Philadelphia teachers will be present for first day of school, but September walkout looms

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The good news is that teachers will show up on Monday, Aug. 25, the first day of school for about 200,000 students in the Philadelphia School District.

But the contract for the 14,000-member Philadelphia Federation of Teachers union expires on Aug. 31, and the teachers might walk soon after if there hasn’t been enough progress on a new deal, union president Arthur Steinberg said Wednesday morning.

“If we are forced to and have to go on strike, it will not be because of us. We are structured and organized and ready to do it,” Steinberg said during a news conference at the union’s Center City headquarters to update the public on negotiations.

He did say that progress between the district and the union has been made in some areas.

A spokesperson for the district said it is hoping to reach an agreement.

Wages and salaries are major issues, but the union is also negotiating teachers’ working conditions, which Steinberg said are also the students’ learning conditions.

Many of the school district buildings are more than 70 years old. Some are plagued with heating and cooling issues. Some have asbestos, mold or both.

Suburban school districts have been poaching teachers from the city with offers of better working conditions and higher pay, Steinberg said.

“We are also in the midst of an educator shortage in Philadelphia, the commonwealth and the rest of the country,” he said. “If you want to be competitive, your wages have to be up to par.”

The union also represents counselors, nurses, office workers and paraprofessionals, such as nonteaching assistants.

‘We need more’

Gemayel Keys has been a special education teacher at Gilbert Spruance Elementary in the city’s northeast section after completing a program sponsored by the teachers’ union and the school district to move paraprofessionals into teaching positions.

The program offers financial assistance for college courses and teacher certification, in exchange for a multiyear commitment to teach in the school district.

Last year, Keyes testified before the U.S. Select Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which was looking into teacher shortages nationwide and solutions.

Keyes testified about his career journey, which he started as a bus attendant in the district, then paraprofessional and now a teacher, through what are called “grow-your-own” programs.

“I’m here because we need more to service your children,” Keyes said. “We are here looking for a livable wage, but we are also here looking for fair working conditions. For too long, we have done the job of the district on our own dime.”

According to Keyes, he along with other non-teaching assistants have spent thousands of dollars over the years on school supplies, cleaning supplies and even toiletries.

Several elected officials attended the news conference, including state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, state Rep. Darisha Parker, D-Philadelphia, and City Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier and Kendra Brooks.

William Sax, a teacher at South Philadelphia High School, said there is such a shortage of personnel in the school district that teachers must do more than teach, including tasks like managing the hallways and the climate of the buildings.