Heidi+Ramirez

2227 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132 215-236-2100** //email: parentsunitedphila@gmail.com http://parentsunitedphila.googlepages.com///
 * Parents United for Public Education

November 5, 2007

Parents United for Public Education is looking forward to working with Prof. Heidi Ramirez in improving the public’s trust of the School Reform Commission.

Prof. Ramirez’ appointment raises expectations for strengthening the “education” side of the SRC. With her education background, we expect her to be aggressive about reducing class size, using research to push education and classroom focused reforms, strengthening funding at the classroom level, and holding the line on contracting in the District. We believe diversity on the SRC is essential, and expect that Prof. Ramirez’ background will bring in specific concerns about diverse communities into an overall vision for the school district. In particular, we ask her to address many concerns about services to English language learners and bilingual students.

At the same time, we expect her appointment to also result in moving the SRC toward a more inclusive and transparent decision-making process. Prof. Ramirez arrives at a time of critical transition for the SRC as it works to rebuild public trust and assure parents and school personnel that creating quality classrooms are at the top of the agenda. We have made great strides already but we still ask that Prof. Ramirez support parents’ concerns to change the SRC meeting formats to include evening and community based meetings, to get out into the public more frequently, and to engage directly with different community, advocacy and parent groups in building the reform agenda.

Finally, we want to thank Governor Rendell for considering community concerns around the SRC appointment. Parents United believes that if an SRC is to be effective and gain public trust, its commissioners must be educated about our schools and engaged with our school communities. We will work to ensure that the Governor’s appointment is a step away from “politics as usual” and towards a more responsive, publicly accountable Commission.//

Parents United for Public Education is an independent group of parents working for fiscal accountability; a public process and parent voice in decision-making; and setting priorities that place kids and classrooms first in the School District's budget. For more information, please contact Aissia Richardson, 215-236-2100, or Helen Gym, 215-808-1400. If you do not wish to receive emails, please respond back to parentsunitedphila@gmail.com. Visit us online at// http://parentsunitedphila.googlepages.com/. Below is the official press release"