As we all know, weather forecasters are wrong much of the time. But you can’t hold them responsible for that wholly unpredictable icy blast felt this week.

After all, it was Hell freezing over.

That’s right.  Seems Dante’s inferno took a dip in the cold, not coincidentally, at the exact same time that former Philadelphia School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman --- a 43-year fixture in the public education establishment --- called for comprehensive school choice as the primary means to improve education.

Calling access to a quality education “the civil rights battle of our generation,” Ackerman penned a column in the Inquirer in which she lamented that it took her entire career to realize that true reforms would never originate from inside the system. 

Her words describe the problem perfectly:

“Real reform will never come from within the system because too many powers that be (the teachers' union, politicians, consultants, vendors, etc.) have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo that is failing our children.”

Dr. Ackerman then offered the solution that, while obvious to anyone with common sense, has been thus far impossible to achieve.

“Meaningful education reform must be forced upon the system from outside by giving parents of all income levels real choices about where their children go to school. That requires giving parents comprehensive school choice…”

Ackerman also advocates the expansion of charter schools, which, while a good idea, is but a small part of the overall solution, since the waiting list for these successful institutions is 30,000 strong. 

The major reason charters are light years ahead of regular public schools, as Dr. Ackerman correctly points out, is two-fold. They are not required to follow many of the burdensome and counter-productive regulations imposed upon public schools, and, more important, teachers are hired --- and fired --- based on merit.

Hmmm.  Holding people accountable for their job performance. What a novel idea. If only we did that in other jobs. Oh wait.  We do.  It’s called the private sector. 

That’s right.  Despite the comedy routine of certain folks who have nothing to “Occupy” their time except railing against the evils of competition  and free enterprise, the private sector is in fact what built America into the greatest, most benevolent power the world has ever known.

Without question, though, the United States is slipping backwards, being dragged into malaise and misery. And that decline, more than anything, can be traced to one thing: the demise of education.

For decades, all efforts to improve public education have been squashed by teachers’ union bosses, whose loyalty was to their fiefdoms and the almighty paycheck ---both funded entirely by taxpayers who were duped into believing their children were receiving the best education possible.
Whenever questions were raised about the lack of accountability and stagnant or declining standardized test scores, the blame game began. 

“Parents don’t put in the time with their kids’ homework… It’s society’s fault…There are too many students in each class.” And of course, the most common one of all: “We need more money.”

Undoubtedly, some parents don’t put in as much time as they should, and we live in an ever more complex society, but these simply cannot be used as excuses to not adequately teach. In the private sector, when your job becomes tougher, you either meet the challenge, or hit the door. Adapt, improvise, overcome --- or go home.  Nowhere should that be more applicable than when teachers are entrusted with our children, indeed our future.

And the “not enough money, too many kids” excuse is a myth.  That’s not opinion, but cold, hard fact.  Pennsylvania spends $26 billion per year (that’s billion, with a “b”) on education --- more per student than 39 other states --- an amount which has doubled since 1996.  Despite a drop of 27,000 students over the last ten years, the public school system had added 33,000 employees in that time. Therefore, by definition, increased funding, more personnel and decreased class size have not improved student achievement.

And the results for all that money and smaller class size? Pennsylvania students are 42nd in SAT scores, and rank low in literacy, graduation rates and those going to college.  Their performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress exam has not improved.  And most startling, nearly HALF of all 11th graders are not proficient in math and reading (per PSSA standardized test scores).  This cannot be attributed to just the poor-performing urban schools pulling down scores, but is testament to an across-the-board educational failure. 

Bottom line: it’s not just that the status quo isn’t working.  It has completely failed. Based on that dismal picture, Ackerman’s advocacy of school choice --- the “change that must come from outside the school system” --- couldn’t have been offered at a better time.

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 There are two elements of Dr. Ackerman’s revelations that are worth noting.

1) The implementation of school choice, more than any other reform, is imperative if we are not to lose another generation.  The way we did things in the past hasn't worked, and what we continue to do isn't having an impact. Unless we treat education in the same way as every other successful institution in America --- business, sports, entertainment, the military --- then we might as well raise the white flag of defeat.

