge or ownership, certainly, if such a report exist. But you're right, and I thank you for asking that. What we will be getting is the proposed plan, which obviously will be based on some of the work and some of the findings, but it is not actually a report if in fact there is a final report, which I have no knowledge of. That's something you would need to ask of Edison and the Commonwealth.

To follow-up on Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller's question regarding deadlines, for clarity purposes state the deadlines as you know them to be at this hour.

As written in the Memorandum of Understanding, September 29th is the deadline by which the Governor would need to submit to the City his proposed plan. And October 29th is the deadline at which point we would have to have negotiated some agreement on a plan that we would pursue jointly, the Governor and the Mayor reach an agreement on that. And if that is not possible, if we cannot come to terms by midnight or 11:59 on October 29th, 20 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 it would be at that point which the Commonwealth agreed that they would step in and completely run the Philadelphia Public Schools.

One other final point for clarification, we learned of what's called a Phase I. That's Phase I for Edison. That goes up to and including October 29?

That language, I believe, does not appear at all in the Memorandum of Understanding. That is language that is referenced in the contract, in the Commonwealth's contract with Edison Schools. I have that contract, but I honestly don't remember whether that was through September 29th or October 29th. I honestly just don't remember. I'd have to check the contract on that. Again, that had nothing to do -- was not in any way an agreement with the City or with the Administration. That's language that was used between the Governor and Edison.

And then finally, once this proposed plan is presented to the School District, does it then become optional or require implementation on our behalf? Or is that 21 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 what will be up for negotiation?

That's exactly what would be up for negotiation or would be the topic of discussion between the Governor's Administration and the City and the School District.

Thank you, secretary. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Councilman Ortiz and then Councilman Nutter and Councilman Cohen.

Secretary, this plan that is going to be submitted to you and the Mayor, you said you had a misunderstanding that it is a plan that is going to be submitted, the Governor is going to give you a plan for the school system of Philadelphia, right?

His proposed plan.

His proposed plan. And then you either accept it or not accept it?

It was always understood that we would then have a 30-day period of negotiation.

Did you have any plans at all to submit this plan to the people of Philadelphia and to the parents in public schools? 22 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 (Applause.)

And were you going to be able to take those feelings and those opinions as decisive in essence as to whether we should abdicate our responsibility or struggle on to really get a public school system that is funded, equitably funded, by the State of Pennsylvania? Or any plans to go to the people that have their kids in the public schools?

I think that it's very important that we know what the public thinks and what its criteria would be in judging and evaluating a plan because I think that would be helpful to us.

Madam Secretary, in order to be able to decide whether you're going to submit something, you don't need to determine what the criteria of the Governor is. He has a plan. It should be submitted to the people of Philadelphia, the parents of the public schools. (Applause.)

I did not say the criteria of the Governor. I said what criteria the people in this room and others like them, other parents, would think would be important. It's not as though we're 23 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 starting from ground zero. We already have a lot of information about what the public and the parents of the children in the City think about what should be in their schools. We went through a whole empowerment planing process where they told us loud and clear what they wanted in their public schools. And so we start with that base of information.

Madam Secretary, if I may, we know -- I think we know what's needed in the public schools. I don't think this quantum theory about parallel universes that we're talking about -- it is reading, writing, and arithmetic, and we need to be able to have smaller schools, books, and a system that gives teachers a salary that they can live on. That needs money. I don't care how you cut it. It needs money at least from the City, some of it, parts of it, and a lot from the State. (Applause.)

You won't have any disagreement with me on the fact that some plan that's a real solution will require money.

Again, we're trying to sell people that there's a magic bullet somewhere that we're going to put in here and that's going to 24 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 solve our problem. Edison is not a solution to our problem no matter how much they say it is. (Applause.)

Actually, Councilman, I'm not trying to sell people on any kind of magic bullet because I believe that this is actually very tough, difficult work that does not get solved very quickly. I need to point out, though, that any agreement that would be made between the Governor and the Mayor would ultimately certainly require legislative approval on the part of both the General Assembly and the City Council, because as you rightly point out, any agreement would involve more funding, and again, by both the Commonwealth and the City of Philadelphia. So clearly, that is one mechanism for sure where there will be built in plenty of opportunity to get public input.

Thank you, Councilman Ortiz. Councilman Cohen.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Is it true, Secretary Kahn, that the 25 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Mayor of the City of Philadelphia proposed that the agreement between himself and the Governor include a provision that the State take over the public schools?

The Mayor said that if we could not reach an agreement, there ought to be a date certain by which we would know that the Commonwealth would in fact step in to exercise its constitutional responsibilities to deliver public education in Philadelphia.

I find it shameful that a Mayor of the City of Philadelphia would consider surrendering the Philadelphia Public School System to anybody else. (Applause.)

Well, Councilman, we find it shameful that we would have to locally be solely responsible for delivering public education in Philadelphia without adequate resources to do it and then continuously have all of us criticized, including City Council and including members of the Administration --

The Mayor has had a mechanism available to him through which to obtain 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 sufficient funding. The Governor is frightened to death about it. They bargained about it and that's the lawsuit that the Mayor withdrew. (Applause.)

The Governor was very anxious, he's very worried about the lawsuit because he knows it's a very sound lawsuit and it is very likely that the City would win it. And it's the Mayor, against the will of the people, who said, "I'll agree to withhold the lawsuit." If the Mayor pursued the lawsuit, we would have a quick remedy to the financial situation. (Applause.)

For the record, the lawsuit remains alive. But the fact of the matter is --

No, it's not. It stays in a state of remission. The Mayor has agreed that if there is no agreement between him and the Governor, the people of the Philadelphia are totally excluded from this by the Mayor's agreement. The Mayor is prepared to turn over the whole public school system to the State and the State is prepared to turn it over to Edison. That's the deal, and that's a shameful deal. 27 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 (Applause.)

Secretary Kahn, you stated a moment ago that part of the agreement is between the Governor and Edison. That agreement, that 2 million and more that's given to Edison for the so-called study is State money, Philadelphia taxpayers have contributed to that money. There can be nothing secret between the Governor and Edison when public funds are involved. (Applause.)

Excuse me, Councilman. I did not say that that was part of the agreement. It is not part of the agreement. There is a contract independent of this agreement between the Commonwealth and Edison Schools involving the amount of funds that would be paid to Edison. There is no 18 reference at all in the Memorandum of Understanding to Edison Schools.

You know, this effort, this agreement between the Governor and the Mayor is the worst kind of agreement I've ever seen in public life. (Applause.)

What this agreement 28 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 does is to make the effort to remove the public entirely from the public school system and to turn it over to a for-profit corporation that probably has a bigger deficit than the Philadelphia Public School System itself. (Applause.)

You know that when the Edison Company met with City Council in caucus that the owner, the major force, Mr. Whittle of Edison agreed that it made a profit selling stock. When I asked him is it true the report we had that while your company may have lost money, you made as much as a hundred million dollars on the sale of stock of your company? He said the number is erroneous. Otherwise, it is true. Maybe I underestimated the amount of profit he made. And you want us as Philadelphians to give up our public school system, take the public out of the system, and let this corporation run it for profit? That makes absolutely no sense, and privatization must be considered a dead issue when it comes to the public schools. (Applause.)

Thank you, Madam 29 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Chair.

Thank you, Councilman Cohen. Councilman Nutter.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Ms. Kahn, let me to go back to one of your responses to Councilman Ortiz's questions. I think you made reference to the contract between Edison and the State. Did you refer to that in a response to a question raised by Councilman Ortiz? You said you needed to check a provision of some contract. Do you recall that?

I believe it was to Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.

Did you make reference to that?

Yes, I did.

Could you forward a copy of the contract that you made reference to the Chair of the committee, please?

Sure.

And is that the contract between the Edison and the State? 30 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Correct. It's a public document.

If you could forward that to the Chair, I'd appreciate it. Let me go back to one of the other questions that was raised. I'm not sure if I took down the answer correctly. What is the process or the procedure for parents and citizens and taxpayers to have input into the development of this plan for the City schools.

Well, as I indicated, first and foremost, any agreement that could be reached would have to be approved in effect in whole or in part by both legislative bodies, both the General Assembly and City Council. So there would be, certainly, a mechanism there built in. Whether it's through an appropriations hearing or whatever it might be --

I don't want to interrupt you, but I do want to stop you right at this point as we have the ongoing Q and A. What you just laid out sounds like a process that says, an agreement is reached, the results of which then would come to the respective 31 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 legislative bodies at that point for our approval or disapproval, but I didn't hear about participation in the development of such a plan before it became a final plan. That's what I want to know about. (Applause.)

I want to know what's going on in the time period and where that group of citizens and constituency, what is their input, what is their access, what is their role prior to an agreement being reached between the Chief Executive of Philadelphia and the Chief Executive of the State and the resulting document coming for our subsequent approval?

That process, whatever it might be, has not yet been worked out. We need to see what forum, what the content is. We just simply don't know. And the fact is that we will need to digest what it is that the Governor presents to us, to have a discussion about it so that we understand the premises that it's based on, what the thinking behind it is, and what its implications might be. We will also need to be discussing with the Governor what arrangements we can make to have some sharing with the public and to find out what the public 32 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 views are. However, I would a say that it would be at a forum like this, a hearing like this, where I think we can get a head start. I've already been told that we don't necessarily need to wait and see what the proposal would be from the Commonwealth. Well, I think at a hearing like this today, we could start to get ideas, certainly. And people have been going around the City and hearing for a while now or in public meetings and community meetings and we can today start to hear what people think is important, what they think might work, what wouldn't work, and we can start to collect that information. That's why I started my testimony today by saying I was here to listen and learn.

Well, I appreciate that. You said that we would have to ask the Governor what amount of input or involvement citizens could have before we could decide what it might be?

I think this is a process. This will be a complicated difficult process, and I certainly think that if we're going to be fair and have a chance of working out an agreement, we would certainly want to discuss these issues with the 33 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Governor and his Administration.

Well, aside from hearing from the citizens what their concerns and what their thoughts are, again, I'd like to try to stay focused on what's generally been called the plan. Figuring out what's going to happen in the schools is not a new thing for the School District. You have a variety of methods of communicating with people about processes and procedures, new educational initiatives and the like. I mean, that's not really new to us. Why do we need something specially crafted under this circumstance?

You mean a special process?

Yes.

Well, that was actually my point earlier, that I didn't think we were starting from ground zero, that we had regular communication with parents, with members of the community. There are, as you point out, built-in organizations and mechanisms and so I think we do already have a pretty good idea what people want in their schools. I will have to tell you, we don't even know what level of detail this proposal, this plan, will be presented to us at. So it's a little bit 34 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 hard to speculate exactly about what kind of level of involvement on the part of the public there will be when we're not sure exactly what we will be presented with. So I just think we will have to take this process step by step and see what unfolds.

I guess part of the concern about that is that while the general public is kind of sitting and watching and waiting, other people are talking, meeting, and deciding. And once they talk and meet and decide on the front end, it's very difficult to effectuate any change on the back end. If you haven't been a part of the process, you are left out. (Applause.)

At least on the part of the City Administration and the School District, that statement is not really correct yet because this period has been since the time of the Memorandum of Understanding went into effect in the beginning of August, I guess it was, this has been a process wherein Edison Schools on behalf of the Governor has come in to gather information from the City and the School District. And the role of the City and School District has not been discussing and 35 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 deciding; the role of the City and the School District during this period has been gathering information, responding to inquiries, arranging interviews, setting up the meetings and the like and not making decisions and prejudging outcomes.

So the plan comes in and then if we kind of suspend reality for a second and act like Governor Ridge is not leaving, the original proposal was he would send something to the Mayor and then he and the Mayor would negotiate over what that was; and if they couldn't reach agreement by October 29th, the State would take over. Do I have the sequence of events correct?

Correct.

What will the City's position be? What's the City's proposal as it relates to how they'd like to see things function here in Philadelphia?

We've said that we believe that schools, local schools, ought to remain under some form of local control, that that's what's really best. But we would not continue a process or continue an arrangement whereby we continue to be solely responsible for operating the public schools 36 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 without what I think we would all agree are sufficient resources to get the job done in a way that we all want to see it done.

So whether it's over a 30-day period or about a half hour, if the discussion starts with that particular statement and the Governor says, whether it's Governor Ridge or soon-to-be Governor Schweiker, "Couldn't agree more, very interesting concept, the answer is I'm not giving you any significant dollars to address the issues that you've raised." They part company nicely. I mean, that's pretty much the end of the discussion and they can just wait the other 29 days until the 29th gets there and then the State takes over; is that accurate?

Again, I don't want to speculate on what every step of this process will be, but I've got a feeling it would be more than a half hour's worth of discussion. I mean, if in fact this is a serious proposal --

Half hour or 29 days. If at the end of the 30-day period, if that is the answer, is that what happens?

If in our judgment we don't 37 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 believe that the ingredients that we think -- if we go back to what the goals are -- to seriously address the financial and educational challenges of the School District for the long-term, if we don't believe that the ingredients are there to make that happen, then we don't see how we can agree to a course of action.

Okay. The State takes over; then what happens? (Applause.)

It depends how it gets done. If the Commonwealth invokes Act 46, there is a procedure and governance structure that's established by Act 46.

I'm going to ask the same question. And then what happens? What's the result of that? What does that get us?

That would not necessarily certainly be a great day, and that's an understatement, in the City of Philadelphia. But the fact of the matter is, we don't see how we can continue the arrangement that we have right now.

Okay. Last question. Your statement has consistently been that 38 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 there's no deal reached or agreed to at the moment, and we'll leave it at that. If subsequent to October 29th, if somehow some way a contract is initiated or effected with Edison and they're to get part or all of the School District to operate, what happens, given some of the unusual circumstances both prior to September 11th and certainly afterwards, what happens if Edison starts having financial problems?

I'm certainly not --

What does that mean? I understand that presently they have a deficit. I understand that; that's in all their materials. The conventional wisdom seems to be that a contract here in Philadelphia will take them in accounting terms from the red to the black. At a subsequent point in time if they were to start having either financial problems, serious decline in their stock price as they've experienced in the course of this year with close to two-thirds decline in their stock price, if they continue to have financial problems, what happens to their relationship with Philadelphia?

The Philadelphia School District already has contracts with -- I don't even 39 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 know what the number is -- hundreds of whether they're suppliers or vendors or contractors or providers of service. And while I can't speak to the details of those contracts --

Well, I understand that, but none of them run the schools. We can buy toilet paper from just about anybody.

There are certainly contracts that go beyond just supplying toilet paper.

I understand that.

And I'm not in a position right now to lay out what the terms of a contract would be. But I think the thing to keep in mind is if there is any type of arrangement like this again, whether it's with Edison Schools or anyone else, there would be protections. There would have to be. There would be certain provisions that would be built in. One of the things that Philadelphia could potentially benefit from is having a lot of models out there across the country. And again, that's something and information that would be interesting to bring to this Chamber in the form of a hearing like this how those contracts are structured, how it is that we can look and learn and benefit from those 40 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 experiences.

Well, I guess my closing comment will be we have a fair number of models right here in Philadelphia. Some of them are -- I guess some of the products of those various models, some of them are sitting at this table right now. (Applause.)

