Charter school boss tells teachers Helen Gym 'hates us'?

The head of popular Southwest Philadelphia charter school Boys' Latin apparently sent out an email today reminding his hard working teachers to enjoy their time off on Election Day.

Oh and also to never, ever, ever, never vote for city council candidate Helen Gym.

A school-wide email allegedly sent by Boys' Latin chief executive officer David Hardy is circulating on social media this afternoon, courtesy of Twitter user and teacher Andrew Saltz. The short, block paragraph consists of only 15 sentences, but nevertheless packs in no fewer than seven directives instructing teachers not to vote for Gym, a vocal schools activist that has often found herself at odds with pro-charter school types.

"I'm sure you know that [state Sen. and mayoral candidate] Tony Williams has been a friend to our school from its inception. Helen Gym, don't vote for her," Hardy wrote in the email. "Jannie Blackwell is also a strong supporter of Boys' Latin. Not Helen. She hates us."

In his sign-off Hardy adds, "Enjoy your day off. BTW, don't vote for Helen Gym."

The Daily News mentioned Boys' Latin in a recent expose of a state tax credit program championed by Williams. It found that Williams' political backers, a trio of school reformers and financial traders that run the Main Line-based Susquehanna International Group, were the biggest users of the program.

Some of the credits they filed for went towards supporting a charity run solely by SIG partner Jeff Yass' wife that supports after school activities at Boys' Latin.

Hardy did not respond to calls or emails for comment, but the Gym campaign shot back a lengthy response:

"It's not surprising that the spokesperson for a school privatization outfit funded in part by those with links to the Susquehanna Group would be telling people not to support the strongest public education advocate in the City Council race. David Hardy has a reputation for extremist statements, like when he compared questions about his school's obscenely high attrition rates with a rogue police officer's unjust shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. David Hardy has chosen to personalize this with a bizarre and frankly incoherent email. It proves once again how out of touch the school privatization movement is with the broader public."