Taxpayer-Funded Union Politics in Philadelphia

It's no secret that the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) plucks teachers out of the classroom to work as full-time union operatives. These individuals are known as ghost teachers—and their salaries are paid by Pennsylvania taxpayers.

How much? Philadelphia ghost teachers made more than $1.7 million in 2014.

The union is authorized by the School District of Philadelphia to pull up to 63 teachers out of the classroom to conduct full-time union work. According to the PFT, these teachers typically serve as information officers. But reporting from Evan Grossman of Watchdog.org explains that some ghost teachers work in an explicitly political capacity:

Hillary Linardopoulos, who has not taught in a classroom since 2009, “coordinates much of our political activism and legislative involvement,” according to an op-ed penned by union members that endorses its current leadership team going into an upcoming internal election. Since leaving the classroom, her taxpayer-funded salary has almost doubled to $91,156.

The PFT says it reimburses the district for ghost teacher wages, but documentation supporting that claim was not immediately available from the union.

The article continues:

Candidates running for positions on the PFT’s collective bargaining team have all been on leave from the classroom for years, according to documents obtained by Watchdog. Eight ghost teachers running for office earned a total of $874,305 last year working full-time for the union. On average, those eight individuals have been on leave for an average of 16 years. They’ve also received annual raises, despite a three-year wage freeze while the district and union have failed to negotiate a new teachers’ contract.

Union President Jerry Jordan and Vice President Arlene Kempin have been on leave for more than 30 years and have worked exclusively for the union longer than they taught in the classroom.

Fortunately, the battle to end this abusive system is underway in the state Capitol. House Bill 1649, championed by Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, prohibits employees on public school payroll from leaving the classroom to work full-time for unions. Sen. Pat Stefano intends to introduce similar legislation in the Senate.

Rather than subsidizing union lobbying efforts, it’s time for students and taxpayers to get what they deserve: good teachers in the classroom.