Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.Larger class sizes. Less support for students with disabilities. Fewer school climate staff to help kids in need.Philadelphia teachers say this is the future they’re preparing for as school leaders move forward with their plan to reduce spending by $225 million next fiscal year. The budget proposal — which the board gave preliminary approval to last month — would eliminate 220 building substitute positions and cut another 340 school-based positions, including climate staff, special education aides, and teachers.The Board of Education has yet to adopt the budget, which will be subject to a hearing at City Council later this month. But Superintendent Tony Watlington has directed principals to move forward with drafting budgets that cut spending. His goal, he recently told the board, is to plug the district’s $300 million budget deficit while providing essential services to support student achievement. But more than a dozen educators Chalkbeat spoke with said the plan threatens to upend their schools, leaving students and staff with less help during a time when many are already struggling. They said the plan has decimated morale inside their buildings and resulted in deep anxiety for which positions would ultimately be eliminated.“They’re taking away all the care from outside the classroom and putting more problems in the classroom,” said one middle school teacher, who like other educators asked not to be named because she was not authorized to speak on the matterDistrict leaders have said no teachers would lose their jobs due to the cuts, and instead those in positions that get cut could move to other open ones. The city’s teacher shortage means that the district generally begins the school year with many openings. But teachers said it remains unclear who would ultimately need to find a new position, and where they would be.“We understand the district is facing significant budget cuts, but staff have been asking for clarification on placements for several weeks without updates from our principal,” said one elementary school teacher. “It’s a mess all around.”The proposal comes as the district seeks approval from the Board of Education to close 18 schools beginning in 2027. District officials have said the closures are not meant to be a cost-saving measure, and that schools slated for closure will not be impacted by next fiscal year’s budget cuts. But at a board meeting last month, Board President Reginald Streater acknowledged the combined strain both proposals could cause. “It’s been less than 30 days and we are being given another presentation that could require us to make potential, tough decisions,” Streater said. He said he knew the cuts could be painful, but that something must be done to address the budget deficit.District officials did not respond to questions about the impact of the cuts, saying that the proposal is now in the hands of the Board of Education.Teachers worry about cuts to building substitutes, climate staffAlong with cuts to school-based staff, Watlington’s budget proposal includes eliminating 130 vacant central office positions. The plan would also cut some contracts that Watlington said aren’t directly improving students’ educational outcomes, though he has not elaborated on which contracts those may be. Still, teachers and advocates say the cuts would inevitably impact student learning. Many teachers said they were concerned district leaders may not understand the value of some of the positions they plan to cut. Building substitutes, for example, are full-time staff at schools that provide consistent support to kids who may have their main teacher out for days or weeks. And climate staff step in to keep hallways calm and students focused on learning.One teacher said in her middle school classroom, a student has a meltdown nearly every day. When that happens, the climate staff at her school step in to take the student out of the classroom to calm down. By cutting the number of climate staff at her school — she’s still not sure how many would be left after the budgets are finalized — she worries she and other teachers would have to choose between continuing their lessons and supporting a child having an outburst. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has said she does not want the school cuts to go through. She has proposed a $1 per ride tax on Ubers and Lyfts to funnel more money to the school district in order to prevent many of them. The tax would save 240 school-based positions from elimination, but it’s unclear if members of City Council will support the new tax. In the meantime, Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said teachers are bracing for a challenging year ahead. “The district itself is fond of saying that the most important variable in how kids achieve and grow is the teacher in the classroom,” said Steinberg. “So any reduction in services to kids is going to slow down the learning and really be an obstacle to further growth.”Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
