Former Democratic City Councilman Bill Green was the Chairman of the School Reform Commission (SRC), right up until then-Governor Tom Wolf illegally removed him.

Philadelphia Teacher’s Union Opposes Bill’s Appointment to Council to Better Schools

The SRC was created by the state of Pennsylvania as a local mechanism for restoring order to school districts in “distress”. They effectively replaced the local school board as they determined policy and contract negotiations for the Philadelphia School District.

Bill Green was appointed the chairman in January 2014. His appointment drew the ire of the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers (PFT) almost immediately. Bill is known to be a supporter of expanding charter schools, introducing vouchers, lengthening the school day and year, and making it easier to fire underperforming teachers.

PFT released a statement on their concerns over Bill’s policies, and had the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS) issue a media advisory saying that would “chant, hold signs, and turn their backs on Green” at his first meeting. Union members continually interrupted the meeting, throwing boos at Bill and meeting him with derision and mocking him, even when he offered to meet with parents and teachers to hear their concerns.

The relationship between Bill, PFT, and the Philadelphia School District continued to spiral as Bill’s actions drew the attention of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

PFT began organizing protests against SRC. During one of those protests, AFT President Randi Weingarten took the opportunity to plea for the crowd to elect Tom Wolf as the next Governor of Pennsylvania.

In a meeting where Bill, a big proponent for charter schools and whose position is vehemently opposed by both PFT and now-Governor Wolf, PCAPS caused such a large disturbance that four arrests were made. The SRC ended up approving five charter schools that day.

Former Gov. Wolf sides with PFT, Illegally Removes Bill

Less than two weeks later, on March 1, 2015, Governor Wolf illegally removed Bill as the Chairman of the SRC, stating that he was disappointed by Bill’s support for more privately-run and publicly-financed schools after he had emphasized his opposition. Bill was replaced by Marjoe Neff “because she supports [Wolf’s] vision for the School District of Philadelphia.”

Legally, the only way the SRC Chairman can be removed is by proof of malfeasance or misfeasance, two things Bill was never accused of. The Fairness Center, on behalf of Bill, filed a lawsuit against Gov. Wolf to regain his seat on the SRC.

Ultimately, in December 2017, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled in Gov. Wolf’s favor, despite acknowledging that Bill was removed without cause. 

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania sustained the respondents’ preliminary objections and dismissed the petitioners’ application for summary relief and amended petition for review.

Documents

• Brief in Support of Answer to New Matter – October 7, 2016
• Brief in Opposition to Wolf’s Preliminary Objections – October 11, 2016
• Preliminary Objections – October 11, 2016
• Opinion & Order – December 4, 2017

January 5, 2024: “They launched a witch hunt against me and ran a kangaroo court to convict me for exercising my free speech rights. They threatened my career to silence me, but with this lawsuit, I’m leveling the playing field and forcing school officials to answer for trampling my rights.”

January 4, 2024: “In a federal lawsuit, teacher John Grande alleges that Hartford school officials violated his First Amendment rights by fabricating evidence against him, disciplining him, forcing him to undergo “sensitivity” training, and threatening to fire him—all for voicing a skeptical opinion when asked to share his thoughts about a mandatory “privilege” training.”

September 8, 2023: “The state Board of Labor relations ruled in August that the union illegally withheld services from Grande and that union officials’ discrimination against Grande ‘necessarily coerces employees in the exercise of a protected right’ — the right to join or not join the union…”

June 12, 2023: “The Hartford Federation of Teachers (HFT) was denied the ability to arbitrate a grievance over disciplinary action taken against a long-time physical education teacher because they waited six months before filing for arbitration, according to a recent arbitration decision.”

February 2, 2023: “This profession has its share of challenges. Survival requires a thick skin, and the payoff in students’ lives comes years, sometimes even decades, later. But in the last few years, I’ve experienced a different kind of challenge, and it’s forced me to take legal action.”

August 11, 2022: “A Connecticut gym teacher says his school threatened to fire him after he criticized its mandatory diversity training on ‘exploring privilege.’ But when he filed a grievance against the school, the local teachers’ union dismissed the complaint without explanation.”