News | Philadelphia Federation of Teachers

PFT Testifies at PA House Hearing on Toxic Schools Crisis

April 5, 2022

This afternoon, Representative Elizabeth Fiedler hosted a policy committee hearing on the topic of Toxic Schools. The hearing took place at the Seafarers Union Hall in Rep. Fiedler's 184th District.

PFT environmental scientist Jerry Roseman presented testimony on the ongoing facilities crisis. He joined Dr. Akira Drake Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, University of Pennslyvania Weitzman School of Design; Iggy Fletcher, Instructor, ATEI IBEW Local 98; and Edy Lai, 9th grader at Furness High School.

Prepared testimony can be accessed here.

Read a thread from the hearing right here.

Durin

Vaccine Town Hall

Join us Wednesday, August 25 at 7pm!

Register here.

Back to School Kick Off Events with PHA

Join us as we partner with PHA at two fun back to school events!

Details:

August 19, 11am-2pm | Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center

August 20, 11am-2pm | Vaux High School

Please share these flyers with your school communities!

Download the Blackwell Community Center Flyer right here.

Download the Vaux High School Flyer right here.

Jerry Jordan to PFT Members: This year's budget is a "woefully inadequate failure."

6-26-21

This afternoon, PFT President Jerry Jordan shared the following with PFT members:

Dear PFT Members,

Our fight for fair and equitable education funding continues. And this year's budget, finished by the State Legislature last evening, did very little to get us there. It was a woefully inadequate budget that, amidst a $10B surplus in the state's coffers, passed up this potentially once in a lifetime opportunity to make serious investment in public education.

Instead, elected officials decided to put more money in their coffers to save for a 'rainy day.' This is an abject failure, and to call

PFT Primary 2021 Updates

Check pftvotes.org for our endorsement of Larry Krasner for DA as well as additional updates on judicial races and ballot questions.

PFT Members Testify at City Council Hearing on American Rescue Plan

PFT Building Representatives Ethel Peterson-Johnson (Bregy), Charlotte McCracken (Bache Martin), Sharahn Santana (Parkway NW), Anna Phelan (OEC), and Political Liaison Kate Sundeen (Palumbo) testified at April 28th's Council hearing on the American Rescue Plan. They focused on priorities for allocating rescue plan funding, emphasizing facilities invesetments, mental health support, and investing in resources and supplies.

Their testimony was powerful and led to important conversation with Committee Chair Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez.

Read their powerful testimony below:

Ethel Peterson

Jerry Jordan joins educators, students, elected officials, community leaders to call for education equity

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PFT President Jerry Jordan joined educators, students, elected officials, community leaders to call for education equity. The event, convented by State Senator Vincent Hughes, was held outside Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, one day after the anniversary of King's assassination. Senator Hughes pointed to this as a reminder that we must recommit to ensuring education equity for our young people. Read Jerry Jordan's remarks from the event:

PFT Member Benjamin Hover's Remarks at Education Equity Event

"Thank you, Senator Hughes and thank you to the many speakers and representatives for coming today to request, to implore, to demand that our legislature does what is right by the children of Pennsylvania and fund our schools fairly and equitably." Read Benjamin's remarks:

Steinberg, Jordan, & Roseman Testify at PA House Dems Toxic Schools Hearing

AFTPA President Arthur Steinberg, PFT President Jerry Jordan, and PFTHW Director of Environmental Science Jerry Roseman joined a critical hearing on Pennsylvania's toxic schools' crisis. The hearing, called by State Representatives Fiedler and Bizarro and State Senator Vincent Hughes, was an important avenue for advocating for the urgent resources we know are needed to ensure that our schools are free from environmental toxins.

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