And so whether it's people from the academies or, you know, Central Girls High, Masterman, Lincoln, a wide variety of schools throughout the City, some of them aren't doing too bad themselves and actually are in some quarters the envy of other parts of the Commonwealth. I mean, it's not like we're sitting down here as bait waiting to be taken by somebody.

I'm the last person who would say that. And one of the points that I think we have made over and over, Edison, and I know that I make this point wherever I go and whatever groups I speak to, the emphasis is always on the negative in the Philadelphia Public Schools rather than a good deal of the positive that we have going for us. And I couldn't agree more that it's time that people 41 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 also focused on that and learn from those experiences just like we can learn from a range of experiences.

At what point -- you said the 29th is the date that the contract or the proposal comes from the Governor to the City, is that correct?

Correct.

Based on the current timetable?

Correct.

And at what point is that shared with the public?

I don't know yet.

I'm sorry?

I don't know yet.

Is there a reason why it wouldn't be shared on the 30th or the afternoon of the 29th?

I don't know yet.

When would you know or why don't you know? Is there a secret?

No, there's no secret. As I said earlier, we would need opportunity to digest 42 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 it, to understand it. I don't think it's going to be something that's very simple, and we would need the opportunity to do that. And we think that we have a responsibility --

I understand that.

We have a responsibility to do that.

You're going to do that anyway. The question revolves more around why would it then not be shared with the public?

It's just not something I'm prepared to say right now.

Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councilman Nutter. Councilman Goode.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, Secretary Kahn.

Good afternoon.

I think clearly what you're hearing today from members of this committee and members of Council is that the Memorandum of Understanding that was developed from the meeting in 43 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 July, they don't feel party to. I think what you will hear from members of the community represented here today is that they also don't feel party to that agreement. And I will be very brief in my remarks to allow people from the community at large to speak. But I want to take it out of that Memorandum of Understanding for a second. Put Edison to the side, put the state government to the side. What is the Administration's formal position on the privatization of educational services?

We don't think that it's either necessarily and automatically all good or all bad. I think that it's just way too broad a question to look at in that way as either or, or black and white. I think there are a whole range of models, a whole range of arrangements that could be made under that very broad heading, and I think that we need to consider all options.

What is your personal position on privatization of educational services?

My personal position?

And assuming the Secretary of Education, knowing the financial and academic crisis, having previously served on the 44 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 school board and obviously being deeply involved in this issue, was privatization something that is part of your philosophical mind-set? Is it something that you accept as an alternative, as an option? Where do you stand on privatization?

As we said previously, I think that there are number of things in this school district that we don't get enough credit for. We have a lot of successes and I have consistently thought that this school district and continue to think is undervalued for what it does every day on behalf of kids and for what teachers and principals do every day. And there's a lot that good that goes on in our public schools. (Applause.)

I think we need to learn from that. I also think by the same token there are a number of things that we don't seem to do so well and that it is very frustrating that we continue to get the kind of results that we get. I think that money is a big part of that, but I don't think that in all cases it's the sole reason. Therefore, I am personally not opposed to trying new arrangements as long as they reach certain criteria of equity, that 45 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 they have the ingredients in them that we believe from a research standpoint, from an experience standpoint makes sense are the ingredients that we need to improve our public schools.

Let me be a little bit more specific then. Let's talk about specific proposals. Even before Edison became involved, even before the Memorandum of Understanding with the State, there were proposals in South Philadelphia and in West Oak Lane by Kenny Gamble and by Representative Dwight Evans to pursue similar type courses. What was the Administration's position on those proposals? Is the Administration continuing to review those proposals? How did you feel about those proposals? That's before the Memorandum of Understanding and that's before Edison came into play.

Our position was that we ought to talk to people, we ought to listen to them, we ought to hear what their ideas are because if we're sincerely interested in improving educational outcomes and opportunities for students, then we have an obligation and a responsibility to hear people who come to us from the community who say -- 46 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 and in the case of Universal, for example, it was the community that came, saying that we want to do things a different way and a better way. And so we think that we absolutely had an opportunity to listen and learn and explore.

I understand the line of thinking that you commend their efforts, you commend their involvement. But I'm saying beyond commending their contribution, did you evaluate the proposals?

There wasn't enough specificity at that point. And we were starting -- and they kept going back to the drawing board and coming back and looking at some more specific things. And then we got into this timetable with the MOU, so we really said, "Listen, we can't make any agreements or agree to take any steps or finalize anything right now outside of that.

Well, have you asked them to be more specific in their proposals?

There had been over the course of -- and I honestly don't remember what the time period was.

I'm going to have to 47 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 request a direct answer to that one. Have you or have you not asked them to be more specific in their proposals?

Not since this time period of the MOU began. Prior to that, I know that they had been working on more specific proposals. But I have personally not had any involvement with that since the period of this MOU.

Let me jump back to the MOU then. Let's put the State back into this. If on October 29th Governor Schweiker says that he's going to go along with the plan that includes Edison and Universal Companies in South Philadelphia and includes Edison and Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation and Representative Dwight Evans and West Oak Lane, would the Administration be against that and will the Administration prepare to respond to that knowing that those proposals that were on the table before the Memorandum of Understanding and before Edison came into play?

The Administration would not be automatically opposed to or in favor of those proposals because we have not seen specific enough proposals yet to evaluate them. We don't know what 48 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 the financing of those is, we don't know what --

You don't think that those are proposals that are coming?

I'm sorry?

I don't think I have this great vision, and I can see that those are possible proposals Edison will look to teaming up with proposals that were on the table before the Memorandum of Understanding. My question is why wouldn't the Administration be looking at those areas specifically, not waiting for Edison, not waiting for the state government to say anything about what they think should happen, but knowing those are two live proposals on the table that Edison might be pursuing and wanting to know what's going to happen if those two proposals are put into effect, and maybe put into effect within the next 30 to 45 days.

First of all, the West Oak Lane proposal, my understanding is they're not anywhere near the level of detail that would constitute an official proposal right now. And as I said to you, I personally just don't know at what level of detail the Universal proposal stands right 49 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 now, I just honestly don't.

So you won't be shocked when it happens on October 29th? Or you will be shocked?

I'm not sure what the "it" is. If you're saying that you think that --

If Edison is going to move in and partner with some community partners in Philadelphia, you don't think that those are among the top partners that they would choose to do business with?

They may or may not. And I don't know that I would consider it, at least in the case of -- obviously Universal has been talking to them for a long time and that might be the case. In the other case, I don't necessarily know that that's true.

So you take the wait-and-see attitude on everything?

No. What I am saying to you is on October 29th if it's an agreement that we're going -- if it's an arrangement that we would be agreeing to, we would know the terms of that proposal and what that arrangement would be. 50 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

It still sounds like a wait-and-see attitude. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councilman Goode. Councilman Cohen.

I'd like again to refer to the briefing that took place between members of City Council and Edison. When asked by members of City Council what are the changes that Edison might propose based on its so-called experience over some years, what are the major features of the Edison program, after hemming and hawing for about 10 or 15 minutes, finally, the only answer given by Mr. Whittle was that he would expand the length of reading classes and he would cut them down in size to about 15 pupils. Now, we've known that all along, haven't we? I don't find anything remarkable about that. And I find that in Judge Doris Smith's opinion in the Commonwealth Court clear outlines of the kind of things that people in the school system have spoken about as necessary to get the level of performance that all schools that some of the other schools that were mentioned 51 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 already had. Now, what's so remarkable about Edison that anyone would take them seriously? Could I ask you that, Ms. Kahn? (Applause.)

Again, I wasn't at that briefing so I can't speak specifically about what went on there. But knowing and doing are two different things. And I hear a lot of educators say that they know what to do, but nevertheless somehow we don't always do it. And I'm not saying that Edison or someone else always does it. But I do think that it would behoove us and that it is our responsibility to listen and to watch and to observe and to see, not just what Edison Schools, but what other public school districts do, what other providers do. I think we always have to be in a mode of trying to do things better. And we also need to learn more from within our own system. We have schools, and not just the schools that people laud, the magnet schools and those schools; we have neighborhood schools that are consistently doing a good job day after day, year and year, and we need to do a better job of learning from those schools. Now, having said that, I've heard that before and 52 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 you've probably heard that before. And there continues to be a real frustration as why that doesn't consistently happen across the system. And maybe somebody has a better way of managing a system or parts of a system or some schools to make that happen. I don't know yet. We're still in the process of looking at that. But I do know that I feel a deep sense of responsibility to our kids to do everything we can and not get caught up in labels or anything else, to do anything that we can to provide the opportunities and the advantages that if someone tells me they can do that, I know I have a responsibility to look into it.

Of course, Mr. Whittle doesn't even say they'll do that. What he says is the same thing that the public school system says. He says that among the groups they are responsible for, they have some very fine schools and they have some very low-achieving schools and they have some schools in between. Sounds to me very much like the report we get about Philadelphia schools. (Applause.)

Mr. Whittle did not 53 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 claim any particular ability to reform the schools that were at the bottom level. He said they were disappointing as our schools that maybe have bottom-level performance are disappointing to us. With respect to the main issue that seems to override everything, finances, I find that bewildering that we're choosing Edison. Last year Edison lost $35 million in that one year and that's by their own statements. They have less or approximately, let's say, giving them the benefit of the doubt, about one-third of the number of pupils that the Philadelphia Public School System has. I don't know of any single year in which the Philadelphia Public School System had a deficit of over a hundred million. And if you take the size of the two groups of pupils involved in Edison and the Philadelphia Public Schools, that's what Edison's deficit would be. So I don't know how you can bring them in to handle financial problems. They're going to need the same money that the Philadelphia Public Schools are going to need. (Applause.)

I think what we're seeing is not a bailout of the Philadelphia Public 54 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Schools, but a bailout of the Edison Company which has serious financial problems. (Applause.)

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Secretary Kahn.

Thank you.

Does anyone have any further questions of Debra Kahn? Thank you, Debra. The next panel we have is Dr. Karin Bevins, Education Director of the NAACP; Veronica Joyner, Executive Director of Parents United for Better Schools; Edward Schwartz, Institute for Civic Values. Please come to the table.

Good afternoon, City Council representatives, students, parents, community organizations, and citizens. I am Veronica Joyner and I'm a teacher and the president and founder of Parents United for Better Schools, Incorporated, a nonprofit multiracial parent advocacy corporation based in Germantown, Philadelphia. I am also of the chief administrative 55 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 officer of one of the largest charter schools in the State of Pennsylvania, the Mathematics Civics and Sciences Charter School of Philadelphia. I am a product of the Philadelphia Public School, graduating from Kensington High School for Girls in 1968. I thank you for taking the time to come here today. I thought you needed to have some input in what was going on in terms of our schools in Philadelphia. I wrote a letter to Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller and Jannie Blackwell requesting that public hearings be held. The purpose of the public hearing today is to give you the opportunity to speak, to listen, and take action. I hope that you will make your statements brief and to the point. Please try to give solutions if you can. Public schools as we know them started as common schools in Massachusetts. They later became what is now known as public schools. Public schools provide an opportunity for poor children to be educated free. Philadelphia has had public schools run by our local government since the 1800s. Today we are faced with a very serious problem: School funding, or in this case, under-funding. 56 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 There are 210,000 children in grades K through attending Philadelphia Public Schools. The question is how do we fund schools with a budget deficit of $216 million? I'd hope the question would be answered through the lawsuit on fair funding. However, an agreement between Governor Ridge and Mayor Street agreed to a moratorium to hold off on that suit. Parents United for Better Schools is a part of that suit. We know our public schools, due to lack of funding, had to cut music, art, vocational education, and many principals had to decide between a police officer in the school or a school library. Our children cannot achieve academically due to a serious teacher shortage, lack of textbooks and school supplies. The problem is money and color. The schools are populated with low-income minority children. It is obvious to me that our leadership don't think our children are worth it. Well, I do. (Applause.)

The spending of the Philadelphia School District is a problem. We need City Council to amend the City Charter allowing it the power to oversee the monies that are allocated. 57 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Presently, City Council can only pass the budget, not tell the School District how to spend the money. The question before City Council today is privatization. Do we privatize Philadelphia Public Schools? No. No. No. 7 (Applause.)

To privatize to a for-profit management corporation such as Edison to manage our schools and privatize means that Edison will be making money on the backs of our school children. (Applause.)

Their motive is to turn a profit. How? Cutting more programs, increasing class sizes, hiring new inexperienced teachers for less money and providing no staff development, reducing school supplies, not providing for special needs children due to cost. This will allow business-minded people that are not educators to run our schools and make decisions on education issues based on how much money it will cut into their budgets. There are many, many complaints from educators and parents regarding privatization. 58 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Edison is not an option. Edison's track record in Minneapolis, in Wichita, Kansas; Lansing, Michigan; Dallas, Texas; Wayne County, North Carolina is not impressive. According to the information gathered by Philadelphia Children and Youth and Agents United, Edison have been asked to leave these states due to failing schools, increased budgets at the contracts that were signed and agreed upon were unable to be kept. Edison could not continue leaving schools academically failing and increasing taxes and cost counties in north Nevada, for example, taxpayers have to pay Edison more than $8 million in overhead in addition to the 35 to $38 million to operate 7 schools. Privatization did not work for any of the school districts I've mentioned. In fact, the for-profit group Edison presently has a budget deficit larger than the school district it's preparing to take over. (Applause.)

We don't want this for our children. And that is why Parents United for Better Schools and the 20,000 parents I represent in Philadelphia say no to privatization. Thank you. (Applause.) 59 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Good afternoon, City Council Councilmembers. Good afternoon to the audience and to the media. My name is Karin C. Bivens. I'm the Education Chair or the Philadelphia Branch of the NAACP. I have divided into the problem and recommendations. The Education Committee of the Philadelphia Branch of the NAACP is concerned about the State's unequal funding of the School District of Philadelphia and other school districts around the State. In Philadelphia the public schools are almost 80 percent African-American and minority. Most of the schools in predominately African-American areas are from 60 to 100 years of age or older and in deteriorating condition. Many of the schools in the northeast part of e City are 40 years of age or less and well maintained. There is an inequity in, A, the purchase and distribution of books, supplies; and B, curricular offerings and roster scheduling in predominately African-American schools. As a result, the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP along with several community organizations entered into a suit which called on the Pennsylvania State Superior Court to equalize funding around the 60 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 State. This suit was later postponed by Mayor Street at the request of Governor Ridge. The Governor then threatened a State takeover of the schools and hired Edison Schools, Inc., to evaluate the School District of Philadelphia at the cost of 2.7 million for less than 90 days work, ignoring the excellent and insightful evaluation made by Judge Doris Smith in 1994. Edison, a private for-profit business was hired without advertising or obtaining the lowest bidder. In addition, Edison, whose report is due on September 29, 2001, is viewed as the front-runner to take over and run some or all of the Philadelphia schools that they have evaluated, an obvious conflict of interest. The leadership of the predominately white population of Northeast Philadelphia has already stated that Edison will not take over the schools in the northeast part of Philadelphia. They have expressed their intention to defend their decision politically by any means necessary. (Applause.)

