Former Philadelphia School superintendent Arlene Ackerman confirmed she was denied unemployment by the state of Pennsylvania.
Ackerman called me from Albuquerque, New Mexico where she now resides. I also spoke with her there back in December when she responded to the uproar over the fact that she applied for unemployment after receiving a payout of nearly $1 million from the Philadelphia school district.
Ackerman still insists she was treated unfairly in Philadelphia and would have preferred to work out her contract instead of getting a payout. The school district is currently struggling with a major budget deficit.
Ackerman says she decided not to appeal the unemployment denial.
“I’m not fighting anymore,” said Ackerman. “I’m moving on with my life and I pray for the children of Philadelphia.”
Ackerman says she’s lost 15 pounds by doing hot yoga every day. She’s also working on a book about her life as an educator for 43 years.
