City teacher academy eliminated
Groundbreaking program would have groomed 38 for classroom
Thursday, June 02, 2011
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

They touted it as a ground-breaking program designed to attract new and enthusiastic teachers to work in the city schools.

But now, just five weeks before it was to start, the Pittsburgh Teacher Academy -- which would pair the district's best teachers with competitive recruits to mentor them and prepare them for an urban classroom -- has been eliminated.

District administrators spent weeks in discussions with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers to come up with a way to protect the new hires from any potential furloughs, expected because of cuts to public education in Gov. Tom Corbett's budget proposal.

The discussions were not productive, and late Wednesday the district began notifying the academy's 38 recruits that they no longer had jobs.

"Had we moved forward, we would have spent precious time and resources on a strategy we knew wouldn't have effect because we couldn't protect the new teachers," said Chief of Staff Lisa Fischetti. "It would have been a misuse of resources."

John Tarka, president of the teachers union, said the collective bargaining agreement is clear regarding the impact on experienced teachers. The contract would not allow new teachers to work while more senior teachers were furloughed.

Mr. Tarka was clear in saying that the decision to cancel the $26 million academy was the administration's. "The federation did not propose to cancel the academy," he said.

District administrators felt that they had no choice, Ms. Fischetti said.

"We've tried in good faith to resolve this, and we haven't arrived at a solution. We're five weeks away from people who are going to change their lives for the teacher academy," she said. "You can't continue to discuss this without knowing that each day that goes by has an impact on these people's lives."

Many of the 38 teachers hired for the academy live outside the area and were moving here.

One, Jon Farinelli, said he turned down jobs in New York and Chicago to return to his hometown to teach. He found out about the elimination of the program Wednesday evening. There was no warning.

"I'm upset and mad because they actually sent us an email a while ago that we didn't have to worry about the budget because it wouldn't affect us," said Mr. Farinelli, who taught English in South Korea for two years and spent the last year studying Spanish in Guatemala. "Our positions were guaranteed."

Mr. Tarka said the elimination of the academy is just another example of the impact of funding issues in the state and district.

Ms. Fischetti agreed.

"We never contemplated a furlough situation," she said.

But when the governor's budget proposal came out in March, it left the city with a $68 million shortfall, which likely means programs will be cut, schools will be closed and teachers will be furloughed, she continued.

There are other initiatives built into the Empowering Effective Teachers Program -- of which the academy was a part -- funded by a $40 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and matching federal grants. The Promise Readiness Corps and Learning Environment Specialists will be unaffected by the decision to cut the academy.

The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers had worked hand-in-hand with district officials to develop the teacher academy.

School Board President Sherry Hazuda said she was hopeful. "I think something will be salvaged, but it will look different. I think both sides want what's best for our kids, and I think they'll come up with a really good Plan B."