Mr. Kenny Gamble and the Universal Corporation have stated that they want 61 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Edison to take over and run the Audenried cluster in South Philadelphia. State Representative Dwight Evans has expressed an interest and obtained an $800,000 grant by working with Rhonda Lauer and her foundation to study the feasibility of taking over the King Cluster in the West Oak Lane area of the City. Others have expressed intentions of taking over schools in West and North Philadelphia. The NAACP sees this as a plan to segregate the predominately African-American, Latino and Asian public school students into separate but unequal facilities. This would set the Civil Rights movement back almost 50 years. Martin Luther King, Edgar Evers and others did not fight and die to see our youth return to the educational segregation of the past. (Applause.)

The NAACP will take legal action, if necessary, to prevent re-segregation of the Philadelphia public schools. (Applause.)

Our recommendations are as follows: A, that a committee of educators, community leaders, parents' representatives, City 62 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 and State officials be formed to consider the following: 1. How will Act 46 affect the future of public education in Philadelphia? 2. What are the most reasonable viable alternatives to provide equitable system-wide educational reform without favoring one ethnic group over another? 3. Will private for-profit corporations deliver the best educational product without inflating the public school budget larger than it already is? 4. How will private for-profit educational corporations maintain desegregation guidelines if they take over a predominately segregated school cluster? 5. What provisions will private for-profit education organizations make to provide a quality educational program that will demonstrate measurable increases in reading and math in grades to 3? 6. What provisions will private for-profit educational organizations make to provide remediation that will demonstrate measurable 63 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 increases in reading and math for children in grades to 8? 4 7. What provisions will private for-profit educational organizations make to provide quality academic courses in math, science and foreign languages for high school students and technology training for business education students that are not currently being providing in some predominately minority high schools? 8. Will new teachers and teachers in the intern programs be given behavior modification technics to deal with classroom student discipline problems and how will class size be handled? What will be the disposition of youth with severe disciplinary problems? 9. Who will bear the financial and physical responsibility of ancillary services such as custodial services, food services, school nursing services, transportation et cetera? Will it be the school district or will these services go to private outside firms? How will this effect the current union employees and their contracts and the delivery of service to children? (Applause.) 64 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Before the consideration of for-profit business is made, a comparison of financial, legal and educational cost for public and private educational organizations should be made. Then, if a for-profit educational organization is the best financial solution, review those institutions to select the one with the best track record and develop a contract that eliminates large additional fees for unanticipated extra cost and give City Council oversight and review of the school district budget. Thank you. (Applause.)

I'm Ed Schwartz, President of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values. And beyond sitting here and voting on a few education budgets some years ago, I'm a parent whose daughter attended public school in Philadelphia. And I would add in my own career going back before I game here, I was a leader of the National Student Association fighting for educational reform at the campus level, and I have done as much in this area as perhaps some of the other areas I'm better known for here in Philadelphia. I want to address three issues. First, 65 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 what is Harrisburg's current assessment of the Philadelphia School District that has given rise to an audit of our district? Second, what does this say about Edison and its role in this and how should we evaluate them in terms of whatever future role they might play in this system? And third, what are the issues that we need to address that seems to me here in Philadelphia and in the Commonwealth whether Edison is part of this picture or not? First, why are we here? What's the nature of the conflict between the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that gives rise to this crisis? Is there really an educational issue that Harrisburg is raising here over some aspect of our test scores? If so, that would be a first. In all the years when our schools seemed to be failing according to everyone's account no one from Harrisburg came forward with a threat to shut us down. No, the issues that are really bringing us here have nothing to do with our quality education. That's not why Harrisburg is angry. Its angry because we have a deficit. The issue here is 66 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 money. And if tomorrow we were to figure out some magic way to solve our fiscal problems even at the cost by everyone's account of good educational practices, does anyone believe that Harrisburg would rise up, the Ridge Administration or the Schweiker Administration and say, "This is terrible. You can't do that"? Of course not. They would go back and say, "That's fine. Problem is solved." So the only problem that they're really concerned about, the problem that they're bringing Edison to help them solve is the fiscal problem. And Edison steps forward in the battle claiming that they can offer quality education to students within whatever budget the School District provides them. It's a strange claim for them to make given its record around the country which you've heard a little bit about here. Leaving aside its track record in running schools educationally, it's had its own problems with local school districts in making ends meet. School boards in Inkster, Michigan; Wichita, Kansas; Dallas, Texas; Pontiac, Michigan; among others, have all reported fiscal problems in hiring Edison. Seven schools in Dallas claimed as recently as March of this year 67 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 that Edison could cost them up to $20 million more than expected. This from the Dallas Morning News, hardly a radical newspaper. Edison itself, as has been noted by several members of this Council, is running its own deficit. And as Councilman Cohen points out, its debt to revenue ratio is higher than that experienced by our own school district. And on that basis, Edison gets a $2.7 million two-month contract to conduct an audit of our school district. We can hire 54 teachers at $50,000 a piece for an entire year with that money. (Applause.)

That in itself is a sorry commentary on the Commonwealth's priorities and Edison's. Even more disturbing is a report that some of us got from the public school this week that suggests that Edison is not even permitted under its contract to argue that the City of Philadelphia needs more money. It is required to offer advice on how we might further cut costs without destroying education in the City. Well, there seems to be two options here 68 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 in the public arena. One is advanced by the School District. The School District tells us from time to time that if only the rest of the City Government would pick up things like security and transportation and some ancillary services to students, the School District's budget could provide education with what remains. (Applause.)

So if Edison were here, which was an expectation I had have in drafting this, I would want to ask them whether that's something that they've already concluded since they're well along the way. That would be the most, in a way, decent solution perhaps to draw. But the other one is a bit more ominous. And that is that 70 percent of our education budget is for personnel, for people, for people who teach. And there is no 19 way to cut the amount of money out of that budget to yield a balanced budget without either laying off a lot of teachers or cutting their wages and benefits. There's no way to do it. And I would remind you, Members of Council --

Or cutting programs.

Well, in effect, it cuts 69 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 programs. But people, it cuts people. Huge programs get cut or we're revisiting the PFT negotiated a year ago. That's really where we would be left. Now, of course, Mayor Rendell was able to become Mayor in 1992 and he had a contract facing him. And his great first success was in negotiating with AFSCME and the other unions a contract which cut their benefit levels significantly without, in fact, imposing a strike upon the City. Well, we had a contract negotiated last year. Are we going to ask Edison or is Edison going to ask to revisit that? And where exactly will that leave us? What is Edison's perspective, for example, on the wages and benefits provided to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers last year? Do the auditors, these auditors that we have believe that these were excessive? Would they be prepared to reopen the PFT contract? These are questions central to Edison's role as auditor with a report due in a matter of days. We need to understand how they think in these areas to get a sense of where their recommendations might lead. 70 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 But, of course, Edison is more than just an auditor. It is also a potential beneficiary of its own audit. This is nothing short of astonishing. (Applause.)

Consider what exactly has happened here. The School District is in serious financial trouble. A local business person with support from at least two members of the delegation in Harrisburg has initiated negotiations with Edison to assume management of at least the Audenried Cluster, perhaps others. One of the board members of Edison served with our Governor in Congress several years ago. The result is that the Governor now awards a $2.7 million contract to audit our School District with the understanding that they might benefit from their own recommendations. (Applause.)

What would the reaction in Philadelphia among the press and everyone be if Mayor Street asked a firm to conduct an audit on this basis? What self-respecting company would even accept such a contract? That Edison is willing to perform an audit on this basis does not really 71 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 reflect well on their ethical standards as a member of any part of this community or any other. (Applause.)

Many others of you have already offered their own critique of Edison as a manager of Philadelphia schools. We do have, as has been noted, a company WITH serious fiscal and by all accounts educational problems evaluating a school district with serious fiscal and educational problems. Again, who is saving whom here? And what educationally different will they make? Councilman Cohen indicates that at your briefing last week you asked this question and they had no answer. In looking at Edison's statement of education philosophy, I found little difference between the principles that they advanced and the principles that we have been trying to implement through children achieving over the past five years. So what difference does this make? And as to their fiscal situation, I want to turn to some comments that were made by Councilman Nutter because as he points out, their stock price has dropped and it continues to drop as does the rest of the market for the most part 72 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 precipitously and they are running a debt. At what point does a company in this circumstance running debt that cannot in fact hold up its stock price need to go out of business? It is happening all over the country right now. And what then happens to the students who are taking classes from Edison if that occurs? Do you recall a few months ago a private profit job training agency that shut down without warning in Philadelphia, leaving their hapless students waiting, some of them only a few days away from getting their degrees to just have to go elsewhere? That was adults. Can we afford really to let this happen with our children? I don't think so. (Applause.)

But I believe to come to my final point that both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and us have to really start a solution on one basis. It's implementing the rhetoric we all use, that the education of our children is our and should be, must be our highest priority. We all say that, but it is not in fact true. It is not true in Harrisburg and, frankly, it is not true here. It was more important to the Ridge Administration last 73 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 year to send $100 property tax rebates to homeowners around the Commonwealth than it was to provide adequate funding for the troubled school districts of the State. I calculated that had we used the rebate money for those so-called empowerment schools, of which Philadelphia is now one, we would not have a deficit right now. There was enough money there to in fact solve that problem. And how much is in the Commonwealth's rainy day fund now; millions, more than a billion? Do we really need that? All of that is a wedge against downturn or could some of it be used to support education? Tax rebates and the rainy day fund are the priorities in Harrisburg, and education has had to wait its turn. Unless you think the City is in any different, keep in mind that instead of using the surpluses of the late '90s to reduce our wage tax we simply transferred the same amounts to our School District, then again we would not be facing a deficit right now. Mayor Rendell used the approach that he has, and I'm sure as a candidate for Governor it will be in his ads, that he had saved the taxpayers a hundred million dollars every year with this wage tax program. That's a hundred 74 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 million dollars that could have gone to our School District. But again, this was not the priority. The fact is that neither Harrisburg nor Philadelphia has organized its priorities in accordance with what we all know. Namely, that as long as our schools are in trouble, both people and jobs will continue to leave. The three largest cities in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie all lost population in the 1990s, far worse than in most cities in most states in this country. Here in Philadelphia we all say that we understand our need to upgrade the work force and fix our schools. So at what point does this become the first consideration in our State and City budgets instead of becoming the last consideration after every other matter is resolved? (Applause.)

When the answer to that question is "now" on part of both the City and State, then this problem will start to get solved. Because I do believe, as many of you have said, that the central problem in Philadelphia is the lack of funds, nothing else. That doesn't exempt us from strengthening leadership and accountability among 75 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 principals, building a strong curriculum, upgrading professional development for our teachers, and establishing strong partnerships between schools and parents and management of the children's education and reducing class size and being able to buy adequate books and equipment for our schools. But without the needed funds, we will not be able to make any of these other solutions work. That much is quite clear to us/ Edison is perhaps the greatest reason we should do what we can to prevent privatizing any education. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony. Before you leave, we'll see if any members of this committee have any questions or comments for anyone one on this panel.

They said it all. (Applause.)

We'd also like to get copies of your testimony if you have them. The Sergeant-at-Arms will pick them up. I'd just like to mention that this hearing we've been joined by Councilman Frank Rizzo and we were also joined by Councilman Darrell 76 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Clarke. The next panel -- we're going to change panels. We're just going to change the schedule a little because we have a visitor from out of town and we'd like to bring him on. That is the principal from Chester. Victor Jones, Chester High School principal. And Pat Cruice who is also a teacher, I believe here in Philadelphia or Chester, I'm not sure. Good afternoon and welcome to Philadelphia City Council Education Committee. Will you speak directly into the mike, state your name and any other identifying information you'd like to state for the record. Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Victor Jones. I'm here today as a citizen who lives in the City of Philadelphia. I've been a principal of Chester High School in Chester, Pennsylvania, Second Chance Academy. And I'm here today as a kind of emergency and appeal. We in Chester have gone through this privatization and we found ourselves in a bit of chaotic situation as it stands right now. And I just wanted to share the information and give you some ideas or some glimpse of some of the 77 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 problems that we have faced as a result of privatization. Chester is one of the most depressed school districts in the State of Pennsylvania. We are among several other schools that have been targeted by the Governor of Pennsylvania for privatization. We have found ourselves in somewhat of a quagmire trying to get ourselves out from under the mandates that have been placed upon us by the privatization group. On June 30th of this year, we were told that our schools will be taken over by private vendors. There were three private vendors that were contracted for the City of Chester. One was Edison, one was Learn Now, and the other one was Basaka (ph). They divided themselves up into three groups, and, of course, they had to appeal to the community for support. By appealing to the community, they thought maybe they would use local people who had gone through the Chester School District and made various promise to these people assuring them that possibly the educational and academic atmosphere in the schools would improve. Many of them knowing the people that they had come 78 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 in contact with decided, well, this might be a good idea. And I would say to you if you would get a chance to speak to any citizen who is a part of that particular committee in Chester, you will find that each one of them would tell you without fear of contradiction that it was worst mistakes educationally that that city has made since it's been in existence. I have here a copy of what the Empowerment Act states. Most of you have probably not seen this. I also have all of the bills that goes along with that in terms of the amendments that was made by the State. The first question that you need to ask yourself, is this Constitutional sound? If you would look at the way that these contracts are written, you will find that there are many discrepancies. You need to know that the Pennsylvania Secondary Educational Association has filed a grievance against these particular acts and they feel that they're going to win. You're going to find that as a result of many of these things that are laid out here as part of this particular privatization move has been somewhat overshadowed by the whole concept of improving schools. 79 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 You have stated here today -- and I hate to be redundant, and I won't be very long. But you've stated here many things that Chester has gone through. You asked some very, very intelligent questions. And I would suggest to you that you need to understand that because a school becomes under the Empowerment Act does not necessarily they have to be privatized. (Applause.)

The Governor could make an agreement to support the Philadelphia School District financially without going through any private vendors or even having going to the Mayor. That could be done through the State and also the people who have been elected to run the School District. Those are things that could be done. And those questions need to be asked before you enter into any kind of agreement. Privatization, you have to ask yourselves staff-wise what would be the outcome of those teachers who are working under vendors? First of all, when you become a member of the vendor or you become employed by a vendor, you will find yourselves not a part of the Pennsylvania retirement 80 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 system. You will lose your medical support. You need to understand those things because those things will not be a continuum as a result of privatization. You will lose your seniority within the retirement system and you will have to pay your retirement through the privatization organizations that have been set up for that particular purpose. These are things that we were experiencing in Chester. The Edison group had no experience at all with contracts by teachers. The teacher contract of agreements. They had no experience there in that particular area, so as of right now there's no legal contract that is binding between the Teachers Association in Chester, Pennsylvania, and Edison who has now taken it over. So they have agreement they have arrived at to work to together with one another, but there's no contract that has been signed as of this date. The contract between Edison and Chester was only signed on August 29th. We had to wait that long before we could get some information concerning the status of those employees who will be working in the school district for the coming year. 81 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 As a school district, you will still be responsible for maintaining all of the custodial services and repairs to your building along with paying Edison the contract. This is part of the stipulation that are now laid out in the Chester agreement with Edison. Edison will run the curriculum, but you will have to maintain and support the schools. These things are happening to us in Chester, Pennsylvania. We thought maybe we would share this information with you this afternoon because it's very, very important that you understand that privatization will only hurt you, it will not help you. The solution to the problem for Philadelphia lies within the citizens of the Philadelphia and you don't need a private organization to help you do that. Thank you. (Applause.)

