It was an awe-inspiring sight in Philadelphia Thursday (Aug. 22) as thousands of students,
parents, teachers and school staff clad in iconic red T-shirts marched from Comcast headquarters and around City Hall to rally outside school district headquarters for full, fair and sustainable funding for public schools.
Thousands of protesters closed down Market Street and Broad Street briefly demanding what every Pennsylvania child has a right to expect: a good education, enough teachers, books and computers and educational support in the form of counselors, school nurses, classroom assistants and other personnel to keep schools safe and help students advance academically.
During the rally at the school district, PFT President Jerry Jordan was incredulous that schools would be permitted to open with 3,500 fewer staff members, without art, music and sports and without counselors, nurses, secretaries and other key personnel in place. He said it’s a matter of equity and safety.
“During the school year and all summer, school employees and city residents have been calling for more resources for our schools,” said PFT president Jerry Jordan, “Now that our schools are officially in crisis mode, it’s time for the city and state to meet their obligation to provide a quality public education for every child.”
"It is a disgrace that the SRC, the governor, the mayor are allowing this to happen," he said. "We cannot stop. We will not stop until we get full funding and a sustainable funding formula for this school district."
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers is currently in contract negotiations. The district has asked for massive givebacks, including salary cuts of up to 13 percent, bigger benefit contributions by employees and longer days – a total of $133 million in concessions.
Last week, the state-controlled School Reform Commission that has run the district since 2001 voted to suspend parts of the Public School Code for Philadelphia’s teachers, including using seniority to bring back some of the 3,900 laid-off school employees and to suspend School Code provisions that, in effect, dismantle the salary schedules for the coming school year.
PFT members have been canvassing neighborhoods, speaking to parents about the dire situation many schools face. The SRC closed nearly 33 schools and laid off 3,900 employees in June. Throughout the city, schools are being consolidated, children are being driven out of familiar neighborhood schools and programs are being eliminated.
PFT Local 3 is in negotiations with the SRC on a new contract. The current agreement expires at midnight, Aug. 31. The PFT has scheduled a meeting for members only on Labor Day.