Most western nations have a form of school choice, and the results speak volumes. Compared to our 30 biggest global competitors, America’s students rank near the bottom of the pack in every category.

2) Isn’t it a shame that no one in the public education establishment has the courage to speak the truth while they are still on the inside? Don’t get me wrong.  It is wonderfully refreshing to hear Dr. Ackerman’s sentiments, and to see that she has finally seen the light on what must be done to improve public education.

But it is a sad note that revelations like hers must come after her departure.  Just imagine how different things could have been had the Philadelphia School Superintendent come out of the gate advocating school choice.  While certainly not a slam dunk, it would have infinitely increased the chances for the adoption of choice, particularly since a majority of the legislature and Governor Tom Corbett also favor it.

A school choice victory is still possible, as we are told it is a top legislative priority.  While it won’t be easy, especially given the teachers’ unions’ huge political war chests generated by forced union dues, maybe, just maybe, the conversion of Arlene Ackerman from the Dark Side of Public Education might be the spark needed to push across the finish line.

Only then will the dream of so many, including Dr. Ackerman, begin to come true: “all children having access to a quality public school education.”
Just what the Doctor ordered.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com  His self-syndicated model has earned him the largest cumulative media voice in Pennsylvania. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Murders are up, but Philly PD’s website states they are down --- because they’re comparing this year’s killings to those from 2007!

If the CEO of a Wall Street firm announced that revenues were up 22 percent, he would be lauded for his leadership and undoubtedly receive a hefty raise.

By contrast, if it was revealed that the CEO was playing games with the books and basing his figures not on a year-to-date comparison from the prior year, but from four years ago, he would probably be shown the door.

But that’s precisely the situation with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, the city’s highest-paid employee.  The argument can be made that Commissioner Ramsey is deliberately misleading the public on the city’s murder rate.

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A visit to the Philadelphia Police website Crime Stats page (http://phillypolice.com/about/crime-statistics) verifies what we already know: shootings, violence and murder are out of control throughout the city.  As of this writing, there have been 259 murders since January 1, as one can plainly see from the highlighted 2011 figure on the webpage.  Beside that is a number with a down arrow.  Currently, it’s 18 percent, but last week it stood at 22.  It purports to represent the percentage that murders have decreased.

And therein lies the problem. A big one.

Murders aren’t down 18 or 22 percent.  As a matter of fact, they’re up. Comparing year-to-date statistics, they’ve increased ten from last year, a whopping 24 from 2009 (a ten percent jump), and eight from 2008.  
But Chief Ramsey has decided to hide these numbers and instead compare today’s murder rate with that of 2007, the high-water mark for killings.  That’s like the Phillies claiming a playoff victory because they beat the Cardinals half a decade ago.

It’s interesting to note that Ramsey was hired at the end of 2007, which perhaps explains why he is using that blood-soaked year as his benchmark--- all the easier to pass the buck and make himself look better.

Maybe the Chief, and Mayor Nutter, who hired him and remains his boss, missed their callings. They seem better suited for Wall Street firms that rely on misleading investors (in this case, the citizens) for their own personal gain (re-election, job security and bloated pensions). 

So residents get the screws two ways: they walk away with a false sense of security, mistakenly believing that murders are down.  And when they realize the truth --- that their leaders are deliberately misleading them --- they feel betrayed.

Unlike the Wall Street CEO, Nutter and Ramsey get away scott-free.  And like some robber baron execs, they each make a pile of money, courtesy of a duped public, with little accountability and oversight.

In fact, Chief Ramsey is rolling in it, to the tune of $255,000/year.

You may recall that earlier this year, the Commissioner was actively courted for the top police job in his hometown of Chicago.  Despite pleas that he stay, it was almost a done deal, but for one small sticking point: his $400,000 per year total compensation asking price, according to press reports.  You know it’s greedy when even a liberal Democrat like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel balks at such an obscene amount, which, by the way, is the salary of the President of the United States.

Ramsey’s reason for ultimately staying in Philadelphia? “…the support I got here at home from the business community — and the media, even — and, of course, Mayor Nutter, made the difference.”