Good afternoon, City Council, citizens, students. My name Patty Cruice. I am a teacher at Houston Elementary in Mount Airy, I'm a parent of a public school kid and I'm a member of the Executive Board of the Philadelphia of Federation of Teachers. I came today mostly just to underscore 82 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 what is facing us and the very real danger that we see sitting in our classrooms doing what we can do with the limitations that we have. We see politicians making deals or the perception that deals are being made and we're not part of the discussion. I am very concerned that what's going to happen is what some teachers have been saying they're just going to balkinize the system. And that might be all right if your group of schools has a sugar daddy or somebody who's willing to come in and go to bat for you. But there are going to be a lot of kids lost and a lot of buildings and a lot of staff people that are not going to have a voice in this. It's been said before, but I'm just going to say it again, that at root here the problem is one of funds. If money didn't matter, my nephews that go to school in Upper Dublin, that school district wouldn't be spending the money they spend on my nephew's education that's not being spent on my daughter's education. Money does matter. (Applause.)

We need safe schools. I need a smaller class size. I have 32 sixth-graders. 83 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 It's too many, too many sixth-graders in one room. (Applause.)

Edison says that they have a better way of managing the system, yet by Edison's own definition, a district should not spend more than 7 percent on administration. Well, the school district spends 6 percent on administration as it is now. So as Ed has said, the cut is going to come in personnel. When you look at 70 percent of the budget being that of expenditure in personnel, that's where the cut's going to come. So how many more students am I going to have in my class as a result of this? As it is, it's a challenge for me to get and meet the needs of 32 students. And finally, as a union member, as a citizen of Philadelphia who pays taxes -- I own a house in Mount Airy, I pay my taxes. If I lost my union benefits, the advantage to being part of a union that comes with being a working person, where does that leave me as a contributing member of Philadelphia, as a contributing citizen to this City? One last thing I want to say is make sure you take the time to listen to the students who 84 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 are here. (Applause.)

The students will tell you in ways that the talking heads missed and they'll let you know in no uncertain ways what's going on. Thank you.

Excuse me, we have a couple questions. Mr. Jones, do you still currently work in Chester as principal?

No. What happened to the administrators -- because of the contract agreement between the teachers, they were not allowed to lay off teachers, so therefore they laid off every administrator and I fell into that particular group. We were given as a result of litigation with the association we were allowed to bump back into the teaching ranks, so we had to go back and become part of the teaching ranks in order to maintain our jobs. They were going to get rid of the top -- I guess we were middle management. As a result of being middle management, they felt that we were neither in any kind of contract agreement with anyone because we could only meet and discuss so they felt that they 85 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 were the most likely that they had to get rid of in order to maintain some form of profit.

Is there a principal where you were? You were a principal at Chester High School?

They brought in a principal of their own. And another part of that is that they're allowed to use uncertified people in positions. You don't have to be certified, according to the agreement.

To be a principal.

To become principal nor teacher.

And your empowerment team in Chester chose to privatize? That's my understanding. Because we had an empowerment team here in Philadelphia. We did not recommend to privatize. But Chester's empowerment team, that was a part of your recommendation, wasn't it, to bring in a private operator?

Well, Chester, the initial part of that was that at the time when our state representative was in Harrisburg, he voted not to become part of the privatization movement that was 86 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 designated for Chester. Because other legislators who were from Philadelphia out-voted him, he had to go along with that. So we were the victims of that particular situation. But after the Governor saw fit to make sure that he appointed a board of directors, once the board of directors took over, the regular school board members had no authority. So therefore, the board of directors decided that it would best for us to privatize. And as a result, that's how privatization got into Chester. Chester did not vote to bring Edison in. They did not like Edison at all, the citizens didn't because they felt that they were not close enough to the Chester culture the fulfill the kind of needs of that the Chester School District felt that they were up against. So as a result of that, they went with Learn Now. Learn Now was a group of educators who were from Delaware County, most of them were black. They were young men who had at one time worked in Chester or grew up in Chester. So Learn Now formed a nucleus of local citizens and formal educators and students who had been Chester. They decided to bring those in and allow them to bid as being the 87 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 contractor people that they would go to to provide education for the district. As a result, they lost funding somewhere down the line and Edison bought them out. Once Edison bought them out, it gave them a lot of responsibility but no authority. And what happened as a result of that, our schools are now all controlled by Edison.

Okay. I just want to make something -- I have a lot of questions for you, but I just can't take up all that time. I'd like to talk to you later.

Yes, ma'am.

Here in Philadelphia, our empowerment team were made up of people from all walks of life. Your team was like that in Chester?

Yes, ma'am, it was.

I just wanted to make sure. We had elected official because I was on the team, Secretary Kahn was on the team and as a result of that, we did not recommend that Philadelphia privatize. We would like them to fund our empowerment plan for Philadelphia. That's one 88 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 of the reasons why we put it together. I do have a lot of questions for you. How long has Edison been in Chester?

Edison officially has been in Chester, started September. We had to open schools a week late. We opened schools on the 10th. We had no teachers in place. They threw away all the --

September 2001.

Yes, this September. We have been negotiating since April as to whether or not they would come in. And of course, they had to do a lot of leg work within the City. And as a result, Learn Now was the dominant vendor. Because they lost funding, they were no longer able to provide the kind of financial base to support the teachers, so Edison being the most stable financial vendor just bought them out, which we think was very much planned by the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Okay. Councilwoman Blondel Reynolds-Brown.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I need some clarity. You were principal 89 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 prior to the Edison regime?

Yes.

And you're currently a teacher under the Edison regime?

Yes. Well, what we did is that we had to renegotiate the contract for those who were kicked back into the bargaining unit. And we just kind of created positions for ourselves because Edison had not a clue as to what was needed. And many of us were assigned to the classroom. So we're now assigned as regular classroom teachers back into the classrooms, many of us, yes.

To follow-up on the very important questions Mrs. Bivens asked, during your leadership as principal, how were students with discipline problems handled? And more importantly, how were students handled with special needs as principal?

Very good question. We were under special education guidelines and restrictions by the State of Pennsylvania. When they came in they had no clue as to what to do with special ed students. Those students who were disruptive in terms of the regular school environment, they were 90 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 placed in an alternative educational setting. We had many kids who were not able to adjust into a regular school environment, so we had an alternative school for them. They had no alternative schools whatsoever because they could not finance them sufficiently. You've got to understand, this is the first time that this has ever happened in the history of United States where a private organization has been able to take over an entire school district. See, Edison has been allowed to come into school districts and take over one school or create a school and allow kids to ome, give parents an alternative, say, you can come to the Edison School. But they've never been given the authority nor the power to come in and take over a school district. So as a result of that, you're going to find that the school district still must maintain the schools and all of the maintenance that goes along with that, along with giving the contract to Edison.

So within the Edison agreement, there is an alternative --

None whatsoever. 91 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Well, then define alternative school. What does that mean?

An alternative school is a school that is provided for, like I said, students who are disruptive, students who have learning disabilities.

Run by Edison or run by a separate entity?

No, that's not in existence anymore. That's gone.

So there's no avenue to accommodate children with special needs and those with discipline problems?

That is exactly the truth, yes.

Thank you very much, Mr. Jones. (Applause.)

Are there any other questions from members of this committee? Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

The next panel -- we're switching up a little bit again. We want to 92 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 hear from our students. We want to hear from the young people. Emmanuel Filpo, Youth United for Change; and Jasena Nieves, Youth United for Change. (Applause.)

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Jasena Nieves from Youth United for Change. So this what I have to say. From what I know so far, Edison school is a private corporation with their own curriculum, their own teaching style, their own ideas, but our money. Yes, I believe that we should be having a new and different curriculum. But this curriculum is the same eurocentric curriculum but in a different perspective. I don't want that curriculum, nor do I want my children to grow up in it. I have fought restless to be heard. I have studied James Bank's model and even went and heard Beverly Tatum speak. We are even dedicating our service learning project to this new multicultural curriculum. For so long, people have been waiting for students to work and fight for the right. Now that we are, it's pointless and meaningless because it's going to be taken away from us. I'm sorry, but we fought too long, we did too much and Edison 93 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Schools do not know what we need. We know what we need. (Applause.)

We also know what they want. They are going to sen teachers to programs and teach them how to teach us. How could they teach us something that they don't know themselves? (Applause.)

Have they sat down and heard our concerns, our thoughts? Have they asked us what we need and how would we want to be taught? Because I assure you, students have a lot to say. They're wasting their time trying to look good in everyone's eyes because we know who they are and we will pass the word. They need to sit down and for once listen to the future, today's students. (Applause.)

Edison doesn't want to give us a better education because if they did, they wouldn't be trying to take over our schools and trying to buy us as if we were wearing a price tag. They are trying to benefit themselves. However, if they were to do an altruistic work, they would do 94 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 that by lending a hand, not by buying our brains. So Edison, Inc., stop the nonsense because you are not fooling anyone but yourselves. You're not getting into our schools without a fight. And if they ever get in, there will be more that follows because students do care about their education and our schools. (Applause.)

I say that students are priceless and they can't buy us. We are making a difference. We are changing the schools. I have the right to speak and say what I feel. With all honesty, I don't want Edison's incorporation taking over my school. If they do, we won't be practice our rights and our voices will not be heard. Besides, what future would we have? Think about it. I have. And I have come to a conclusion. If we let them take over we will be telling them that we are weak. We are telling them that we will sell our students and schools, that they could have our money and that we surrender to them. I'm not willing to surrender to destruction. Are you? (Applause.)

Good afternoon. My name is 95 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Emmanuel Filpo. I'm from Youth United for Change from Edison High School. Youth United for Change opposes the Edison.

Excuse me, your last name?

Filpo, F-I-L-P-O. Youth United for Change opposes the Edison Schools, Inc., takeover and evaluation of Philadelphia schools because they are here to make a profit off students. (Applause.)

We believe that public education is a right, not a privilege, and that public schools should not be run by private corporations. We also are concerned about the way that they are conducting their evaluation. They are holding public forums. I say that if they want to come to Philadelphia and evaluate our schools, they should take time off their busy schedule and visit the schools to listen to the students and their concerns. (Applause.)

Because we are the once that are in the schools every day and we know the problems and can suggest some solutions. What we 96 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 need in Philadelphia is for the hour powers, the State, to give us money to run the schools. (Applause.)

What we do not need is for them to bring in a company to make money off of us. (Applause.)

Not to mention the bad reputation that follows Edison School, Inc. How can the Governor and the Mayor agree to bring a corporation that is in debt and has its own internal problems and expect them to fix the many problems of the Philadelphia schools. It doesn't make any sense. Our recommendations are that they should come to our schools and listen to the students and their concerns. Students voices should be part of decision-making in our schools. And we need an anti-racist multicultural curriculum, not the one that they provide. We need more money to run our schools. A change in the state funding formula for education and the Mayor needs to reinstate the racial discrimination lawsuit against the state. (Applause.) 97 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Public schools should remain public, not be run by private corporation. I also wanted to say that students do care about our education and I am tired of hearing that we don't. We do not have price tags and we will stop anybody from trying to put them on us. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. We thank you for your testimony. Are there any questions from members of the panel? Again, we thank you for coming out and really appreciate your testimony. (Applause.)

Panel No. 3, Lynn Marin, a parent from Kelly School; Black Radical Congress, parents; Alice Yarborough, parent; and Veronica Johnson. Are you here? Oh, that's Bernard Johnson. Sorry Bernard. I have here Veronica, but I don't think you're Veronica. I think you are Bernard. In fact, let me thank Bernard for the two forums he held in West Philadelphia last week. I attended both, one 98 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 at Kingsessing Recreation Center and one at St. James Church. And we thank him for his leadership in this area and for all the work that he is doing to include the community, keep them informed and to do what he can to deal with the whole Edison issue. Good afternoon, Ms. Martin. Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.

Good afternoon. My name is Lynn Martin. I'm a proud parent of a fourth grader at John B. Kelly Elementary School. I am a member of the Alliance Organizing Project, a school council member, a community representative and a secretary for the John B. Kelly Home and School Association. Parents want to know just what is Edison going to do better, not just something different. We've had different many times, but it hasn't always been better for our children. Different last year meant no teacher for mentally gifted program. Different this year is having no art teacher. What different can we expect next year? We want better, improved, and equal. (Applause.)

We want better schools, 99 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 improve working environment and equal funding. This is nothing new. Parents, teachers, and students have complained for years only to fall upon deaf ears. How is Edison going to achieve what we as caring parents could not without cutting more programs? (Applause.)

In light of recent events, now more than ever we have to concern ourselves with our children's education. Make no mistake, middle and high school children are looking for any signs of hope. Pushing ahead for equal education for public school students let's them know that we still care about their future because they will have a future. Despite all the talk of war and more violence directed at America, we will not see our children's education be to the lowest bidder or for a profit business. (Applause.)

Edison talks about its successes, but we can't forget about its many failures. I'm not willing to have Edison come to Philadelphia to fail at my child's expense. (Applause.) 100 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Edison has failed to prove that they can successfully improve education in urban areas. They failed in San Francisco. They failed in Detroit. And one school's success in Baltimore is not enough to convince me that they won't fail again. Let's be honest, Edison is not about improving education; it's about making money. (Applause.)

I believe Edison has been misled to believe that they can come into our schools without protest because of the large minority population without consulting with the teachers, parents, and students of Philadelphia. We intend to fight you every step of the way. We need full funding to offer our students the quality education they deserve, need equal funding for education. We need equal funding for art, music, quality teachers, and for the academic progress for our children. We can build their dreams rather than suffer the bitter disappointment of poor education. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. Black Radical Congress. Is that the entire 101 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 group or is that -- sir, you're representing the organization? Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.

Thank you. My name is Ewuare Osayande. I'm the chairperson of the local chapter here in Philadelphia, the Black Radical Congress. The Black Radical Congress opposes the presence of Edison Schools, Incorporated, in the City of Philadelphia. The hiring of Edison Schools, Incorporated, by Governor Ridge to do a $2.7 million investigation is a conflict of interest and sets the stage for the State to take over our schools and hand control over to Edison. Edison is a fraud. Their track record is embarrassing. (Applause.)

According to two independent reports, schools controlled by Edison performed no better and often worse than public schools in the same districts. Cities like New York; Sherman, Texas; Lansing, Michigan; Goldsboro, North Carolina; San Antonio; Miami; Dade; Baltimore, Detroit; Pontiac; Las Vegas; and San Francisco, 102 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 practically everywhere Edison has been have all reported disastrous findings about Edison. Some have even voted to get rid of Edison. Poor performance, teacher turnover, high cost, low scores and plummeting enrollment are some of the reasons cited. In San Francisco, for example, the Board of Education took action when it was discovered that 9 of 15 pupils Edison suspended or, "counseled out" of 10 its schools were African-American. 11 Edison Schools are no good or 12 African-American students or other children of 13 color. They do not care about our kids. They only 14 seek to exploit them for their own profit. (Applause.)

