Billboard: Philly Teachers Deserve A Contract!

The hardworking members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers have gone without a raise for over 5 years while the School District of Philadelphia refuses to negotiate a fair contract for its workforce. Meanwhile, the city and state have neglected their duty to properly fund our schools so that this matter can finally be settled.

As each month passes with no agreement in sight, Philadelphia loses more and more great educators to other surrounding districts. It is the over 100,000 children in the district, however, who suffer the most because of this lack of a stable workforce.

It’s time to call out our city and school officials for allowing this calamity to continue. The fundraiser started this week seeks to place a billboard on I-95 that will publicly shame the School Reform Commission, Superintendent Hite, and Mayor Kenney for their inability to get a fair contract settled.

A GoFundMe page with the explicit purpose of raising the funds has been created to crowdsource donations from teachers and other allies of public school educators.

PLEASE VISIT THE LINK HERE AND DONATE TO OUR CAUSE!

The fundraiser will be extended on a month to month basis, as we continue to publicly shame the school district and the city, until a fair agreement is finally reached with the PFT.

Enough is enough – our schools, our students and our educators deserve better.

Teachers Rally for Students at Central High School

On a frigid Friday morning, the hardworking members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers at Central High School made it a point to welcome their students as they arrived for a day of studies.

Our pupils were greeted by cheering educators and a large banner as they trekked up the hill at the corner of Olney and Ogontz. The banner, which was signed by nearly 100 staff members, read:

We support our students regardless of
Immigration Status

Country of Origin
Religion
Sexual or Gender Identity
Race or Ethnicity
Political Beliefs
We stand together as ONE Central HS!!

Central has long had the honor of being the oldest public school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the second oldest in the country. We were recently further honored by being recognized as the most diverse public school in the nation. Our student body, faculty and administration represent countless countries, languages, faiths and cultures.

We are proud to teach in such an environment.

We believe in an inclusive, diverse and welcoming society and will continue to build these values in our classrooms as we encourage our students to analyze the world around themselves during these months of political transition.

We hope that other schools will join us.