Well, that, and the $60,000 pay raise he was promised from the Mayor as a reward for not leaving the city, courtesy of the taxpayers.  That increase makes the Commissioner the highest --- repeat, highest --- paid city employee.  Even more than the Mayor himself.

Ramsey was right about one thing. He did get quite a bit of support, from city councilmen (“we won the big prize” by retaining Ramsey) to the gushing, sycophant media.  Notably, neither entity bothered asking the right questions before, or after, the lavish pay hike was doled out to the Chief.

Questions such as:

1) How can the city afford to shell out a $60,000/year salary increase to anyone when it can’t even pay its current bills, has an insolvent pension, and continues to see its tax base --- what’s left of it --- flee? In fact, it was just reported that there is yet another tax revenue shortfall, adding to the budget deficit.  What a surprise.

And for the record, there are plenty of qualified people who would have gladly accepted the Commissioner’s previous salary of $195,000 had he chosen to leave. 

2) When will Philadelphia realize that paying exorbitant salaries to government officials is not just financially foolhardy, but doesn’t guarantee results?  Just look at Arlene Ackerman, the now former School Superintendent who made $325,000/year (with incentives allowing for a half-million dollar payday) to preside over an ever-worsening school district.  For the privilege of leaving her post, she banked $905,000, all footed by the public. 

And don’t forget scandal-plagued former Housing Authority chief Carl Greene, who, with his bonus, was making $350,000.  In addition, residents are still paying sky-high legal bills related to the mess he left behind.

3) Was any quantitative, or better yet, common sense analysis done to see if Ramsey merited such a large salary bump?  Murders are increasing, out-of-control flash mobs have led to curfews, police corruption is rampant, and there is growing fear on the streets, leading many suburbanites to stay away. 

According to the Chief’s 2008 “Crime Fighting Strategy,” the big goal that year was to “reduce homicides by twenty-five percent,” yet the Department was way short, overseeing only a 15 percent drop from 2007 to 2008.  And what of the stated overall plan of reducing homicides by 30 to 50 percent, as outlined in a public letter from Ramsey to Nutter? Not even in the ballpark. As noted above, homicides have been rising, not falling.

While certainly not all these things can be attributable to the Chief, the buck stops with him.  He is responsible.  Just like a CEO often receives no bonus when numbers are down, the Chief of Police should have pay raises tied to performance.  But since the Mayor deals in Other People’s Money, that isn’t the case.

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Is the city is safer? You can play with statistics to bolster any desired conclusion.  Yet ask those in Philadelphia whether they truly feel secure, and most would simply laugh. And that’s the only statistic that matters.

Is the Chief doing a good job? In some respects, yes.  But so stellar that he commands a raise three times more than the city’s per capita income?  Not even close.  The fact that the city can’t afford the money is just salt in the wound.

OK, fine. Ramsey got his money.  It is what it is, and he isn’t relinquishing it.  But that bolsters the point all the more.

The leader of the Police Department should epitomize transparency and honesty.

Instead, in what can only be assumed to be a deliberate attempt to deceive Philadelphians, games are being played with the city’s increasing murder rate.  And there is no excuse for that. None.

The culture of any organization is established by the conduct of its top leaders. In the Philadelphia Police Department’s case, its culture of honor, values and integrity has taken a hit.  And when the rank and file --- the guys on the street chasing down the murderers --- see their top brass skirting the truth for political gain, perhaps they too cut a corner where they shouldn’t be.  They take on the persona of their leadership.

It’s time for the Mayor and Chief to do the right thing by telling the truth, no matter how difficult that may be. Let’s see more honesty in the most trusted institution in Philadelphia --- its police department.

Only when the city’s leaders regain the trust of the people will Philadelphia begin its journey back to respectability.

An accredited member of the media, Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com  His self-syndicated model has earned him the largest cumulative media voice in Pennsylvania.

Freind's column, "Freindly Fire," appears nationally in Newsmax and regionally in
Philadelphia Magazine's Philly Post.  It is also published regularly in a number
of the state's largest newspapers, including The Delaware County Daily Times, Chester
County Daily Local, Norristown Times Herald, Pottstown Mercury and Bucks County Courier
Post. Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states.

His work has been referenced in numerous other publications including The Wall Street
Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' bestseller
"Catastrophe."