School Employee Unions and Edison Schools to Submit Joint Proposal to Manage Chester-Upland District Monday, December 18, 2000 In response to the State of Pennsylvania's recent request for proposals to run public schools in Chester-Upland, the two unions representing teachers and school support personnel and Edison announced that they are working together to submit a joint proposal to manage all of the public schools within the district. If accepted, it would be the nation's first example of state and local unions, community leadership, and a private company working in partnership to manage and improve an entire school district. The unions, the Chester-Upland Education Association (CUEA) and the Chester-Upland Education Support Personnel Association (CUESPA), are affiliated with the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and the National Education Association (NEA). The innovative proposal titled Chester-Upland Partners for Quality Teaching and Learning, would be submitted in January 2001. It would convert all of Chester-Upland's 10 schools to Edison's school design by the fall of 2001. The plan would call for a dramatic overhaul of the district, one of eleven that has been identified as "low performing" by state education authorities under the Pennsylvania Education Empowerment Act. It would include a substantial investment from Edison of an estimated $15 million for new curriculum materials, professional development, and technology infrastructure.
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