PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia School District’s School Reform Commission is getting serious with the city’s teachers union after more than a year of unfruitful contract talks.

The SRC, which is invested with special powers from the state, filed a plea with the state Supreme Court Monday to reaffirm its ability to unilaterally change work rules and union contract provisions, Philly.com reports.

The move is undoubtedly meant to send a message to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the city’s teachers union, that if the union refuses to acquiesce to the elimination of teacher seniority and other critical reforms, the district will do it for them.

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PFT President Jerry Jordan, of course, didn’t care for the district’s approach.

“The school district and the SRC have chosen to forsake negotiating in good faith in favor of a legal end-around to avoid meaningful contract talks with the PFT,” Jordan whined in a prepared statement. “The members of the PFT are partners in public education, not indentured servants.”

District officials told Philly.com the current seniority based system prevents administrators from hiring and retaining the best teachers for their needs, and a new staffing method is critical to improving education in the city. School officials have been working to implement the changes through collective bargaining with the PFT, but haven’t made any progress.

“According to the filing, the district wants to eliminate seniority as the main factor in hiring teachers before and during the school year, and when teachers are laid off or recalled. Instead, it wants a site-selection committee composed of the school principal, other teachers and a parent to make the decision,” Philly.com reports.

“Other changes being sought by the district include: eliminating the deadline for issuing layoff notices; relaxing minimum staffing requirements for counselors, librarians and teachers; giving principals the authority to determine how teachers use prep time; and the ability to hire a third-party vendor to manage substitute teachers,” according to the news site.

Philly Superintendent William Hite said the district is pushing to implement the changes in time for next school year. And it seems as though the SRC is willing to impose them if necessary.

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The legal filing addresses only work rules, and doesn’t discuss wages or benefits, which the district is required to negotiate with the union. The district is looking for significant financial concessions from the PFT to help cover its massive deficit. School administrators recently agreed to significant pay cuts to help keep the district afloat.

Jordan told Philly.com “the PFT believes that collaboration, not litigation, is the best way to provide our children with the education they deserve.”

It remains to be seen whether Jordan will be singing the same tune after the Supreme Court upholds the SRC’s authority, and the district imposes the work rules on its uncooperative union.