Mayor Nutter Isn’t Impressed with Teachers Union’s Pay Freeze Concessions

But I thought he dropped the mic? Looks like Mayor Nutter still isn’t done talking about the schools crisis, despite teachers announcing earlier this week that they’re willing to accept a pay freeze and start paying into their own health care plans in order to get a contract together for the school year.

For Nutter, who has evidently picked the mic back up after his tone-deaf Twitter diatribe, that course of action is still completely inadequate in the face of the school district’s budget woes. Jen Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, told the Inky that the proposal would net “millions” of dollars in savings, but refused to give a specific number.

“What was announced [yesterday] lacks any detail,” wrote Nutter in a recent statement. “More to the point, it appears to be very far from the work-rule changes and $103 million in savings that the district needs.”

What Nutter and other district officials appear to be looking for here is a concession regarding working rules for teachers in the city, like the years-old teacher assignment system that operates solely on seniority. However, negotiators will be working on those concessions through Saturday, when the current union contract is set to expire. [Philly.com]