Candidate offers education plan

Republican mayoral candidate Joe Rocks released his plan for education reform in Philadelphia yesterday, supporting school choice, mayoral control of the school budget and the dismantling of the school district's bureaucracy. "In Philadelphia, we must have the vision and courage to try bold, new approaches to ensure that every child is educated at levels equal to those of our suburban neighbors," the plan states. If elected, Rocks says he would create a School Police Force, composed of retired Philadelphia Police Officers, to deal with crimes committed inside the city's schools. He would pay these officers through an augmentation of their pension plan. Rocks also advocates altering the system of discipline used in the city's schools. He would institute a network of "motivational schools" in each section of the city designed to cut the truancy rate and eliminate the need for suspensions -- which he says are ineffective punishments for disruptive students. Saving taxpayer dollars is another main theme of the Rocks campaign. Within the educational arena, Rocks says he would accomplish this goal by creating an "Education Cabinet," composed of the Superintendent and Managing Director of the city's schools, the President Judge of Family Court, and the commissioners of the city's Health, Human Services and Recreation departments. Savings would also be realized by providing crucial social services -- such as health-care clinics and day-care centers -- on-site at city schools. Rocks would also cut the number of executive management positions within the school district's administration by more than half, and would slash the number of directors and assistant directors by two-thirds. A former state Senator and state Representative, Rocks sponsored legislation that tightened teacher certification requirements and helped write the Vo-Tech Equipment Act while serving in the General Assembly.

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