Press

May 16, 2024

PFT President Jerry T. Jordan issued the following statement on the passing of former State Representative Jim Roebuck:

PHILADELPHIA-- "Representative Jim Roebuck was a good man with a deep and unfailing commitment to public education, to his constituents, and to the city and commonwealth at large. I am saddened by the loss of a friend and a champion for so many of the issues we fight for every day.

"For years, Representative Jim Roebuck was a mainstay in the fight for full and fair

May 8, 2024

Following the murder of Ondria Glaze, a special education teacher and SPECM at Olney High School, PFT President Jerry T. Jordan issued the following statement:

PHILADELPHIA-- "I am deeply saddened by the murder of Ondria Glaze, a special education teacher and SPECM (Special Education Compliance Monitor) at Olney High School. On behalf of all of our members, we mourn for Ms. Glaze, for her family, for the Olney High School community, and for all who knew and loved her.

"There are no words that could possibly capture this level of loss, and our deep condolences

April 29, 2024

Following Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's subsequent appointment of Joyce Wilkerson to fill the vacant School Board position, PFT President Jerry T. Jordan issued the following statement:

PHILADELPHIA-- "Right is right. And Mayor Cherelle L. Parker was right to nominate Joyce Wilkerson to the first School Board under the Parker administration. Mayor Parker was right to continue to push for Joyce Wilkerson's reappointment, despite tremendous headwinds. 

"And Mayor Parker was absolutely right in appointing Joyce Wilkerson to fill the vacant position

April 28, 2024

Regarding the delay in moving forward with the nomination of Joyce Wilkerson to the School Board, PFT President Jerry T. Jordan issued the following statement:

PHILADELPHIA-- "I urge members of City Council to advance the nomination of Joyce Wilkerson to the School Board of Philadelphia.

"As I shared in my letter to every member of Council last week, Ms. Wilkerson has been laser focused on ensuring that our District has the resources that are needed to ensure our students’ success. As the District has worked to claw its way back from the devastation of the Corbett

April 18, 2024

This morning in City Council, Councilmembers Gilmore Richardson and Gauthier introduced a resolution in support of Representative Elizabeth Fiedler's Solar for Schools legislation. 

PFT President Jerry Jordan's remarks are below and linked here.

Good Morning, and it is a good morning—when we have both our city and state leaders united in a cause that will better the future for all of us, and most importantly for our children.

• I am going to be brief this morning, because no one should really need convincing that this program is a winning one.

Thank you, Representative Fiedler

April 16, 2024

April 8, 2024

PHILADELPHIA-- On Monday afternoon, members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers were honored to join Vice President Kamala Harris for a roundtable discussion on the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to relieve student debt. In addition to $146 Billion in debt already forgiven, the Biden-Harris administration on Monday proposed additional changes that AFT President Randi Weingarten called "a lifechanging intervention."

Following a thrilling experience for Cramp Elementary students who greeted the Vice President upon her arrival in Philadelphia (and