AFT's Weingarten on Philadelphia School Budget Crisis

AFT's Weingarten on Philadelphia School Budget Crisis

WASHINGTON— Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the budget crisis in Philadelphia's public schools, following today's announcement by Superintendent William Hite. "Which Philadelphia is this—the thriving metropolis Mayor Michael Nutter just showed the Democratic National Committee or the one where the schools are starved and the teachers are blamed? It's interesting that the minute the DNC site selection committee leaves the city, the attacks on educators start up again, with officials saying teachers need to give up more, even though in the past few years they have taken no wage increases and have saved the district about $100 million.  Make no mistake: Gov. Tom Corbett has systematically starved Philadelphia's schools, while Philadelphia's teachers have been the glue holding these schools together. We must do better for our kids. We need leaders on both sides of the aisle and in state capitals across the country—especially in Harrisburg—that will fully and fairly fund neighborhood public schools." Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten