Public Citizens Children and Youth (PCCY) recently reported for the period 2002 -2006, 78.4% of all juvenile arrests in Philadelphia were African American. It seems to have caught no ones attention.

In 2008 in Philadelphia, we can’t blame racism. We have elected three African American Mayors, we have had three African American Police Chiefs, and both Chairs of the School Reform Commission have been/are African American. Although most teachers are white, they overwhelmingly elected an African American as their Union President. We have come a long way from the time when an African American could not legally teach a white child. In Philadelphia Blacks have obtained equality and quite frankly, I believe our elected leaders are as angry about immoral activity as those fostering this ridiculous level of crime and ignorance upon our citizenry.

I and many others are grateful to Helen for all the work she puts in holding the School Reform Commission Accountable, but I believe she would agree we need more money and we all need to take action to make that happen.
1n 1991 the State of Pennsylvania changed its funding formula for education in Philadelphia. The states share of education previously at 55%, was reduced to 36%. Nine years later the State of Pennsylvania, with Tom Ridge as Governor, took over the School District of Philadelphia because it was in financial chaos.

The Ackerman era begins this week and I for one would like to wish her well. It is perhaps ironically fortunate she experienced such a rude welcoming from an employee of the School District on Friday. A pervasive lack of respect is the embedded culture of the School District. It must change.
The attitude of the city must change as well. Education is everyone’s job, including the posters on this board. Education affects our property values, our insurance rates, our sense of safety and security. Without serious improvement in education, Philadelphia will never reach its potential as America’s next great city.
Ackerman has a strong resume as a teacher. She has actually been successful in the classroom. This experience is sorely needed at the School Reform Commission and hopefully garners her respect and opportunity.

As new NCLB legislation will soon be introduced, now is the time for action.

Merit Pay for Teachers vs. Merit Pay for Students and Families
How will merit pay for teachers benefit the 74% of Kindergarten/First Graders who on their first day of school are not reading ready and thus start out behind? How will merit pay for teachers improve their achievement at this critical stage of learning and development? (Based on the inner city school I work in, typical though of inner city schools).
You know what they say; those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. Researching Merit Pay as far back as 1710 it is apparent Merit Pay systems have always failed. Merit Pay leads to falsified results and a narrowing of the curriculum.

The School Reform Commission (SRC) voted yesterday to waste another $36.1 million dollars of taxpayers’ money. It breaks down like this:
• $24 million in interest on a one year $500 million note. The note is necessary because the state’s budget, the city’s budget and the School District’s budget are not synchronized. If the SRC worked with the state and city to obtain funds earlier, this $24 million could be saved.

Education is the vital link to restoring the America Thomas Jefferson believed in: An America where who you become is not decided based on who your father was.

The SRC may well be caving in on itself. Parents were there in force today, and two contributors to this board spoke.
Teachers are being cut everywhere, split classes on the rise, high schools such as Saul only have a nurse one day a week, their library is closed and others don't have a nurse at all. Some don't have counselors.

After 5 years of "state management" the deficit is huge and the debt load, well you are all in for a nasty surprise.

This is the request of Lisa Nutter to her husband reported in today's Inquirer. It is a tall order, but imagine replacing guns with diplomas. I hope everyone read the article.

We have elected a first family we can be proud of.

O.K. now I;m just wasting space trying to come with fifty words. Am I there yet?

I just made another donation to the Nutter campaign. I encourage all to the same. We must be able to fight the false and negative campaign being created by the 527s. It is time for all the Nutter people to put their money where their keyboards are. Fattah followers must admit by now that his campaign has lost all sense of decency. Better to lose with grace than to become a disgrace.

I hear the New keystone Poll is out. does anyone have a link to it? I understand Nutter has opened a large lead but I would like to see it for myself but have been unable to find it. O.K. I have to have 50 words to post this thing so let me tell you about my life story.....UH ok, let me tell you about

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20070508_Editorial___For_4th_Coun...

The Inquirer has endorsed Matt McClure for the 4th District seat vacated by Michael Nutter. I have to agree with the choice. McClure is not part of anyones political machines and has demonstrated knowledge at the council forums worthy of a mayoral candidate. I frequently noticed his opponent taking notes when McClure spoke, and using the information gleamed in the next forum.

Fattah, Knox and Nutter are correct about vocational technical schools. There is room for some vo-tech such as automotive technicians, electricians.... etc, but 95% of all jobs will require a college degree.

But I have to ask why Fattah doesn't get it on the Barnes. All museum and institutions which are successful provide jobs and bring revenue into our city. Jobs and revenues lift people out of poverty. This is what Fattah doesn't get and Nutter does.

Fattah keeps telling us what the paper said about his bold plan. Each time he does it reminds me and I'm sure many others, all the papers endorsed Nutter and said three of the other candidates don't measure up. Was Fattah one of those three? I think he was one of the candidates that didn't measure up. Now don't get mad at me, they weren't my words, but I wonder why the papers said that about him?

Dwight Evans has received $65K from the Educational Management Organizations (EMOs) and he continues to support them despite the research which demonstrates they do not warrant extra funding. This is called pay to play and has cost our schools $108 million over five years. The result: we now have a $73 million deficit. Elimnating pay to play would enable the school district would to have a $35 million surplus. This is why reform matters. Why doesn't Fattah understand this? This is how Michael Nutter can introduce efficeincy to spend money wisely. Now watch Fattah try and steal this and call it his idea.

His website offers none. He criticizes others but never offers a specific solution, except to lease the airport. Now that would take an act of Congress. Someone else will have to propose it because Fattah has not been able to get much passed in Congress. Besides that, by Fattah's numbers, the airport lease will not even bring in enough to cover the school district budget now. In 99 years, adjusting for inflation, his fixed lease policy would be negligable.

I hope the voters in Blackwell's district know about Knox's predatory lending and health insurance fiascos.
Frankly, I dont see how anyone can support a person who profited by keeping others on the bottom rung of the economic ladder.
If they vote for Fattah, Blackwell loses all credibility. But let's face it. There is no love lost between Fattah and Blackwell anyway. She was bound to work her district against Fattah so Fattah doesn't lose here anyway.
A bad deal for Knox but it has no effect on Blackwell or Fattah. A Bad deal for Knox helps Nutter. Nutter gets more momentum tomorrow. People see him as the viable and preferable candidate to Knox. Nutter wins going away if we all get out and vote for him and avoid the also rans.