Skip to content

Conservative group funds counter school union protest

    by Regina Medina
    Published 

PFTFails.org, a new web site aimed at informing the public of the failings of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, is set to be launched tomorrow by the Commonwealth Foundation, a right wing think tank based in Harrisburg, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

The Foundation, through PFT Fails, also hired GoGORILLA Media, an advertising and marketing firm out of New York City, to counter tomorrow's planned PFT protest before the School Reform Commission meeting, said Cindy Hamill-Dahlgren, director of strategic communications at the Commonwealth Foundation. The firm's hiring and the launching of PFT Fails was first reported by The Declaration, an online news site, leaving PFT officials and public school advocates wondering who was behind the newly-arrived group.

About 12 people hired by the firm will hand out informational fliers and hold up banners during the protest, said Hamill-Dahlgren. "It's not huge," she said. "We want to be there to support the teachers and shine a light on ways that the PFT is failing them."

"I don't know what the mystery was. This is not unlike what we've done in the past. We've spoken out on the PFT situation in the past," she said, referring to press releases and opinion pieces.

The foundation applauded the School Reform Commission's decision last week to cancel the PFT contract resulting in $54 million this year that district officials say will be invested back in the classrooms.

-By Regina Medina