Philadelphia schools still in session

Classes are on for the city's children -- until Tuesday, at least. Philadelphia public school teachers continued last minute discussions with the Philadelphia School District last night. And with little progress reported, the city may soon see its first teachers' strike since 1981. After eight months of discussions, the city's 13,000 teachers are still without a new contract. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers keeps haggling with the district, while the union has been hovering on the brink of a strike for more than a week. The old contract officially expired on September 1. A state Supreme Court order extended the contract, but it expires at 5 p.m. today. The key contract issues up for debate are the district's proposals to lengthen the school day and year and to tie pay with performance. Also on the table are medical benefits and work assignments. While teachers and district officials alike have been apprehensive at the possibility of a walkout by city educators, 210,000 children returned to school last Thursday without any problems. The district presented a new offer to the teachers this weekend, but PFT Chief Negotiator Jerry Jordan said that the issue has "never been close to a settlement." Jordan, leaving talks at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel last night, hinted at what kind of package teachers are requesting. While not offering specifics, he said that it is "not at all out of line with the 7 percent [raise] that the district administrators received" in their negotiations. "They need to respect the teachers and other employees," Jordan said. Should there be no new word from the courts, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order that extended the contract expires at 5 p.m. today. Should that order expire, teachers would effectively be at the district's mercy. The PFT must by law give the district 48 hours notice before a strike can take effect. Union spokeswoman Barbara Goodman said that it would be up to the district on what to do should teachers have to work Tuesday without a contract. The state has also hinted that it might take over the school system under Act 46, controversial legislation that was enacted two years ago. Neither side wants that to happen. But the PFT is prepared to order its members to strike should negotiations fail. Strike captains were briefed last night. While "nobody wants a strike," Goodman said, strike captains are "prepared to do what the leadership tells them to do." Bruce Levin, a strike captain and teacher at the Franklin Learning Center at 15th and Mt. Vernon streets, said the district must "offer the teachers a package compensatory with what's being offered in the suburbs." Philadelphia Mayor John Street, present at talks yesterday, said that the talks had reached a delicate stage. "I've seen these things turn because of language," said Street, who narrowly averted a walkout by the city's municipal unions a month ago. "Right now, there are major differences," Street said. "These are critical and complicated issues that deserve a lot of discussion." Ken Tobin, a professor in the Graduate School of Education at Penn, said that the problems the Philadelphia School District faces can be caused by its size. "I honestly think these large school districts have problems because of their largeness," said Tobin, who conducts research in Philadelphia schools. "It's a pity the unions can't get more professionally involved" with the educational process, Tobin said

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