Philadelphia Public Schools
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg told Chalkbeat negotiations are ongoing but he is gearing his members up for a potential work stoppage.
Spanish-speaking parents said they’ve missed information about school nurses, classes being canceled, and changes in the school bus schedule because of a lack of communication.
The district has delayed publicly releasing data officials say will inform which schools they choose to close. Principals and community members who’ve seen that data recently have concerns.
In Philly, school officials are completing a major revision of the district’s civics curriculum, which is required for graduation.
Mary Filardo, executive director of 21st Century School Fund and a parent activist, says Philly officials should be honest, share data, and acknowledge they can’t ‘accidentally’ fix big problems.
SEPTA plans to reduce its service by 20% beginning in August. If those cuts go through, transportation officials say more than 55,000 Philadelphia students who rely on the public transit system will have a more difficult time getting to school.
Last school year, most of the district’s standalone middle schools enrolled less than half the number of students they were built for.
While it’s not quite the ‘year-round school’ Mayor Cherelle Parker campaigned on, the initiative will offer before- and after-school programs and camp activities at 15 new schools.
Philadelphia and other school districts statewide are struggling to find enough certified teachers to fill vacancies, a trend that advocates for students say is diminishing the quality of kids’ education.
The likelihood of a strike is unclear. But if PFT leaders do call a strike of their 14,000 members, it could disrupt the opening days of the new school year. The 2025-26 school year begins August 18 for staff and August 25 for students.
The newly approved city budget represents a missed opportunity to significantly increase funding for public schools, education advocates say.
School district officials promised that residents would inform its facility planning process. But community leaders and parents say they’re not being heard.
The board had rejected the Early College Charter School of Philadelphia’s application in February, a move that raised eyebrows.
The school board initially planned to consider an agreement with the Department of Justice over an investigation into its asbestos management program at its Thursday meeting. But Board President Reginald Streater said the DOJ was not ready to proceed.
Two proposed bills would create resources and incentives for districts to teach students to read using research-backed strategies, including phonics and word decoding.
Money that was supposed to go to vendors for flood damage repair and services for students with disabilities was instead diverted to “malicious actors” bank accounts, according to the City Controller.
State Republicans held a hearing about the Philadelphia school district’s finances. But no district representatives were present to answer lawmakers’ questions.
The Trump administration’s cuts to AmeriCorps programs like Joyful Readers, City Year, ArtistYear, and Teach for America will impact more than 7,500 Philly-area students.
Students at the Academy at Palumbo report broken bathrooms, poor ventilation, and rodents in their school and are urging the school district to make needed repairs.
Potter-Thomas School Principal Nichole Polk was bullied for her stutter in fifth grade. Now she wants her students and staff to support each other in finding their voices.