PCAPS plans its next steps
The Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools will hold a general assembly on Wednesday, April 17 to launch new campaigns around school funding, charter school accountability, and community schools.The coalition, formed a year ago, has grown to include 15 labor and community-based organizations, embracing school staff, parents, students, and neighborhood activists.
Over the last year, PCAPS developed an alternative to the School Reform Commission's blueprint inspired by the Boston Consulting Group. Called “Excellent Schools for All Children,” the 40-page document drew on surveys of community stakeholders as well as research-based best practices. The plan rejected the SRC’s austerity-focused argument and called for a fight to base funding on a reordering of priorities, closing tax loopholes for corporations, and an equitable formula for allocating state revenue.