Teachers and staff at Multi-Cultural Academy Charter, a high-achieving North Philadelphia charter school, voted on Friday to be represented by the Alliance of Charter School Employees, a union that is affiliated with AFT Pennsylvania.
The newly formed union will represent the school’s 25 teachers and counselors as well as office, support and facilities staff. The Alliance of Charter School Employees also represents four other Philadelphia charter schools. The American Federation of Teachers, the Alliance’s parent union, represents teachers and staff at more than 150 charter schools nationwide.Frank Mannino, program coordinator/administrative support employee at the academy, said that the strong vote for the union made this one of the proudest days of his life. “What kept this movement vital was the sincere belief that what we were doing was right and the only way to affect positive change here at Multi-Cultural Academy,” he said.
During the course of the organizing effort, the staff reached out to parents to create a parent-teacher partnership. Together, they raised serious concerns about the school’s climate and safety as well as about charter school money being siphoned for CEO Vuong Thuy’s legal defense in federal and state investigations. Earlier this month, the school’s board ousted Thuy.
“Forming this union will help ensure equity and accountability in the operation of Multi-Cultural Academy,” said AFT Pennsylvania President Ted Kirsch. “We commend the employees at Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School for making this strong commitment to their colleagues, their students, and the whole school community.”
Multi-Cultural Academy was founded in 1998. It has won numerous Keystone Achievement Awards for high academic performance. It is one of only six charter schools among the state’s 135 charters to have been awarded the title of “distinguished school” by the state for bridging the academic achievement gap and exceeding the federal “adequate yearly progress” benchmarks for two consecutive years.
