Parents United statement on teacher concessions
This morning, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) made the tough decision to agree to a wage freeze and health care contributions. Parents United for Public Education stands with Philadelphia teachers across the city who are making a difference everyday in our classrooms. We also want to make clear that this means the District’s average 19% below pay average in the region makes our teachers that much less competitive. This is not a point of celebration.
We will hold Superintendent William Hite and the School Reform Commission to their word that the union concessions mean essential staff will be immediately restored to schools. We expect the full restoration of guidance counselors, and the appropriate number of teachers to eliminate overcrowding, split grades, and to maintain lower class size in the primary years. These have been long-standing policies of the School District and well-recognized pedagogical imperatives. We also must work to restore administrative staff as well as nurses and librarians to all schools.
We demand that the Mayor and all city and civic leaders stop the rhetoric around teacher bashing. Philadelphia teachers earn on average in the mid-$40,000 – well below their suburban counterparts – face enormously challenging teaching conditions, have an average level of experience of five years and an average age of 34 years. Nationally, the average teacher experience is 14 years. As parents, we want to see our teachers as decently paid, respected professionals who see teaching as a sustainable profession. We oppose languag