Hundreds of parents, teachers and staff members marched to City Hall yesterday, interrupting the annual Christmas tree lighting to voice their anger about the impending privatization of Philadelphia's public schools.
By the time school let out yesterday, protesters had already gathered at Broad and Spring Garden streets to voice their displeasure with the deal reached by Gov. Mark Schweiker and Mayor John Street over solutions for the city's failing school district. Schweiker and Street have agreed not to turn management of the entire school district over to a private corporation but made allowances for some schools.
The protesters eventually marched down Broad Street all the way to City Hall, where they spilled into the holiday parade, stopping a carriage carrying Street and Police Commissioner John Timoney.
After being stopped mid-ride, Street left his carriage and walked the rest of the way to the end of the parade, shaking hands with children and ignoring the throngs of protesters surrounding him.
The coalition of Philadelphians United to Support Public Schools officially came together during the past week after Schweiker and Street reached a partial agreement that may lead to the privatization of some public schools by likely candidate, Edison Schools Inc., a for-profit institution hired by the state to develop ways to improve the city's ailing school system.
Edison has met with protest in other cities several times in the past when a school takeover or privatization plan seemed imminent.
"These corporations will do whatever they have to do to make as much profit as possible," said Carol Stein, an English teacher at the Community College of Philadelphia. "They don't care about education."
Towering over the crowd stood an 8-foot paper-mache puppet adorned with the words "Our Children are Not For Sale."
"We need to stick together to ensure the quality of education that the kids are going to get," said Lisa Richardson, a nurse at a local public school.
Union members, teachers, administrators and parents were all on hand to present their demands. At the top of the list was an opposition to any privatization options and any role for Edison in Philadelphia schools.
The group also demanded a meeting with Schweiker and Street to talk about these issues and despite phone calls placed to the governor's office yesterday afternoon, group members were unable to reach the governor for a response.
Union workers, many of whom are afraid of losing their jobs if a private company displaces the current management, came out in full force, arguing that once a private company is in place, the community and workers will no longer have a say in public education.
"We need the money to give a better education to our kids," said Tony Chaikin, a plumber for the Philadelphia school district. "There is no community input when it is all about them making the money."
Teachers, most of whom have already been promised job security into 2004, were protesting the uncertainty of the current situation and showed up last night to demand answers and clarification concerning the current agenda.
"Even though we have been guaranteed a job for the next two years, we don't know what will happen after that," said Debbie Tall, a teacher in the district. "We don't know what our class sizes will be like, what kinds of materials will be available or how our students' lives will be affected."
The crowd dwindled some after two hours of protests, but those who remained marched, banging their drums all the way to City Hall where Street was speaking at the annual holiday ceremony.
On numerous occasions, the protesters sat in the street to block traffic and draw the attention of bystanders. Despite the major disruptions caused by the large crowd, Philadelphia Police Capt. Bill Fisher said no arrests were made.
While the mayor gave his speech, protesters continued their chants, forcing Street to scream into the microphone to be heard. Despite the riotous chanting, Street did not acknowledge the group.
Group members said they were dissatisfied after being ignored during the ceremony and angry that Street treated them as mere attendees of the city's event rather than people protesting a major issue.
"The mayor ignored us and we are disappointed that he wasn't willing to address the problem," Tall said.
