Teachers union, Philadelphia School District go to state capitol together to fight for public school funding

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Against the backdrop of negotiations over a new contract, Philadelphia teacher’s union and the School District of Philadelphia traveled to the state capitol together Wednesday to join lawmakers fighting for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed increase in public school funding.

In addition to Arthur Steinberg, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president, and Leshawna Coleman, the union’s chief of staff, the group included: Philadelphia Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tony Watlington, Sr.; Reginald Streater, Philadelphia school board president; state Sens. Vincent Hughes, Sharif Street and Nikil Saval; House Speaker Joanna McClinton; and state Reps. Morgan Cephas and Elizabeth Fielder.

“We are doing this to make sure Philly public schools get their fair share of funding, which includes adequacy funding to make up for decades of unconstitutional underfunding,” Coleman said. “Our students deserve nothing less.”

Their advocacy comes at a time when the federal government is threatening cuts in public education for vulnerable school populations, such as special education and students living in poverty, she said.

The deadline for passage of the fiscal year 2025-26 budget is June 30, but negotiations in the General Assembly have a history of running into July.

“Though we may disagree at times, I know that Superintendent Watlington and Board President Streater want what our members want: appropriately staffed and resourced schools where children and communities thrive,” Steinberg said.

It is no secret that the Philadelphia School District has suffered from historic underfunding for a number of years, Watlington said.

“We are excited to have a chance to tell the district’s story to our legislators in the General Assembly. The Philadelphia school district is accelerating,” he said.

For the first time in a decade, he said, student enrollment has increased by 1,841 students; the four-year graduation rate has increased by 6.3% and reading and math test scores for third through eighth graders have risen by 5% to 6%, Watlington said.

He said that was thankful to the governor and legislature for the increase in public school funding in the last fiscal year.

This year’s proposal would mean a year-over-year increase of $202 million in the School District budget and would help address the current $300 million budget deficit, Watlington said.

The union and the School District are currently in negotiations for a new contract, which expires Aug. 31. On June 18, the union authorized a strike for the first time in 20 years.

In 2023, the Commonwealth Court ruled that the state’s funding system was inadequate, inequitable and unconstitutional. This led to a bipartisan adequacy funding formula to address that gap.

Shapiro’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2025-26 includes $526 million based on the adequacy funding formula, compared to $494 million in the previous fiscal year.

“Our schools are preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs, civic leaders and scientists, and where a child is born shouldn’t determine the learning opportunities they receive,” McClinton said.

“Last year, we made a down payment on fairly funding our schools and outlined our plan to ensure every child has the tools they need to succeed. Now is not the time to roll back our commitment. There will always be competing priorities for our state’s resources, but there will never be anything more important to our future than the education of our children.”