The Pledge for Philadelphia’s Children – signed by five of the seven candidates
The Pledge for Philadelphia’s Children – signed by five of the seven candidates Campaign commercials tell us far too little about the candidates. That’s why PCCY led an effort to get candidates to make specific commitments to improve the lives of children. Together with 28 organizations we crafted the Pledge for Philadelphia’s Children that creates a framework for investing in children and improving the services they receive from every executive branch agency of the City.
The powerful coalition of Children’s Pledge endorsers successfully persuaded candidates Abraham, Diaz, Kenney, Oliver and Williams to sign the pledge. Click here to read the Pledge.
If you are attending an event with a candidate and they’ve signed the pledge, please thank them and make it clear that you will hold them to the Pledge if they win.
What else are the candidates saying about children’s issues?
More funds for schools
While the candidates agree that the current system of funding schools is broken, they differ on what they would do to increase local funding for the District. Click here for a simple chart that compares their commitments of local funds for schools
Will they increase access to Pre-K?
Three of the candidates pledge to expand access to pre-k. Click here to find out what they say.
What are they saying about charter and District accountability?
The five candidates call for more oversight of district-run and charter schools, but say they will go about it in very different ways. Click here to see what they will do to make sure all schools are held accountable.
What the candidates have to say about City services and schools.
All of the candidates speak to ways that the Mayor and City agencies can help public school students but their plans vary and some lack specifics. Click here to compare what the candidates say.
School Reform Commission
The five candidates differ their views of the SRC. Some say it needs to go and others say it should stay. Click here to see where they stand.
Remember, kids can’t vote, but you can. PCCY is a non-partisan organization but we urge you to do your homework on the issues before you walk into the voting booth.
Read the Candidates’ education policy papers online:
| Lynne Abraham | Nelson Diaz |
| Jim Kenney | Doug Oliver |
| Anthony Hardy Williams |
Pennsylvania is 4th Worst in Funding Schools
The funding gap between Pennsylvania’s richest and poorest school districts are “devastatingly large,” according to a new report from the Washington D.C. based Education Trust. The report finds that Pennsylvania has the second worst funding gap in the nation when adjusted for the additional needs of poor students. Districts with the highest number of children living in poverty receive 17% less in total funding per child than districts serving the fewest students in poverty.
Researchers also found that Pennsylvania’s share of funding for public education stood at 38% in 2012, tying for fourth-worst among all states.
Join PCCY in Harrisburg as we visit lawmakers to tell them to implement a fair and adequate funding formula for schools in this year’s budget. Sign up for any of the following dates.
April 14th, April 22nd, May 13th, June 23rd
‘School Play’ can Help Turn the Tide
The cast of School Play takes a bow following their performance Thursday night at the National Constitution Center
School Play, PCCY’s compelling drama specially commissioned to raise awareness about the Pennsylvania school funding crisis is ready for production across the state. After its sold out Philadelphia premiere, PCCY is already seeking partnerships with theaters, schools, community and religious organizations to stage this extraordinary drama at least once in each of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties. Every performance is a vehicle for building a stronger base of support for the state to fund our schools.
A full script, production notes and all the promotional materials needed to produce School Play will be available online this Tuesday, April 14th at www.childrenfirstpa.org/schoolplay.
For every $5,000 we raise, another performance of the play becomes possible. Help us raise the funds for 20 more performances by donating here.
Tickets are running out for PCCY’s Public Citizen of the Year
Just a few weeks remain until the 2015 Public Citizen of the Year event, which PCCY will host on April 29th at Vie on North Broad Street. This year we will honor Greg Redden, Region President for Wells Fargo for his hard work to improve child literacy. The event also includes live performances from local child artists, great food and a robust silent auction to benefit PCCY’s efforts to improve the lives of our region’s children.
Click here to buy your tickets and learn about sponsorship opportunities.