A coalition of labor and community organizations issued a

 document outlining the urgency of a full investment in public education-- both a moral imperative and now, an imperative codified by law in the landmark school funding case. Pennsylvania has long neglected its constitutional requirement to provide every child with a thorough and efficient system of public education, and the 2024 budget is the moment we have to get it right. 

This coalition came together to issue not only a strong pro-public education message but also to emphasize our collective repudiation of vouchers in any form. The document issued by the coalition includes a host of research on the unproven, harmful impacts of investing public dollars in private institutions. Public education is a public good.

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Following the death of Dr. Constance Clayton, beloved former Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, PFT President Jerry Jordan issued the following statement:

PHILADELPHIA--"Dr. Constance Clayton was the best Superintendent I've ever known, and the students and staff of our school system and our city at-large are better for her service. Dr. Clayton at her core was an educator, a mentor, and one of the staunchest advocates for children that I've met. 

"I was always struck by how Dr. Clayton ended every speech she delivered: 'Remember, the children come first.' She lived by those words, and her leadership was defined by that unwavering commitment. This credo was inextricably linked to every action she took as a superintendent. 

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September 14, 2023

This afternoon, as part of the Statewide Basic Education Funding Commission hearings seeking to evaluate the current underfunding of Pennsylvania's public schools, PFT President Jerry Jordan offered extensive testimony and research into the urgency of rectifying decades of underfunding. Jordan's testimony focused on the impacts of underfunding, and particularly noted that underfunding schools is a facet of a society that refuses to provide Black and Brown young people with what they deserve to thrive. In Philadelphia, where the students we serve are primarily Black and Brown and experiencing poverty, this crisis is particularly acute. Testifying along with Jordan were AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur Steinberg and several panels of experts.

In his testimony, which is shared below and linked here, Jordan not only outlines specific instances of the impacts of disinvestment, but he offers commonsense, research-based solutions. His testimony is replete with a host of articles by subject matter experts, and weaves together the central, urgent theme: we must provide our young people with resources. And the resources must be rooted in what students need: additional support staff, smaller class sizes, increasing numbers of school counselors, and so much more.

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