Black Radical Congress demands the State take our children off the auction block of private corporate interests. Edison Schools is a bankrupt corporation. Since '92 Edison Schools, Incorporated, has lost more than $200 million. The State is not interested in improving our children's education. And the black face being put on Edison Schools is a front. Edison is not a black operation. Those African-American politicians that support them are corporate minstrels, political 103 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 puppets propped up to put a friendly face in a dangerous plan. Edison CEO, Chris Whittle, has said that he needs to triple the number of schools he controls in order to get out of debt. That is why Edison has been brought here. In order for Edison to make a profit, they will have to cut back on teachers, staff, and services. And the report for the principal at Chester speaks to this. Parents, teachers, and communities will have no say in their boardroom decisions. The Philadelphia Black Radical Congress calls on the Philadelphia City Council and Mayor John Street to reinstate its racial discrimination lawsuit against the State. Since 1970, the African-American community has been involved in a protracted struggle to desegregate the public school system in Pennsylvania. We don't need any more studies. We need justice. (Applause.)

In 1994, Judge Doris Smith released a report on the Philadelphia School District that stated that "The district is failing or refusing to provide equal opportunity and a 104 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 quality education to children attending racially isolated schools." The Philadelphia School District has the highest number of African-American students in the State and the lowest per pupil spending in the State. We do not need privatization; we need full and equitable funding. (Applause.)

According to the most recent reports, $336 million is the gap between what Philly schools and the average of local suburban schools get to spend on our children's education. Imagine what this City could do with that amount of money. The City could implement the findings and suggestions of Doris Smith's investigation which called for much smaller class sizes, extensive training for teachers and parents, expanded early childhood programs, and improve facilities and greater community control. With the millions of dollars due us -- and we must recognize it as that. We are due this money. We could change the way in which this City educates its children and create a functional and effective school system as functional and effective 105 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 as any other public school system in the State of Pennsylvania. It is a slap of the face of the African-American community that politicians would bring in Edison Schools, Incorporated, into the City of Philadelphia. (Applause.)

They would not do that if this were in Montgomery County or any county in the State of Pennsylvania. You don't hear about white schools in the suburbs being privatized. It's only where you have majority students of color in predominately urban areas where you have privatization is the concern. It's a slap in the face of parents who are struggling to maintain a quality education for their children. We will not stand for it. We will not stand it. (Applause.)

It's time to tell Edison to pack their backs and go home. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. Please, would you spell your name for our stenographer.

Sure. It's E-W-U-A-R-E. 106 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Last name is spelled O-S-A-Y-A-N-D-E.

Thank you very much. Alice Yarborough, parent. And then after Ms. Yarborough, Bernard Johnson.

Good afternoon, City Councilmembers, other representatives and other staff. My name is Alice Yarborough. I come here before you today to talk about the current crisis in our school system. It's apparent to me that we might lose some of our good teachers and principals. I am a working parent, a college student, a taxpayer, and most of all, a registered voter. I am a product of the public school system and have had the opportunity and the knowledge to keep up with the history of our City and schools. In the past, we have had parents come before you and give testimony on how they felt left out of the process of making decisions affecting their children. I have three children in the public school system, one in elementary and two in middle school. I have done my best to keep up with their education at home and at school. I volunteer my time to help school teachers in their daily routine, then leave to go to 107 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 class and then to work. I come before you today to ask you to be open-minded and compassionate to my plea. Our schools have been in serious trouble since the 1970s. As a parent I have networked with dozens of parents with the rapid deterioration in our schools. I understand that we have approximately 115 point billion dollar budget that has been used as an source of funding to operate our schools. That's nice. But we have still poorly renovated buildings, bad drafts, poorly maintained lavatories on some days with no toilet paper or hand towels. Our schools are working understaffed with little or no support from parents because parents have given up on the City of Philadelphia. I for one spent last year $300 for school supplies. Most important, what is going to happen to not only my children, but other children in our school system? Mind you, I am aware of the studies that have been done to straighten out the mess that have been present for many years. Why is it that we have to straighten out and bring in a wealthy entrepreneur to save our ship? It has been stated in current readings in the newspapers and articles 108 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 in circulation around our City that this person is already in the red. Do you think for a moment that the public is not aware of what's going on? Is this person and his company going to be really interested in our children? Or is it really a done deal and the motions are going into play? It will be a crying shame if we wind up having the State to take over our school. Last but not least, the children. What's going to happen to their future? Yes, uniforms have been implemented and I am glad. But that doesn't change the fact that, again, if our prestigious Mayor and Governor do not come up with plans in collaboration with you, the City Council. What will be the answer? I trust that you will take heed to the voters of this great City and do the best to strengthen out situation. I want to see my children continue to be honor role students and pray that together parents and children will pay close attention to how our City functions. I hope and pray that you do your best as representatives as well as citizens for our City to come up with a decisive plan that will erase all of the bad workers of the past endeavors of a 109 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 supposedly operative budget. Please to not forget our children. Thank you. (Applause.)

My name Bernard Johnson. I have been coming to these Council meetings for a number of years now talking about education and reform. Right now I think it's time for reform. I'm not saying that I favor one body over the other because I don't know enough about anybody to talk about who can do a better job. I know that this system has not worked for our children. We were at a meeting the other night that Councilwoman was at and children from Shaw School talked about roaches and rats and mice and molded bread. So we went to the school the next day and we found some of those condition to be alarming. Like this lady here talked about no soap in the bathroom, no toilet paper. Well, I'm tired of talking about that. I'm tired of the David Hornbecks coming to town and the people who supported the Hornbecks being part of this movement to stymie reform right now. I'm sick of it. So I think there needs to be some reform. How that reform takes place is something that I'd like to 110 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 talk about. I'd also like to say to the gentleman who was a principal over there at Chester High School, my wife's family is from Chester. I met Councilman Ortiz in Chester when he was working for Legal Services and I was working for Legal Services there. The parents in that school district had to sue the Chester Upland School District for services that go to kids for special education, sued them for three or four years. So for someone to sit here and talk about a good program for children who receive special services in Chester City, you know, I think he should have talked about how those service came about, through a lawsuit of parents. And so I'd like to make some suggestions anyway. I think that reform should promote high standards for all children, not just children from a particular group. And that they should address all academic subject areas and grade levels, and not some. Don't improve it for some and leave the others hanging. (Applause.)

I think that it should be research-based and research-tested. And I think 111 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 that the reform has to have a common goal that includes parents and community. There needs to be more professional development and that there needs to be an alignment of resources across all grades and subject areas. And whoever is involved with this reform should facilitate the involvement of parents and the community. Schools should make sure the reform design has a proven record of student achievement. The developers should provide schools with benchmarks to measure progress, and schools should implement an evaluation system that regularly determines whether the reform effort is working. And that principals should play to some degree a pivotal role in the school-wide reform, but that no 16 one school leader should be dependent on for any long period of time. And I guess I'd like to close by saying that in the research that we've done that many of these efforts around reforms have neglected to gather the support of families in the community and that parents and teachers should have an active role on committees investigating and instituting reform. Based on our research, in schools where there have been school-wide reform, parents, teachers, 112 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 community individuals have served on planning committees at all levels. And I think that's where I would like to stop, Councilwoman. But I would like to say to people that privatization is already in our school to a certain degree. The Tenent people who manage Hahnemann Hospital today are providing 80 percent of the mental health assessments for the children live in the Bartram and West Philadelphia clusters. And if there's a danger of profiteering, it's already taken place. Last year we looked at a contract that the School District had given out for pizza, for thin sliced cheese pizza for three months for a quarter million dollars. That children who are in these schools -- at Shaw School there are 13 water fountains off. We saw the engineer report. There is no bottled water in the building. Thirteen fountains are off. Parents are meeting at that school a quarter to 4 tomorrow afternoon if anybody would like to join us. Thirteen fountains off and water being sold in the cafeteria of that school and Tilden School for a dollar a bottle. And we're talking privatization. It is already here. So as we talk on the struggle to keep 113 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 out Edison, I don't care if it's Edison, but I don't think that -- the process should be open. (Applause.)

The process should be open so that if the education experts in this room who are also community members want to get involved in the process around reform, it should be an open process to allow that to happen. I don't think that we should be just focusing on what's going on in the future next month or two, but we need to be looking at what's happening in these schools right now around bottled water. (Applause.)

You know, you can go over to the Board of Education and you find bottled water all over place.

Water should not be sold in schools. Fountains are being closed. That has to be a brand-new policy that we haven't been informed about because every time I have found out about something like at the Welsh School and at Hunter, water has been provided but the kids have not been charged. So I'd like to find out what it is. And I'm going to ask Secretary Kahn to give us 114 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 a report on that. That should not be happening today. (Applause.)

There's a clear record from the day's Council meeting where we had this discussion around water. And I'll tell you, the Mitchell Elementary School at 56th and Kingsessing, the Shaw Middle School at 54th and Warrington, and the Tilden Middle School at 66th and Elmwood, students buy water for a dollar a bottle. And this is the water when they give it out, this is the water. This is the bottle of water. You know, how do you take your medication with this? How do you get any kind of nourishment with this and you're in a building eight hours a day. And I'll be quite honest with you, the fastest place to dry out for me is in a public school.

That should not be happening.

And so teachers bring water to school, Councilman, because they know they can't get decent, clean drinking water.

Bernard, we had hearings when you were here on the lack of water and 115 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 polluted water in the School District. A promise was made that water was going to be done, it was going to be fixed and water was going to be provided. If that promise is not being kept, I want to thank you for coming and telling us that. That has to be fixed. Thank you.

Thank you very much. And certainly, I was at the meeting when students came and said that to Mr. Johnson. I was there and I heard him when he was on the radio asking other parents and interested people to join him at the school to check it out. And again, we reiterate to Secretary Kahn, I'm glad she's still here, would you please check into that. He mentioned Shaw and Mitchell which are in my district, and Tilden which is just outside of my district, one of the schools where I taught, with regard to charging a dollar for that little two sips of water. And also, Secretary Kahn --

No, that's the water that the School District provides. The dollar bottle of water is the eight-ounce bottle of water.

I've seen that. And also the 13 water fountains that are broken, 116 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 reportedly broken at Shaw, would you please check into those and would you please get back to the Chair? Thank you, Secretary Kahn. Thank you again, Mr. Johnson. (Applause.)

Ms. Sarah Gilliam, Director of Parents Union.

Good afternoon, members of City Council, parents and all other interested parties. My name is Sarah Gilliam. I'm the Executive Director for Parents Union for Public Schools in Philadelphia, which is a city-wide educational advocacy organization serving families in the Philadelphia area for the past 30 years. Today I come before City Councilmembers and the general public to the speak to the issues on hand regarding Edison Schools and privatization. Our children here in Philadelphia Public Schools for the past decade have experienced numerous reform efforts that have proven costly, ineffective, and detrimental to their learning outcomes and opportunities. This is not only unfair, it is immoral to have impinged upon the rights to having a quality appropriated adequate 117 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 educational program; therefore, their rights have been violated as to the quality of what has been offered as well as received. Lack of funding, accountability, resources, overcrowded classrooms, these things are no secret to the stakeholders in public education. The ills are ever so present. It is the misconceptions of the uninformed that are being led to believe that Edison Schools has the remedy to solving these ills. The quick fixes are certainly no answer for our system. It did not become this way overnight. And it will certainly not cure itself quickly. Our children deserve more than this. (Applause.)

We currently are at a pivotal turn in public education. As those who believe that Edison Schools or any other method of privatization can make the repairs deemed necessary without addressing the root causes of why it remains in such a dismal state will too find themselves attempting to accomplish that which cannot be accomplish. The root causes must first be addressed. We are aware of those root causes, yet still they remain unaddressed: Lack of funding, 118 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 discriminatory practices, old and deplorable school buildings, accountability systems that are weak, poor quality teachers, racial disparities, poor administrative leadership, inadequate resources and many equity issues. These issues must first be dealt with and then perhaps the fault that blurs our vision can be removed and we can begin to clearly see what needs to be done. Public education was established to give every citizen in this country a fair and equal learning opportunity. Anything less than that is a violation of that person's right to an appropriate educational program. (Applause.)

Sadly enough, my plea before you is in regard to the 210,000 public school students in Philadelphia whom Parents Union for Public Schools strongly feel are once again being placed the risk. The choice here that I speak to is assuring, and I reiterate, assuring a quality educational program for all 210,000 students. It is incumbent upon decision-makers at this point to not be misled nor hasty in making decisions as well as to believe that one such as 119 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Edison Schools who has not proven effective programs across the board can enter into our school district in any capacity and set up shop. We cannot allow for our children here in this great City to be shortchanged any longer or even to be placed at a greater risk, for Edison Schools to be considered to undertake the role as the corporation to solve these problem. We as taxpayers, parents, grandparents, and registered voters are not convinced that Edison Schools can nor will we stand back and allow for poor decisions to be made without remaining a thorn in their sides, as well as holding the political powers that be accountable for those poor decisions. (Applause.)

There is too much at stake here. There are 210,000 innocent children who go to school every day in hopes of receiving a quality educational program, programs which allow for them to become self-sufficient adults in our society. We must advance in providing as well as improving quality instructional programs. We must investigate best practices that are working in other schools nationally and not have such a narrow focus on allowing one salesman to convince a district of our 120 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 size that he could do this without exploring other options. (Applause.)

There are many other best practices that have been incorporated in other schools nationally that have proven effective, yet no option has been shared with parents regarding this matter. Parents have been left out of the loop of this decision-making process. They are not informed as to the current changes that are underway and lack understanding as to the potential outcomes of all of this. Any changes of this magnitude must be shared with parents as well as allowing for parents to have input in any decision-making process that may impact the well-being of their children. This is critical. From our perspective at Parents Union for Public Schools, we feel there is much work to be done in improving the current state of our public schools in Philadelphia; however, we remain committed to challenging as well as remaining a watchdog to assuring a quality educational program for each and every child. As we move forward in resolving the ills we are facing, we must remain 121 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 mindful that our students are not for sale. (Applause.)

Thank you. Does any members of the committee have any questions? Thank you. The next group will be Lisa Stratten, parent; Patricia Raymond, Gerald Wright, Jilma Wilson, Evelyn Gibson.

Good afternoon, Secretary, Councilmembers and students. My name is Evelyn Gibson and I am testifying on behalf of the 5600-member families of Pennsylvania ACORN. ACORN is a membership organization made up of low- and moderate-income people who work to change their communities on the neighborhood, local, state and federal level. ACORN is an independent organization and we consistently have been critical of Philadelphia School District and have advocated for positive change. Last March we turned out a bus load of members to the school board meeting to complain about Philadelphia schools, moved over 100 non-instructional personnel back into the classroom for the start of the school year. We strongly believe that the district with adequate funding and 122 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 public pressure will continue to move in the right direction. Currently, our district spends barely more than 50 percent per pupil than a district like Lower Merion. This is outrageous. Facilities are downtrodden, libraries closed, textbooks and other materials insufficient. A considerable amount needs to be done, and we are committed to engage it with policy-makers to make that happen. However, bringing in Edison Schools is not the answer to our problem. (Applause.)

