Report: 1,000 Philly Teachers Called out to Protest Today

The absences are part of a protest organized by the Caucus of Working Educators.

teacher vacancies

Photo | It’s Our City via Flickr / Creative Commons

Teachers in the School District of Philadelphia are calling out today in protest of the district’s lack of a contract with the teacher’s union.

District officials said about 1,000 teachers – or roughly 12 percent of the teaching force – will not come to work today.

The school district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers have failed to agree on a contract in almost four years – and the teachers have gone nearly five years without a pay raise.

The PFT is holding a rally after school today – but the organization is not officially tied to the absences and separate protest events happening throughout the day, which include a rally that kicked off around 7:30 a.m. outside the Philadelphia School District headquarters near Broad and Spring Garden streets.

About 200 teachers have joined that demonstration, which (along with the absences) was organized by the Caucus of Working Educators and will include instructors from Masterman, Franklin Learning Center, Central High School, the U School and Mifflin Elementary, among other schools, according to Philly.com.

School is still in session this morning, despite the absences. The district and the PFT will continue contract negotiations this week.

In March, the school district announced that it plans to hire 1,000 teachers for the 2017-18 school year. The district has a 90 percent annual teacher retention rate, according to the Philadelphia Public School Notebook.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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