Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. III No. 115 (480)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

July 17, 2012

Philadelphia Daily Record

Songs In B Major

GRAMMY AWARD-winning musician Alicia Keys stops at Barack Obama campaign office in West Philadelphia to greet volunteers yesterday. Keys later spoke at the “Women Voter 2012 Summit.”, held at the Convention Center.

Photo by Rory McGlasson

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

The Philadelphia Public Record

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Translation/Interpretation

Jul. 19State Rep. Pam DeLissio hosts town-hall meeting at St. Joseph’s Univ., Mandeville Ha., Wolfington Teletorium, 54th St. & City Line Ave., 7 p.m.

Jul. 20Joe & Juli Stampone and John & Jackie Hagan host fundraiser at Shore for State Rep. John Taylor, 7 p.m. at Stampone home, 6806-08 Park Blvd., Wildwood Crest, N.J. To RSVP call (215) 545-2244.

Arabic, Hebrew, English, French For more information, call William Hanna

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Jul. 20Rep. Rosita C. Youngblood hosts Heat Safety for Senios event from 2pm to 4 pm at Cliveden Nursing and Rehab Center, 6400 Greene St. For info, call 215-849-6426.

Jul. 21Fundraiser for State Rep. John Taylor in N. Wildwood at Coconut Cove, 400 W. Spruce Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 2-6 p.m. , $25. Cash Bar. For info (215) 545-2244.

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Jul. 21Healthy Hoops Program at St. Joseph’s Univ.

Michael J. Hagan Arena, 5400 City Line Ave., 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. For youngsters 3 to 16 with asthma, heart or weight problems. Hosted by AmeriHealth Mercy Fdn., Keystone Mercy Health Plan and Charlie Mack Party 4 Peace. Call (215) 8636666 to register.

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Jul. 21State Rep. Gary nd Williams’ 32 Ward’s free Summer Day Trip to Wildwood, N.J., hosting seniors and children at no cost for full day of fun, water-park rides and beach frolic. Buses leave from 16th & Berks Sts. at 8 a.m. and return at 8 p.m.

Jul. 22Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz hosts 5th annual Friends and Family Barbeque at Shwartz Headquarters, 201 Leedome St., Jenkintown, Pa., 3-6 p.m. For info (215) 8819202 or email ndeegan@allyson‐ schwartz.com.

Jul. 24Night At The Ballpark Fundraiser for Controller candidate Brett Mandel at Citizens Bank Pk., 5 p.m. tailgate party, gametime 7:05 p.m. $250 Hall Of Famers, $100 All Stars get special tours; $50 Big Leaguers get $10 concession credit and Phillies hat. For tickets and info http://www.brettman‐ del.com/content/make‐donation.

Jul. 24State Rep. Pam DeLissio hosts town-hall meeting at Roxborough Mem. Hosp., 5800 Ridge Ave., 7 p.m.

Jul. 26State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown hosts Beat The Heat In The Street at Kelly Pool, 281 N. Concourse Dr., 1-5 p.m. Free.

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

ALICIA KEYS greets Barack Obama relelection team volunteers in West Philadelphia on Monday, as Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell looks on.

Photo by Rory McGlasson

by Rory McGlasson Grammy award-winning singer Alicia Keys headlined a women’s rock the vote summit last night.

On behalf of the President Obama relelection campaign, Keys addressed a charged up crowd of mainly women supporters inside the convention center at the “Women Voter 2012 Summit”.

Earlier in the day, Keys visited local students in center city at a luncheon. She also stopped at a Barack Obama campaign office in West Philadelphia to meet local volunteers.

Keys was one of seven speakers at the Summit, hosted by the Obama reelection campaign. Among the speakers were: Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, Lisa Nutter, National Democratic Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett.

Keys admitted post Summit she might volunteer her song-writing abilities behind a Barack Obama re-election campaign song. “There’s some ideas being tossed around...It’s something we might do,” Keys said.

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Daily Waffles

From Joe Sbaraglia (The Waffleman) Harold was an old man. He

’And how are we doing this

off the tray and put it in his

was sick and in the hospital.

morning', or 'Are we ready

bed side stand. Next, he was

There was one nurse that

for a bath', or 'Are we hun- given a urine bottle to fill

just drove him crazy. Every

gry?'

for testing. So you know

time she came in, she would

Old Harold had had enough

where the juice went!

talk to him like he was a lit- of this particular nurse.

The nurse came in a little

tle child. She would say in a

One day, at breakfast, Old

later, picked up the urine

patronizing tone of voice,

Harold took the apple juice

bottle and looked at it. 'My, it seems we are a little cloudy today. ‘At this, Old Harold snatched the bottle out of her hand, popped off the top, and drank it down,

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saying, 'Well, I'll run it through again.

Maybe I can filter it better this

time.'

fainted!

The

nurse

Old Harold just

smiled!

DON'T MESS WITH 'OLD' PEOPLE!

To buy a copy of this book E-Mail Dwaffleman@aol.com

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Jordan Reacts To Blockbuster Education Reform The SRC’s approach to managing the district’s deficit and education reform is more of a diversion from reality than some of this summer’s superhero movies, according to the leader of the Philadelphia teachers union.

In news release, Jerry Jordan, President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, writes: It’s blockbuster season at the movies—the time of year where many of us allow ourselves to suspend reality, munch on over-buttered popcorn and get lost in a world of superheroes, alien attacks and outrageous plot lines.

Here’s Philadelphia’s far-fetched summertime storyline: a troubled school district is so cashstrapped it can’t afford to provide summer school for the city’s students. The solution? Pay $139 million over the next five years for an education reform strategy that we already know won’t work to raise student achievement. And there’s a twist: $38 million of that will be spent this year! This script can read as either horror or comedy. Frighteningly (or hilariously), this is our reality.

On Friday, the district’s charter school office chief conceded that the charter expansions approved so far this year could cost $139 million over five years—$100 million more than he originally stated. So, on top of a looming $282 million deficit, the school district is spending another $38 million, and making $100 million math mistakes?

Clearly, the charter school expansion agenda has trumped fiscal soundness.

The current deficit is a major obstacle to reforming a school system that was already struggling to serve our children. With a new projected deficit of over $300 million, it’s time to abandon this highcost, low-return reform model our kids have been

subjected to. Kudos to School Reform Commissioners Joseph Dworetzky and Lorene Cary for voting against adding another $139 million to the school deficit, and advocating for a researchbacked, school-based approach to education reform.

We can save money and get better results by working with and supporting our own educators and administrators. They, after all, are trained to do what we’re trying to accomplish: devise strategies to give our children the education they need.

The District cannot afford the latest round of charter expansions but if the SRC insists on spending millions of dollars, our students and teachers could certainly benefit more from additional classroom materials and technology; safer school buildings; after school programs; social services... maybe even summer school!

Of course, addressing the social and economic issues that directly impact student performance is apparently too difficult or too time consuming.

Spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on failed strategies apparently provides this reform commission with the kind of instant gratification you get from watching “the Avengers” in 3D. Getting lost in a comic book world for a couple of hours is harmless entertainment. But tying our children’s future—and our finances—to fantastical education reforms is a dangerous endeavor with very real consequences. I hope that this fall we’ll be ready to leave multi-million dollar charter school expansion schemes behind with Batman and Spiderman, and have more reality-based discussions about what students really need from our schools.

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