For starters, Edison's academic record is NO better than public schools. In fact, an AFT study of 40 percent Edison schools showed that Edison students scored no hire and often lower than their district counterparts. Additionally, in numerous cities Edison has been accused of dumping special education students. The most troubling aspects of Edison's recent entry into our school crisis is the systematic attempt to keep parents, teachers, students, and even Councilmembers out of the decision-making process. (Applause.) 123 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

We are disgusted by the evasive way in which Edison have recently entered our City as though we would honestly believe that they are only interested in studying our schools to make them better. Edison made a deal with the Governor using personal relationship between Governor Ridge and Robert Flake. Edison did not dare enter into a competitive bidding process. Additionally, Edison's public forums are a joke. Officials have cut off speakers the moment they attempt to criticize privatization. ACORN members were threatened with arrest for unfolding anti-privatization signs. None of these acts lead us to believe that if Edison takes over our schools parents will have any say in what occurs in our schools. For these reasons, parents, students, and teachers are organizing across the country to keep Edison out of their cities. (Applause.)

In New York, the ACORN chapter forced a parent to vote at each school that Edison was considering privatization. Despite the promise of a free computer of every child, parents overwhelmingly voted to keep their schools. Many 124 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 other cities have voted to get rid of Edison. Even more have complained about Edison's high cost and performance. Our children's future should not be in the hands of smooth-talking businessmen who are interested in making a profit. (Applause.)

Our children's future needs to be in the hands of those who don't receive millions of dollars in exchange for their concern. Parents, teachers, and community members, for this reason we urge you to keep Edison out of our district. Our parents, teachers, and students should be in on the making of the rules. Our parents should know what is going on in the schools and what is being taught to their students. I thank you for this space of time. (Applause.)

Hi. My name is Jilma Wilson and I'm a community organizer. I'm reading a statement from New York ACORN by Bertha Lewis, execute director. "In New York parents at five schools voted 80 percent to 20 percent to eject Edison's 125 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 offer to take over six low-performing schools. Parents a had many reasons for overwhelming rejecting Edison's imposition. First, parents rejected Edison because they were never consulted at any stage of the process, nor did their opinions and thoughts matter. Additionally, public money spent without any public consultation was a shady and unacceptable process. "Second, parents did a lot of research on Edison's recommendations and determined that they were nothing new. In fact, parents have been making the same recommendations for years. "Third, contracting deals done in the dark without public input were unacceptable to parents and community. "Fourth, Edison patronized and disrespected parents. Parents thought they were being bought off with balloons and videotapes rather than engaged on issues. Many parents do not have VCRs. "Fifth, Edison was an experiment, yet it was only an experiment in schools with certain neighborhoods. If Edison is so successful, why didn't they choose to experiment across the board, 126 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 making decent schools more successful? This whole process smacked of racism. Black and brown children are always being experimented with. Instead of employing available knowledge about what to do when increasing performance and resources to eliminate the condition, the system chooses to experiment. "Six, parents felt the Board of Education of New York City had an obligation to teach all of the children of New York and could not advocate its responsibilities. Schools in our neighborhoods or bad and underperforming. "Finally, Edison never built any relationship with the parents or the community. "We understand that many of these same issues ring true with Edison's intrusion into Philadelphia. We understand that schools in both cities need help, but as a part of a partnership parents, teachers, administrators, and elected officials, not as a part of an imposition. "Finally, there must be more advocation of responsibility, no more abuse in the name of experimentation. Instead, our method should be what do we need to be done for the most vulnerable so all may succeed? 127 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 "Thank you for accepting my testimony, and I apologize for not being able to present it in person. And attached I have wrote a piece for the vulnerable children of our community. Thank you." (Applause.)

My name is Gerald Wright, and I live in Germantown. Good afternoon, Honorable Donna Reed-Miller, Education Subcommittee Chairwoman, Councilmembers, distinguished guests, and all present. Thank you for giving me and others the opportunity to express opinions today about the privatization of the Philadelphia Public School System. I want to state clearly as a parent and as a citizen of Philadelphia, I am opposed privatization of the public school system. As a taxpayer and a parent, I have not been presented with facts that indicate that a for-profit private corporation is better suited or better able to provide public education for our children in Philadelphia at this time. I believe that one of the most important jobs of our government in Philadelphia is to make certain that our children receive a quality public education. Just because that task becomes difficult is not a good reason to 128 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 give up or to turn that responsibility over to people whose motive is to make a profit off of our children. (Applause.)

Without clear spending information from the Board of Education, it may be that too many people have already made an unfair profit off of our children without returning a good education to them. We can do better if we really want to. I am not advocating for poor quality education. I am advocating for an educational process that includes the very best that we have to offer. I urge City Council and the Mayor of Philadelphia to bring together local people who have a stake in our educational system, including parents, teachers, principals, local educational activists, corporate leaders, and students. There is no greater resource to resolve problems in the Philadelphia School System than these people. I know that these people are available because I attended a meeting at Mount Carmel Baptist Church a couple weeks ago, and the room was packed despite people saying that folks don't come out. So I do 129 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 believe that people will come out if they believe that the process is honest. I'd like to thank you for this opportunity.

Councilman Cohen.

Mr. Wright, you sound very reasonable in your requests and the people here today have overwhelming shown their opposition to the Edison plan or any plan like it because they honestly believe it will hurt and not help public education in Philadelphia. But I ask you, it's quite clear from the scenario thus far played out that there's been no room for public participation, yet we have to find a way, don't we, for public participation?

Yes.

I'm asking you for any thoughts you may have. How does the public participate in this process when the leadership, Governor Ridge and Mayor Street are following a script which excludes public participation? I think that's a problem that the community faces because it seems to me that there's going to be a bold attempt to just disregard public sentiment entirely, disregard what's good for our 130 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 children, and instead turn the system over to a for-profit corporation whose intent you all have recognized clearly is not education but profit. I think we've got to look for a way to make sure that the Governor and the Mayor understand that the public is not going to be content with expressing its opinion of this agreement and then quietly accepting a decision that the public feels is against its interest. I ask you to give thought to that. If you have any ideas, I would like to hear them. I suggest I'm picking on you because you were the last speaker on this panel and you had a very measured response, you've shown your interest by being at the very first discussion at the Mount Carmel Church and you saw there the sentiment of the people. And I think an important part of the ensuing discussions that take place have to be how does the public make its feelings felt by the people make the decision? How can we force our way into the processes so that the public will be represented at every stage?

Councilman Cohen, I think that we've made this thing far too complicated. If we really believe that education is an open process 131 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 and a people process, which I understand it to be, number one, we have to make the facts readable by everyone who has a stake. So when I get a financial report, if I get one from the Board of Education, I should be able to understand that report. I should be able, in fact, like the sheriff puts the sales of sheriff properties into all of the newspaper, public education is so important I think we should put that type of information into every newspaper so that everyone can read it. (Applause.)

It's not a secret. So that would be the first thing that I think has to happen in order to open this process up. Secondly, every school has a home and school association. And we say parents don't participate. I hear this all the time. I'm a parent. I'm sure others who presented today are parents. We do participate. (Applause.)

But we cannot be -- I get up in the morning, God knows how early to get going, sometimes 5 sometimes 4:30. You can't expect parents to be every place all the time. You also 132 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 have to work, you have to do all the other things you have to do. And when we set meetings up, we should be considerate. Home and school associations have meetings. We should find a way to get into those home and school associations so we know that the parents have a chance to have their voices heard. And when you have a major activity like this Edison process -- and someone said Edison has held public meetings. I'm not aware of Edison holding one public session. Every public meeting that has been held in this process has been held by another group.

And they ran away from the hearings today.

So my point to you is anytime you have something as important as this, it should be built into their contract that they have to talk with the public. And so if you put those things into place, I think putting the information into the newspapers just like you would the sheriff's sales, you make it mandatory, put that information and report into all of the local newspapers, then people will be able to see it and react. 133 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 At this point, most people feel that this thing is too big, too mysterious, and no one really wants to hear from them. So if there is a way, I think we've got to de-mystify this process. Education isn't a mystery, it is a process. You can train people to teach, you can train people to understand, and you can help parents to help their children learn better. So I do think that we can do that. (Applause.)

Councilman Cohen, can I follow-up on that?

Yes.

You just said something, the mystification of process. And one of the things that bothered me through this process over the summer because I was in New York when Edison was going through the attempt to privatize Harlem and South Bronx schools and I attended a community meeting. There were probably over a thousand people in that community meeting. Edison, I think, spent close to a few million dollars trying to use TV, mailings, and so on. They made it a political campaign. But here, every time you would 134 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 hear from the board or the Mayor's office and their meetings with the Governor, it was always, "Well, we can't negotiate in public." Well, let me tell you something. What you're negotiating is the giveaway of the public school system and that has to done in public. That has to be done in public. (Applause.)

That cannot be done in private. That cannot be done in private. And it was also, again, we abdicated our ability to be advocates because they said to us, "If you criticize the state government, they're going to really be mean to us. If you criticize the state legislature, they're going to be mean to us." So the lawsuit which was seen as a criticisms of the Governor's policy and the legislature, we had to say to them we're going to hold that and we're not going to pursue it. It was in Federal Court, it was not in State court where political influence could be done on judges. Well, let me tell you something. This body, this Administration is elected by the people of Philadelphia. We passed a charter change two years ago to put accountability in the Mayor's 135 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 office, not on a board of education that is appointed by him, on his office. His abdication on this issue cannot be tolerated. It has to be open. The people of Philadelphia have to have a say in it, and they have to be educated enough, they have to given all the information in order for them to have a say in it. And I don't think we're getting that. Today is the 25th. In four days decisions are going to be made. And I don't think we are thoroughly informed as to what those decisions should be and how they're going to go. We wanted a process for a referendum. I know a lot of people had misgivings on it, but it was vetoed. It was not allowed to go to the poles so we could have a process in which people could say something about this whole process that is going to be taking place. Thank you.

Just one question, Mr. Wright. You gave, again, a very reasonable answer. About 30 years ago, the school system was also in great crisis. There were concerns about police brutality. There were great concerns about integration. When every other arena was closed to the people, when the people on top who you would 136 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 have to convince to follow this program that you outline and they show no interest because they don't want the public involved, people took things somewhat in their own hand and under the leadership of the then state Representative David Richardson -- whom the City and the State and the Country lost a few years ago. It was a very severe loss when he left us. He organized all kinds of picket lines around the school at the end of the day. Children and parents, they would join in when they came home from work at various times. Somehow the public has to find a way to express itself because it seems to me there's a train called privatization moving along taking away people's rights and I think we've got to think of ways of stopping that train. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wright. (Applause.)

Thank you. And people are organizing meetings and I'm sure we have your name and we'll let you know what's going on. Our next panel will be Aldustus Jordan from PCCY, Helen Gym, Kay McKinna, Marlene Pryor, Gerald Gailman, Delores Shaw. Of the six, we have three? Some people 137 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 had to leave. Walter Holmes, Janet Lansdale.

Thank you, Madam Chairman and Councilpeople. I'm Kay McKinna, and I'm the City Council observer for the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia. I'm speaking today for Heidi Gold, President of the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia and Judy Rice, Education Specialist for the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. The foundation of the League's position on education is conviction that all children have the right to a good education and an education that prepares them for success in today's world. The League further believes that it's responsibility of the Commonwealth to assure the fulfillment of this obligation. After many years of budgetary shortfalls and last-minute tinkering and bailouts, the State has hired Edison to study the district and propose solutions to its problem. Report hasn't been presented so we therefore we won't criticize or condemn its findings. But no matter whom the State will select to implement its final design. The State is responsible for the results achieved. The League anxiously awaits the release of the Edison 138 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Corporation study, and we think that all citizens should have full access to this report as well as sufficient opportunity to respond to its findings and its recommendations. After the publication of that report, we think further hearings by City Council would be very appropriate. We are particularly concerned about the lack of public participation in this process. And I want to emphasis that we care very much that this report does gets released to the public and that the public has a chance to comment on it before any kind of agreement is reached. Thank you. That's all we have to say. And I'm sorry we have to leave. (Applause.)

Hi. My name is Helen Gym. I'm with Asian-Americans United, a community organization based in Chinatown that's been active in education reform issues since 1989. For more than a century, public education has been a hallmark of our civil society. But that changed in August when Governor Ridge decided unilateral that he would break this century-old social contract, hire a private firm for a possible takeover, and basically say to 139 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Philadelphia's children, "We will no longer be responsible for whether you are educated or not." We know Edison Schools was not hired to help us deliver a quality public education. This $2.7 million study was a buy-out by Governor Ridge to write is own report. Ms. Kahn said that she did not know what level of detail will be in Edison's report, but she and we do know one thing that won't, and it will be money. Adam Tucker, a Edison representative said to the Philadelphia Public School Notebook in addition to saying that he had a prior agreement to the Governor not to recommend additional funding but that school finances are not even Edison's expertise. So let's make this clear. The essential issue in Philadelphia is changing the Commonwealth's funding formula to ensure long-term financial viability for the School District. If money isn't even on Edison's plate, then why we are wasting our time? (Applause.)

And if at this time of national crisis we are so quick to assert ourselves as a democracy to be protected, then what does it 140 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 mean when we fail to protect the citizens of this city against back-door deals, against the fallacy of a process that attempts to without public debate disband a public good such as the public education system? (Applause.)

In the past week, many of our nation's leaders have never been more eloquent in asserting our country's values, never been more passionate about believing that our society has been the paradigm for civil societies around the world. In this civil society then, the introduction of Edison Schools begs this question: How does a civil society express its love for its children, and whose responsibility is it to educate them? Is it a civil society that auctions them off to the lowest bidder? Is it in a civil society that behind close doors a social contract, a civil, political, social, moral and ethical responsibility for the governance to educate its own children gets broken? We do know how to teach our children, but the problem is we do it unequally. We know how to build schools because we build them by the dozens in affluent communities. We know how to allocate 141 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 money toward public education because we already provide those kinds of resources for already privileged children. The issue of public education is then a moral issue. It's fundamentally about what we in our civil society believe to be ethically and socially right for our children. So what does it mean when we tell our children that we spend a billion dollars on sports stadiums and veto additional money for our schools? (Applause.)

How do we look them in the eye and say to them that at this time our government is more eager to draft them in a war than they are to ensure that they will graduate from public schools? (Applause.)

We are not here to defend the state of Philadelphia Public Schools, be we recognize that that responsibility for transforming it lies squarely on our shoulders. You have a clear mandate to preserve education as a long-term vision for the public good. And it does not mean parceling and piecemealing the district off to corporations who are worried about next quarter profits. It does not mean describing our children as financial 142 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 burdens while holding us powerless through your refusal to appropriate needed funds. So today we say to our leaders that we the citizens of Philadelphia ask you to take a courageous stand. Fulfill your moral and legal responsibilities to the children of Philadelphia. Join in pursuing the racial discrimination lawsuit to overturn the Commonwealth's funding formula. (Applause.)

We say this is a public issue that we the public will hold all public servants accountable to. Thank you. (Applause.)

