Philly teachers start new year with staff shortages and strike threat
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Veteran Philly teacher Jodi Hanauer remembers working "odd hours" juggling a tutoring side job with full-time teaching responsibilities.
Why it matters: It's a reality that she says many of her younger colleagues face heading into the new school year — and it's only one of many obstacles Philly teachers must confront.
- Staffing and supply shortages, low pay, a looming potential strike, buildings in disrepair — you name it, teachers here say they've heard it.
The big picture: Pennsylvania is dealing with a shortage of certified teachers, forcing more districts, including Philly, to fill vacancies by hiring educators on emergency permits, per a study from Penn State University's Center for Evaluation & Education Policy Analysis (CEEPA).
- The number of certified teachers isn't keeping pace with those hired on emergency permits — a consistent trend since the 2021-22 school year, per the study.
- The problem is worse in Philadelphia, which accounts for a disproportionate number of the total vacancies and teachers hired on emergency permits, Ed Fuller, the report's author, tells Billy Penn.
Between the lines: The emergency permits were used more in "high-poverty districts" — 8% of teachers in the 2022-23 school year, compared with 0.6% in wealthier districts, per the study.
- In districts with a majority of students of color, like Philly, that figure was 7.7%.
Threat level: That can impact instruction quality in classrooms because teachers hired on an emergency basis tend to be "less prepared, less effective, and they tend to leave," Laura Boyce, executive director of teacher advocacy group Teach Plus Pennsylvania, tells Billy Penn.
By the numbers: Between 2010 and 2024, Philadelphia (-791) and Montgomery (-280) counties had some of the state's greatest declines in the number of newly certified teachers.
The district tells Axios it's hired 764 new employees, including teachers and counselors, for the new school year.
Meanwhile, Philly teachers are also having to shell out more from their own pockets to pay for school supplies.
What they're saying: Entering her 22nd year as an educator, Hanauer, an English as a Second Language teacher at Juaniata Park Academy, estimates she'll have to pay about $500 to $1,000 of her own money to fill the gaps.
- That's on par with the average of $655 spent by teachers this year, according to a national survey of more than 2,500 educators.
- "We have the basics, but most teachers want more than just the basics," says Hanauer, adding that amount would likely be more if not for DonorsChoose, a platform helping teachers raise donations.
Zoom out: More than half of teachers surveyed said they do not have the resources they need to prepare their students for future careers.
- Almost half of the teachers surveyed reported having second jobs, with 15% of them saying they work more than 10 hours per week at those jobs.
The bottom line: That's part of the reason Philly teachers are fighting for better wages, though Hanauer believes the chances of a strike are "slim."
- Teachers are focusing on getting classrooms prepared before the first day of class on Aug. 25.
If there's one word to describe Philly teachers, Hanauer says, it's "resilient."
- "Whatever you're dealt with, you just have to ... keep soldiering on."