"A Word from the Cripples" - Poem by 9th Grade Student About the Crisis in Funding of Urban Schools

[JPZenger]

Last edited Thu Jun 13, 2013, 10:46 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130612_A_Word_from_the_Cripples.html#3r90iUfItOeWFcRE.99

Excerpts:

by Siduri Beckman - a poem for Gov. Corbett

"I've got something
to say.
It won't take long
Just as long as it took you
to snatch everything away

One fourth of the body is
the leg
You have crippled us
Cursing us to hobble
all of our lives.

You see us as a problem
the classic class problem
INNER CITY streaked like mud across our faces
they're all on the street anyway.

Thrusting fear
into our hearts
Why make us feel
so small
helpless
Forgotten by the people
whose duty it is to remember

Turn your back on your city
that chose not to choose
you
Because they feared
and now do all fears dawn true.

We will show ourselves to be
as formidable a foe
as all of those frackers
who you refuse to tax.

Dismiss us
We cannot vote.
But in this country
we can speak."

(maybe this is why the Repubs are trying to kill arts and humanities education in public schools)



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The state-appointed commission that controls the Philadelphia School District approved its "doomsday budget" because the state is only coming up with a token amount of additional funding, after massive cuts in funding 2 years ago. Another 4,000 jobs are being eliminated in the Philadelphia School District, on top of 2 years of previous job cuts. The articles say 3,700, but a second round of cuts are being made shortly.

http://articles.philly.com/2013-06-09/news/39836011_1_teacher-layoffs-city-schools-jerry-jordan

Excerpt:

"The list includes 676 teachers, 283 counselors, 127 assistant principals, and 1,202 aides.

“These … employees are more than numbers: these are people — professionals — who play important roles in the lives of thousands of students throughout our city,” Hite said at a news briefing.

The Superintendent called the layoffs “nothing less than catastrophic for our schools and students."

[femmocrat]

1. That is powerful.

I hope that student is all over every TV news show in PA. He or she should be noticed.

[JPZenger]

2. Written by a female student

I'm amazed this poem has not been more widely distributed. Please pass it on.

[JPZenger]

3. Good commentary about Phila. School District Funding

http://thenotebook.org/blog/136096/financial-problems-philadelphia-school-district

This commentary from an attorney was originally published in the most prominent PA. legal newspaper, and is a call to arms for attorneys to get involved in equitable funding of urban schools.

Excerpt:

"Indeed, our law offices, public and private, do their best work for clients when we have smart and educated people as support personnel. This is true for any good business, of course, but it's especially true of our profession, where economic success depends on the quality of our analysis and our ability to communicate effectively on behalf of our clients. As every lawyer knows (and any sensible lawyer would admit), the quality of a law firm's work product is the result of more than just the contributions of individual lawyers. We do our best work when everyone who touches our product is capable of making contributions of substance to the work. And in our world, this means a law firm has to have sharp people at every level who appreciate complexity, can communicate well and think critically about what it is we're trying to accomplish. In other words, we need people with good, solid educations who are capable of growth and prepared to grapple with the new challenges life in our profession will inevitably bring.

Accordingly, Philadelphia's organized bar should start by formally calling for our state and city governments to do whatever is necessary to provide adequate and sustainable sources of funding for Philadelphia's schools now and in the future. If we lawyers have skills that can help solve the District's immediate problems, then we should offer them, and then stay involved until the crisis is remedied. We should visibly support reasonable legislative efforts on the state and local levels that are intended to bring an end to the District's financial insecurity.

We should work toward these goals in cooperation with political leaders who are committed to making genuine progress in this area, and with other members of Philadelphia's business and professional communities who share our vision of a sustainable future for Philadelphia's public schools. But we have to start by saying, publicly and as a profession, that we believe there is no greater state or local government priority than ensuring a sustainable future for quality public education in Philadelphia. We need to stand up for the importance of public schools, and then we need to back up our words with whatever assistance we can offer."

[JPZenger]

4. More on the current budget battles from the Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130617_City_schools__state_money__annual_tug_of_war.html