Countdown, Day 18: What are you doing to bring about a positive opening of...
The District will open schools for the 2013-14 school year in a little over two weeks. Though Superintendent William Hite has been promised an infusion of $50 million to help open the doors on time,...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 17: NCLB waiver frees up federal money, but it's no help in...
When Pennsylvania received its waiver from No Child Left Behind, school districts around the state gained flexibility in using once-restricted federal dollars. But Philadelphia was not so lucky.By law,...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 14: Most noontime aides rehired; asst. principals to be...
The School District has recalled 1,109 noontime aides -- rebranded "school safety officers" by their union -- which is just about all of those who had been laid off and had not chosen to leave or...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 13: District redraws its school boundary map
In time for the new school year, the District has redrawn its school catchment areas that determine which schools students are eligible to attend. The new boundaries were needed after the closing of 24...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 12: Jordan offers one-year pay freeze, benefit changes
[Updated, 3:30 p.m. with additional quotes from Charles Zogby]Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce that the union is willing...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 11: What is the story with counselors?
The District has said that, so far, it has recalled 126 of the 270 counselors that it had laid off, all but 10 of them by using some of the $50 million in additional funds that the city has promised to...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 10: Citywide, number of school secretaries is down by 30%
As the School District secured the first installments of desperately needed new revenue this summer, one of the first steps taken was to rehire one secretary for each of the 213 schools -- a...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 9: Teachers' union prepared to negotiate through the weekend
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School District's bargaining team returned to the negotiating table on Saturday, the day the union's contract is set to expire.Neither side has reported...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 8: Push is on for an agreement in teacher talks
Talks are continuing between District negotiators and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers on the eve of Labor Day observances and a mass union membership meeting. Both parties released similar...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 6: With many students going to new schools, SEPTA offers help
With opening day for students less than a week away, SEPTA has unveiled a simplified system for students who were displaced by the 24 school closings to find their new school.About 55,000 students use...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 5: Teachers' union to pull new ad attacking Mayor Nutter
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorksThe Philadelphia teachers' union said that it is putting on hold a new ad that blasts Mayor Nutter and Gov. Corbett over the School District's budget woes.George...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 4: Talks to resume Friday; teachers are under a 'status quo'...
Teachers' contract negotiations took a break on Thursday for Rosh Hashanah, with plans to resume Friday and likely continue through the weekend."The expectation is that they are going to go on into the...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 3: Class-size challenges and split grades loom
The School District's staff has shrunk by 3,000 since June, with 17,144 employees (full-time equivalents) now on the payroll. That's a 15 percent staffing cut. The District has not yet released...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 2: Tweeting #Philly1stDay experiences
The Notebook has been counting down the days before schools open. For 40 days, we tried to follow each dramatic twist, every political turn that arose in what many believe is Philadelphia's worst...
View ArticleCountdown, Day 1: The night before schools open
On the eve of schools opening, staff are working hard to prepare for a critical and highly scrutinized first day of the year. Teachers at Lingelbach Elementary in Mount Airy have produced a creative...
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