This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
by Samantha Coggin and Samantha Byles
Since the round of winter budget cuts became official and the number of nurses was drastically cut, Eileen Duffey-Bernt, a school nurse and founder of Occupy 440, has been adamant about keeping alive the voices of all those who have been laid off.
“This is not simply a nurses’ battle,” said Duffey-Bernt, a nurse at Academy at Palumbo, who spoke to protestors at a rally outside District headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.
“This is a sign of a crisis in public education,” she said.
About 20 protestors, including school nurses, school police, and members of other unions, gathered in support of the Occupy 440 movement, which has become a weekly event outside District headquarters. Although each had his or her own story, protestors voiced the importance of solidarity within the movement.
Protesters Nick Costellucci and Jim Whitehead marched in a circle together and rallied the crowd with their individual experiences working in the District.
Costellucci worked in the District for 13 years as both a school nurse and an English teacher, but was laid off after returning from England, where he had moved temporarily. Costellucci lost his seniority status when he returned to the U.S., so when cuts were made he didn’t have that to protect him from getting a pink slip. But he said that losing his job is not what concerns him most, but rather losing the relationship that he and other nurses have with students to solve crises.
"Without a nurse it is impossible to keep these kids in school, keep them healthy. I have no idea how the principals are going to take care of this both in emergency and long-term situations. You need to know the families," he said – adding that nurses know the families.
Unlike Costelluci and many of the protesters, Whitehead is not a teacher or a nurse. He is a member of District 1201of SEIU Local 32BJ, which represents transportation, maintenance, and custodial workers. His job is to make sure that schools are warm during the winter, air-conditioned in the summer, and clean all year round.
Whitehead said that he realizes that the District must make cuts somewhere, but he doesn’t believe that eliminating the deficit has to translate into cutting jobs and has suggestions for other ways to close the budget gap.
“A year ago, we proposed having a four-day week. Also, [we could] develop other ways to bring in revenue,” Whitehead suggested.
“Why can’t we advertise – put advertisements on the side of a school building or school transportation?”
The Occupy 440 movement will continue every Wednesday outside District headquarters, 440 N. Broad Street.