Good afternoon. My name is Aldustus Jordan. I'm speaking on behalf of PCCY, the region's child advocacy organization. I want to begin by thanking City Council for holding these hearings and providing the opportunity to speak. PCCY has fought for decades to try to improve the children's lives within the City. We have urged full-day kindergarten, small class size, adequate books and computers, more supports for children falling behind, more after-school programs, and more public accountability. We join with many 143 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 others today in expressing our concern about any proposed contracting out with Edison Schools, Incorporated. We are concerned that our public school children need to have adequate funding so that they will be able to grow and learn. Yet according to published reports, Edison agreed not to ask for more state funding as part of the audit. We are concerned that there needs to be openness and public accountability throughout the system if we are to provide educational outcomes for children. The secretive way that the contract was awarded or the idea that the auditor is being encouraged to apply to fix any problems found or that the way that Edison public forums have been conduct do not in any way give confidence that we would be moving towards public accountability should Edison be part of a state takeover. We are concerned that all children have the opportunity to learn and grow. We understand that Edison has been charged with creaming the best kids and dumping the difficult students in other parts of the country. Again, because of the process thus far, we have little confidence that there would 144 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 be appropriate public information and monitoring to assure that this wasn't happening. We are concerned that all children have a fair shot. We understand that in some instances, the Edison School start out with the same amount of money but then discover that they need more and somehow they get more funding, but other public schools do not receive increases. We see this in many cities throughout the United States, Perry County, Indiana; Wichita; Clark County, Nevada; York Pennsylvania; Wayne County, North Carolina, et cetera. We are serious about improving education outcomes for children. Edison's record in improving educational outcomes is questionable at best. In Lansing, Baltimore, Miami Dade, San Francisco, Pontiac, Michigan, the verdict was that Edison Schools did not consistently improve student achievement. In the last several years with all the troubles, there has been improvement in student achievement here in Philadelphia. As the newspaper reported yesterday, even with the disappointing results of this last year, overall we have seen 145 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 substantial growth and student achievement from 29 percent to 41 percent in combined scores of PSAT and consistent growth according to the State's test; not near enough, but growth nevertheless. So why should we think that turning over to a company whose results are far less consistent is a good idea? It's simply not. If the issue is more money, more money is the answer. If the issue is public accountability, public accountability is the answer. Neither of these answers are supplied by contracting with Edison Schools. The bottom line is: Our children need more funds for education. Our State needs a new funding system that is fair for all children. We all need to work to improve our schools and Edison, again, is not the answer. Thank you. (Applause.)

Good afternoon. My name is Walter Holmes. I am with the Fifth House Educational Development Company. I am here at the request of Ms. Saunders who at the request of Anna Verna I met with a week ago and she thought it best that I come here and testify day. 146 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 I am president of the Fifth House Educational Development Company and we're introducing something called diagnostics which is a compentency-based student evaluation strategy designed to address many of the problems that the Philadelphia School system may have. In Chapter 4 of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education regulation describe the purposes of education as follows: Together with parents, families and community institutions, public education provides opportunities for students to acquire knowledge and skills, develop integrity, process information, think critically, work independently, collaborate with others and adapt a change. How do we assess students in school has not only fail to measure reality, it has also managed to change it. In all educational environments, assessments drive instruction. Consequently, unless we revisit the true purposes of education, instruction will always be limited to empirical facts void of all that cannot be captured by standardized testing. To approach education's intended purposes would mean good schools would abandon uniformity and 147 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 standardization. Instead they would seek individuality by increasing the variances in student development. The most ideal assessment strategy would revel the distinctive talents of individual students and the effects of school practices on their development. In 1999, I began developing a diagnostic assessment in contact with Dr. Kay Lovelace who at the time was the associate superintendent of the Philadelphia School System. My first presentation to Dr. Lovelace was in essence a business model. She gave me a copy of the curriculum framework CD and asked that I translate what I have presented in an appropriate application for school environment. She also gave me a consumer's guide to continuous school improvement to format the presentation for principals and those making decisions regarding its use in the school level. Diagnostic assessments is a re-engineered approach to student assessment and school governance. As an effort to stem the tide of low academic achievement, we are introducing strategies to address the whole personal needs of students. We also pioneer ways to apply 148 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 quantifiable values to environmental influences and evaluation of the effects of a myriad of influences on student behaviors. What we are also proposing to automate the recognition of student needs and learning preferences along with the application of affective curriculum selection and instructional strategies. What we are presenting is a common sense approach to student assessment design to target the root causes of poor student achievement. If I can for a second, I'd like to read just a couple letters of support. I have also received letters of support from a Dr. Mitchell Chester, Executive Director of the Office of Accountability and Assessment for the Philadelphia School System. And from Ms. Melanie Haines Garner, principal of special assignment out of the Office of Standards Equity and Student Services also from the Philadelphia School System. Even though I've received these letters of support, I have not been able to meet from anyone from the School District. And all we're trying to do is just present alternative strategies that was presented to the State that prompted them to maybe choose to bring in Edison. 149 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 One of the letters of support I have received was "I am extremely impressed with the concept of diagnostic assessments and the benefit it can provide our children.

Assessments that allow educators to continually monitor student development is a must to meet the rigorous standards demanded in today's school environment. The process and measures the concept introduces makes sense if we wish to achieve the level of understanding needed to make formal informed decisions. The success of any school is contingent upon clear, commonly-defined goals. It want articulated focus individual and collective energy clarifies understanding articulates communication while promoting persistence and collective purpose. There is also a need to manage the volume of student data gathered that is key to the individualized instructional strategies. " She goes 0 on and on, but is one of the letters of support from Gail Hawkins Bush, Chief Operating Administer for Alliance in Progress. The other charter schools was Universal Community Charter School of South Philadelphia and West Oak 150 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Lane Charter School in West Oak Lane Philadelphia. Just one more. This letter was written to the Honorable Robert P. , Auditor General. "Dear General Casey, as you consider education policy matters this year, I want you to recommend that you or an appropriate staff member talk with Mr. Walter Holmes. Mr. , a public organization that has a great deal to offer towards a rational useful approach to student school assessments. I recently met with Mr. Holmes and was impressed with the common sense of his approach in measuring student educational success. In short, it offers a system of using information about a student learning in every subject every day to inform how teachers work with the student. Rather than systems like the PSSA test that are a stop shop with very little diagnostic and value for teachers, the approach Mr. Holmes advocates is primarily data driven providing information that teachers can use constantly to examine and refine teaching and learning in the schools. Because it focuses on individual students, it permits a school virtually to create an individual educational plan for each student but 151 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 without the formal process that EIPs require. I believe the next governor will want and need to create a far better assessment system than the PSSA system. While the approach Mr. Holmes proposes is designed for the school level, it will be wise to think of how the state assessment system will complement school-based measurements of student achievement rather than being different and hostile to them. Interestingly, Mr. Holmes has a business background rather than an academic background. " This was signed by Timothy Potts, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania School Reform network, a project of the Education and Law Center of Pennsylvania. In conclusion, I just want to state that today's students will inhabit a world requiring far more complex and subtle forms of thinking than students needed years ago. Schools need to change from a standardized to a personalized instructional approach where unique skills and talents of each student are identified and they are allowed to compete to their own individual strengths. Most 152 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 importantly, we must emphasize assessments that recognize the importance of instructional routines that consider the significance of higher order of thinking. I have prepared a 30-minute Power Point presentation and I remain at the disposal of City Council collectively or individually to personally present our diagnostic approach. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. )

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Miller and committee members. Thank you for the opportunity to testify here before your committee. My name is Janet Lonsdale. And that's with an "o" not an "a," which was the way it was pronounced, in any case. I work for Parents Involved Network which is part of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. I'm testifying today for the Child and Adolescent Division of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Our division provides many services to children and youth with behavioral and/or emotional problems in Philadelphia. Through Penn we provide support, advocacy information, 153 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 referral, and resources for families of children and adolescents with emotion and/or behavior problems. Through our crisis response center which is based in Einstein, we provide supports for parents and families of children who are in a crisis at the Children's Crisis Center. We also have a peer support group for children and adolescents who are coping with mental issues. And Penn presents a six-week coping skills workshop in cooperation with the School District of the Office of Mental Health a few times a year. My comment today will be brief. We're aware that we're probably preaching to the choir. The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania is opposed to any State takeover of the Philadelphia schools. We are particularly opposed any involvement of the Edison Schools, Incorporated, and the administration of the Philadelphia School District for the follow reasons: The manner in which Edison was given the contract to analyze the report on public schools, as we all know, this was something that nobody had any public comments on. It was a situation that was announced. This contact was awarded with no public 154 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 involvement to an organization which does not have a consistent record of success in the schools which it currently is responsible. Further, Edison's fiscal status seems to be as tenuous as that of Philadelphia schools. Edison does not have a record of educational or fiscal success. We have read and heard reports and spoken to people who had experience with Edison Schools. The Edison Schools have forced out the harder to education children and adolescents. We know of no comprehensive plan of Edison's which addresses the needs f children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems. This is alarming, given the number of children in Philadelphia with such difficulties. There is no mystery about what Philadelphia schools needs. Research upon research study establishes the needed actions: Smaller class size, well-trained teachers on comprehensive curriculum based on the needs of a large urban center. That, of course, means money. The State should not be allowed to avoid its fiscal responsibility to schools by giving contracts to an 155 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 organization which have not established their academic and fiscal success in order to divert attention from the needs of all schools in the Commonwealth. We must spend money on education. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you. Are there any questions form any members of the committee from this panel? Thank you. Thank you very much. Wendall Harris, Rita Odessa, Rosita Johnson, Arnold Hall, Phyllis Gilbert.

Good afternoon, all our City Council reps and distinguished guests, students, parents, and organizations that are here. My name is Wendall A. Harris. I'm one of the reps for the home and school association council reps. I'm also a board member with a Parent Union, and I'm apart of the alliance with Philadelphia Organized to Support Public Education. I would like to start by saying, God bless America and the democracy that it represents. However, even in a democracy, many times the concerns and interests of its people are heard only 156 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 by a few because too often deals and special interests are served behind closed doors. If there was equity and just funding of our public school system, there would be no need for privatization of our schools with the bottom line being for profit. The Philadelphians United for Public Schools put all on notice at this time, you will not be accountable only, and I said only, to those special interest groups and to your stockholders. But you will be accountable to us parents and citizens of Philadelphia, the real stakeholders. Deal or no 13 deals, our children's education is not for sale, and we will be here watching you. (Applause.)

And real quick, Councilman Cohen isn't here but he said he wanted some suggestions. Now, the brother that was here, I endorsed and advocate everything he said, but I also suggest that we get together and take it to the politician's house, around the schools, whatever. I mean, this is what you got to do. You got to do what you got to do. If they're going to exclude you and they're not going to involve you, then you have to get involved right to their face, you know, and 157 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 that's what we need to do. If we do that, we should do that. We get together, go out there, and say, "You are held accountable and you're not going to have these deals behind our backs. We're the people. We want to be heard. That's it. Thank you for hearing me. (Applause.)

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Miller, Chair of this committee and other Councilmembers present, students and others. First of all, my name is Arnold Hall, and I'm currently serving as the President of the Philadelphia Home and School Council. I'd just like to begin by just saying a tremendous thank you for the opportunity for this hearing to take place that offers a believability in some opening of processes. I want to say thank you to those who came out here today to give testimony, a great many of whom were parents which is why some came at various hours because they had to make a decision of picking up children before they got here or rushing out to pick up children, and to those students who come and sat through the whole of this process. So just thank you. I will shortened to say ditto, ditto to 158 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 fairly much everything that has been said here today rather than repeating over and over as has been done because we are all of the same common belief, common awareness that Edison is not the answer to our problems. (Applause.)

Edison is not going to be the beneficiary, certainly not for long. I want to say thank you to those who came out because they came in the face of so much echoing of the fact that it's already a done deal, it's a closed thing. And so anytime we're challenged, we should be willing to stand up in the face done deals and otherwise because what was done yesterday can be undone tomorrow. (Applause.)

I want to say in behalf of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, as opposed to going through the wholeness of this because I do have written testimony that I will provide you for the details of my testimony. But just in summation, I wanted to no to Edison involvement here. In behalf of Philadelphia Home and School Council, our associations and the 264 schools in this school 159 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 district representing parents and it is a member of this coalition that has come together to echo again a resounding no to Edison's involvement here. Yes to true equitable funding. Yes to full citizen involvement in the processes. Yes to working on all issues of need here and in Harrisburg. Yes to registering for balloting in November of 2001 and in May of 2002. The people who sign and make agreements to the deals that people who sit sometimes silently too long know that there is a thing called reckoning day, election day is our venue. What is it we'll do about this? We're going to mass and work like heck to mass the greatest voter registration between now and the short period remaining as can possibly happen from the Philadelphia Home and School Council and those friends to our children here in Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)

My name is Rosita Johnson, and I'm here today to raise my voice against the privatization of any part of our school district. I speak as an advocate for public education and a retired teacher who worked in the district for over 160 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 30 years. We did not need Edison Schools, Inc., to do a 60-day fiscal and educational assessment of the schools and come up with an improvement plan. For this, taxpayers had to pay $2.7 million. Although in 1994 Judge Doris Smith appointed an educational team to do an extensive assessment of our public schools and the report and the recommendations were ignored by the State and the City. The hiring of Edison Schools, Inc., by Governor Ridge was an act of patronage, not an act of caring for our students and our schools. Chris Whittle, CEO of Edison Schools, Inc., told his stockholders last year that Edison needs many more schools to manage before it can earn a profit. Even before that assessment is finished, Edison is meeting behind closed doors to plan the takeover in the name of the State. I was told by one school district official it was a done deal. Well, deals can be undone and this one must be. (Applause.)

It is a conflict of interest for a company to assess a school system and then recommend itself as the manager for its own profit. Why would Governor Ridge, the Mayor, the 161 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 School Board want to hire a company that has no 3 proven record to take over our schools? Sound like nonsense to me. (Applause.)

Last year I saw the 60 minutes expose on Edison Schools and it revealed that the achievement of some students in Edison Schools declined under its management. And most students showed minimal or no improvement. In York, Pennsylvania; Wichita, Kansas; Dallas, Texas; Edison was unable to run its schools for the amount of money it promised. Most of the students in Edison Schools are African-American and Latino. School districts in five states have canceled its contract with Edison Schools. Why should we want Edison in Philadelphia? (Applause.)

The real problem is that Pennsylvania does not fund its schools in an adequate and equitable manner. Wealthy school districts have good schools and poor districts like Philadelphia have inferior schools. Then there is the problem of racism. Pennsylvania knowingly created and maintained the 162 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 system of school funding that leaves Philadelphia and other majority African-American and Latino districts with significantly fewer dollar per student than predominately white districts. A lawsuit was filed against the State in Federal Court by the School District and the City in 1998. But Governor Ridge pressures the Mayor to withdraw it for one year and now for 90 days. Well, I think this lawsuit should be heard. We should all come together and support it. (Applause.)

A few people say to me, "Oh, more money for the schools will not make the difference." Well, I say to them, it will take quite of bit of money to reduce class size, build new schools, renovate older schools, hire the best teachers, train and retrain the teachers we already have, purchase state-of-the-art equipment, books, et cetera. Quality education is the right of every citizen in Philadelphia regardless of race, religion, gender or income. Education is a civil rights issue. It is a moral issue. And I say we should join in saying no to Edison and yes to our students. 163 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 (Applause.)

