Philadelphia School Partnership calls on teachers to make contract concessions
Amani Bassett, 9, marches with Action United outside the offices of the Philadelphia School Partnership on Chestnut Avenue. (Emma Lee/for NewsWorks)
A group of activists took the Philadelphia school funding debate straight to the offices of a nonprofit that provides funds to high-performing schools.
Chanting “PSP is not for me,” they circled the cubicles of surprised staff of the Philadelphia Schools Partnership Tuesday. The protesters from Action United argue that PSP should provide more funding to the city’s struggling public schools.
PSP provides funds to high-performing schools of all types, including parochial and private ones.
“Misguided and inaccurate attacks simply waste time and money, and do nothing to solve this problem,” according to a PSP statement released Tuesday.
The organization says it has invested $26 million in Philadelphia public schools, including $10 million in district-run schools. It says it’s up to the teachers union to make concessions.
The district is asking the union for $133 million in labor concessions ($103 million from teachers and another $30 million from other labor unions), including pay cuts and teacher contributions to health coverage.
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