Good afternoon. My name is Phyllis Gilbert, I'm the chairperson of Peace Action Delaware Valley. We are the Pennsylvania affiliate of a national peace organization with 7 offices across the State and about 1,000 members in 8 Philadelphia. 9 We are very concerned about this 10 takeover of the public education. And I thought it 11 might be a little bit useful to -- since others have 12 made such sterling and appropriate comments about 13 the Edison situation and the takeover -- to give you 14 a little overview about the history of the dwindling 15 education and other kinds of services in the City 16 from a peace perspective. 17 As you all know, the Constitution and 18 the State's responsibility is promote the general 19 welfare and the State specifically to be responsible 20 or public education. And as we all know, this has 21 become a political football. But the federal 22 government has had a role also. After the Sputnik 23 wake up call, the United States government seemed to realize that a boost to better equip our citizens' education was an important avenue to regaining our 164 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 privacy in the world. So they started to fund head start for preschool children and a follow-through program for elementary school-aged children. And these programs helped raise the achievements significantly. Unfortunately, the follow through program has lost their federal support for many years and then soon disappeared. To multiply the funding problem, the Park's decision in 1973 mandated that public schools educate children with special needs. And that idea was a great idea because it gave the students with the special needs smaller class size and specially trained teachers, but it was unfunded mandate to a large degree because the federal government agreed to only fund up to 40 percent of the costs and never has even met that promise. So that's put an additional burden on the public schools, and not just in Philadelphia, of course. So since the 1980s and in addition to the already waning specific education support for Philadelphia, the federal government has withdrawn related support services for Philadelphia's children and families so the children frequently come to school unprepared to learn. We all know that a great element to children achieving well in school 165 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 is whether or not a family is able to really help their children learn, to be the nudger, to help them with their homework, to make sure they get to bed on time, all those kinds of obvious supports that parents can give kids if the parents have a job, if they earn a living wage, all those kind of things. So our organization points out that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has followed the lead of the federal government in reducing financial support for our public schools. Since 1974, the State has reduced its level of support from 55 percent to 35 percent of our overall costs. In more effective suburban schools, their funding has greatly increased through the years so that some schools spend as much as $13,553 per student, compared to meager $4,397 per student in Philadelphia. Well, the obvious disparity is in line what everybody has been saying day. So our public service poor students and many of the students are on some sort of welfare support, many who face neighborhood violence and drug problems. The public schools cannot effectively teach students or teach children who are facing so many societal problems and in overly large 166 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 class sizes and in huge schools with inadequate equipment and poorly trained teachers, all of the things that people have been saying. So we must do something about this inequitable funding. And then as David Cohen was suggesting, we must find a solution to stop this steamroller that's heading down our way and prevent privatization. And Peace Action will help in whatever we can.

And it seems to me that we need to go to the state and bypass the Mayor and make sure that our elected officials the whole Philadelphia delegation know that we will just not accept this. And we need to go in big numbers and maybe just sit in. )

I appreciate the opportunity to be here today. I am Rita Addessa. I am Executive Director of the Lesbian and Gay Task Force. I had the opportunity to arrive around 4 o'clock, and everything that I have heard testifiers say, I absolutely agree with. I just want to add some comments. I don't think they are -- well, they're somewhat redundant but not totally. There are some differences I'm sure among all of us. 167 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 Do you have a copy of my testimony?

Yes, we do.

Is this taped so we can get this into the record? Because I thought it was rather special to think of this analogy. And I thank Barbara Miner and I refer all of you if you do not know her to Barbara Miner and the work of rethinking schools which readily accessible on the web, and that is noted on that testimony. They are an absolutely wonderful, progressive organization that provide excellent teaching tools for social justice inside and outside of the classroom. So to sum, this is how I'd like to begin, with a summary. And whether this is a popular view or not, I see a lot of similarities between George W. Bush asking our nation to support a new kind of war and this man I had not heard of before, John Chubb who is Chief Education Officer of Edison inviting parents to consider a new kind of school, because from my point of view as a civil rights leader and an education activist for more than 20 years, it's my point of view that there is absolutely nothing knew about the government forcing public sacrifice for mass destruction. There is 168 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 absolutely nothing new about the government misappropriating, including the City of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and the United States Government's misappropriation of public funds to subsidize private ventures. And there's nothing knew about this Edison project. The only thing knew about it, I suppose, is that it's very clear that it has completely failed in its stated mission and that it continues to rob public education and it continues to undermine our children's future and needs to be dissolved. (Applause.)

And I think I'm going to move to the end of my formal testimony and to suggest that philosophically, and I think we need to think philosophically because many of my colleagues know a great deal more than I ever will know about the specifics of the Edison project and all of us will know more when the Edison project actually releases a written report if it should be required to do so. But what I think of philosophically about this project is that it is simply another assault, it's one of a thousand assaults including vouchers on ordinary citizens. Very strong support for 169 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 public education. All of us as parents, as grandparents, as human beings want quality public education for our children. And we know that the majority of our children in Philadelphia and in the United States go to public schools, not to private schools. As a public citizen, I support the notion and I would suggest that our sisters and brothers must share in my chagrin that we continue to support private education but not public the education and we continue to support not private profiteers. The question I think before you -- and in some ways Edison is a distraction. The question that I've asked City Council for about years for 16 those of you who have been here that long is, how are we going to address the basic issue of how we can achieve academic excellence and education equity? It is a philosophy that's been embedded for those of you know Policy 102 adopted more than five or six years ago. The question we have to ask is not only --I'll wait until you have a moment.

You can proceed. Your testimony is being recorded by a court stenographer. 170 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

Thank you. Would you like me to close as opposed to wait?

Well, that's your choice. You can do whatever. It's your choice. But we have access. All of you're saying will be on our e-mail. So sometimes people have to answer the phone and take other calls from constituents. So it may appear that they're not listening, but they are.

Thank you. It feels repetitive to say this yet again, but the question in Pennsylvania is, how do we achieve academic excellence and education equity? How do we implement Policy 102? How do we assure high performance, educators and students? How do we enable as my colleagues have talked about already small classrooms, state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and resources? How do we assure a structurally coherence system that is publicly accountable and grounded in the commitment to economic justice social justice? Privatization is obviously counterproductive and counter-intuitive to an educational process and system that must be and remain a public and collaborative effort and that 171 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 has nothing to do with anything called Edison. Thank. (Applause.)

Thank you. Is there anyone else here to submit testimony on this resolution? If so, you want to come up.

My name is Barbara Dowdall, spelled D-O-W-D-A-L-L, and I am a graduate of the Philadelphia Public Schools, Girls High, January '64. I am a teacher in the public schools. I teach at Dobbins in the English Department, Dobbins Randolph, and the parent of a graduate of Central High School. I just want to say on a feeling level that when I constantly hear about the failing, failing, failing public schools, we are not recognizing the many successes, hundreds and thousands of successes in our system. I have taught a student at Dobbins who was given full scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. There are graduates of our system who are in symphony orchestras, who are doctors, who are attorneys, teachers and principals, active citizens. We are not a failing system. We are a system that needs 172 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 adequate funding. (Applause.)

And I want to pay tribute to Central High School that instilled the desire for learning in my younger daughter who when she came out of her dorm on Tuesday the 11th of September at Union Square and saw the towers burning, walked toward them because she had a class to go to, which she eventually found was canceled, but she had that desire to learn and I pay tribute to her teachers at Central High School. And the teachers at Central High School are representative of all the teachers across this City, most of whom are very dedicated, very qualified. And if you talk to them, they'll tell you what they need be to do a better job. (Applause.)

My name is Dianne Mohney, M-O-H-N-E-Y. I'm a school nurse and the parent of two fairly recent graduates of the public school system. Thank you for letting us testify today. I don't want to repeat a lot of what other people have said today. I am against the privatization of public schools and especially privatization by Edison Schools. Privatization is 173 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 just another way of transferring public money to corporate pockets. (Applause.)

This money should be used for public school students, for their supplies, for their school buildings. I went to the first Edison meeting at the Baptist church in West Philadelphia. I forget the name of it -- Mount Carmel Baptist Church. That meeting democratic meeting. People were not encouraged to share all of their thoughts especially where it came to Edison Schools. And I think we should be cautious on this ground and think about what parent teacher association meetings might be if Edison took over. Further, I think that Edison at best is the K-mart of private school system. At best they are equal to the schools that they take over. At worst, they do worse than the schools that they've taken over. And as we've heard testimony today, a lot of school districts are trying to get rid of Edison Schools. Do we need more money for schools? Yes, we do. We need smaller class size. We need more books. We need more supplies. We're told that 174 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 there's over a billion dollar surplus in the State budget. At the meeting in West Philadelphia, we were told that that's a rainy day fund. Well, guess what? It's raining outside. (Applause.)

And in some of the schools on a rainy day, it literally rains inside of the school because are roofs are in such terrible condition. Our children do not deserve that. It is racist. It is anti-child. I'm a school nurse, and I work in the health care community as well as the education community. I work with a coalition of patients, doctors, nurses, trying to get better health care for everybody. Recently we just watched on a national level the attempts to get a very inadequate patients Bill of Rights passed. If we privatize education, we will be in the same situation a few years down the line trying to get a student and parents Bill of Rights passed. None of us wants to see that. We need standards for our children. And I wanted to leave one thought while I was sitting here. If Edison and other private institutions like that do such a great job of 175 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 educating children at a reduced cost, why aren't the suburban school districts that spend 11, 12, 4 thousand dollars a year on education lining up to 5 get Edison to do the job for them? Well, the fact 6 is you don't get a very good education for a cut 7 rate education. If kids in the suburbs deserve an 8 excellent education that cost money, so do our 9 children. Thank you very much. 10 (Applause.) 11

Good afternoon. 12

Good afternoon. My name 13 is Lou Incognito, and I'm second vice president of East Mount Airy neighbors and the parent of five graduates of Philadelphia Public School System and also the grandparent of seven. I must say that my five children, public school graduates, are only about 40 or 70 times smarter than I am. But I will try to give testimony for the family. Public education is a democratic right. Federal, State, and City officials are obliged to ensure that our public schools are run properly with full funding and equality. Leaders in the republican party and democrats who do their bidding consistently try to destroy our schools. They seek 176 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 our votes and praise even when they work against our rights. But we call them corrupt, corrupt for privatization schemes like the Edison project, corrupt for allowing inequality and segregation to exist, corrupt for creating the illusion that privatization works. We know corruption when we see it. We know the names of corrupt politicians and well continue to work to sweep them out of office. Some public officials claim that privatization is necessary because of insufficient funds. We know differently. We know that privatization is undemocratic. We know that privatization is a form of union busting. We know if there is money for suburban schools, there is money for all schools. If there's money for the Edison project, there is money for our schools. If there is money for Edison stockholders, there is money for our schools. Instead of giving away our money, let us reduce class size to suburban school levels. Let us put more textbooks, computers, and supplies in our classroom. Let us provide proper pay for our teachers. There is no greater return than a one received from quality did he segregated public education. Let us not settle for educating 177 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 the few through vouchers, charter schools, and private firms. Let us do what is right and provide quality education for all our children. We are not surprised that some politicians would try he Edison approach, but we are sad to see some of our formerly trusted leader sink to their level. Governor Ridge and his allies are in contempt of our rights, not only because of calls to privatize but also because of segregation. In 1998 lawsuit filed by our School District and City accuses Governor Ridge with violating the civil rights of public school children. The suit charges that schools with high levels of minority enrollment receive less funding than others and that the Philadelphia Public School students receive less than the students in the rest of the State. In 1996 Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith ordered the State to pay its fair share so that quality desegregation could replace discrimination. The City has illegally, immorally and unconstitutionally avoided both lawsuits. Privatization would add to the damage already done. Private firms running public schools have poor track records, but are presented as a 178 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 solution to our school problems. They cost us money that is not required for education. Education should not involve making payments to stockholders. Education should not involve making profit from students. Education in other private firms are paid according to student count. To ensure high rates of return they have falsified attendance records and accepted payment on those attendance record lies. Because of the poverty in our cities and the fear of violence, parents are tricked into accepting alternatives that deprive our public schools of money. We wish those parents well, but we oppose vouchers. We oppose using public school funds for charter schools. And we oppose any form of privatization. We will close with the reminder: No 18 privatization, no racial discrimination and no false promises. We will continue to fight for our City, its children and workers.

We will continue to defend all students' right to desegregated public education. I really do want to mention now in the wake of this terrible tragedy that has occurred on September 11th, I do want to mention this: There's 179 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 been so much work. Our family has volunteered blood, money and whatever they can do to find the missing bodies to search through the rubble. However, we don't want to do this again. And I just want to mention that there was money to fund and install the Taliban. A government that opposes public education, it opposes viciously rights for women and yet we supported, we helped overthrow a government that tried to install public education and obey the decisions of the Afghanistan people. And we have no problem supporting that government until now all of a sudden that maybe we made public declarations, I would bet money that there's still private support for that Taliban. We take responsibility. The working class of our country has to pay for Edison. And now it has to pay for rubble and threats to our environment. Now we see last night they're threatening the food supply, the terrorists are threatening our food supply. We see that on the news last night. I mean, there are frightening things happening and they're caused by policies right here. We want every single politician, we pay them, we want them to fight this kind of atrocity. 180 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 We really want not an Edison study, we want our politicians and even these Edison School people, we want them to study the careers of Angel Ortiz -- I hate to bring their name up while they're here -- and David Cohen. And we'll give them tests. We want really want people to speak for us because we pay them to do that and our democracy says that they must. No back room deals, no stadiums. I promise you that we will get our -- the crumbs that we've been promised crumbs from the stadium and we've forgotten losses. We will get every cent back from those people that are making money, the politicians and the ones who decided that they could have stadiums and not our schools. We will make them pay. That's not part of my testimony, but I want to conclude with that. My written testimony is here. )

Thank you. If anyone wants to leave their testimony here so we can make copies, the Sergeant-at-Arms will come and get it from you and we'll distribute it to Councilmembers. Is there anyone else here who wants to 181 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531 testify on this bill?

Madam Chair, I just want briefly to announce that two women's organizations, one called Wages for Housework Campaign and the other one called Every Mother is a Working Mother Network, both groups want to be identified in the record as being opposed to privatization, opposed to the Edison project. Finally, I want to -- the third item is the letter I think every Councilmember got from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers announcing its option to privatization. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Just for the record, I'm Terrance Wilson, I'm a president Home and Association out of Cook Middle School in the Logan Section. I just wanted to propose one thing or have one comment that has something directly to do with the stadium that I heard a proposal that the people who are going to run the stadiums, the baseball stadium and the football stadium will give $5 million to a children's fund in the City, $5 million a year or something to that effect.

One million dollars. 182 9/24/01 - EDUCATION - RES. NO. 010531

And I would suggest that they would give --

It's one million dollars per year over 30 years.

I would suggest that they would go back 30 years from 1970 from one million from 1970 up to now and then start the one million for year for the next 30 years.

Well, we suggested that it be more than one million dollars. So we all have suggestions -- let me just say this. This committee is just going to recess. We're not going end the committee. We want to continue to have hearings, so right now we're just recessing to the call of the Chair.

I thank you for your time.

We thank you for having an interest in coming in. Thank you. (Council adjourned at 5:23 p.m.) - - - 183 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of September 24, 2001, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION ___________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR and Notary Public