Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan is retiring. Read his last message to his 13,000 members.

With Philadelphia School District students about to finish the 2023-24 school year, Jerry Jordan, the longtime Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ president, is about to retire after 37 years with the union.

Here’s his final message to the PFT’s 13,000 members, sent Thursday morning:

Representing you, and fighting alongside of you for the public schools our young people and staff deserve, has been the honor of a lifetime.

To my fellow retirees — I congratulate you, and I hope you feel proud of the impact you have had on our young people and our future. I have a feeling you are looking forward to some time off to relax and recharge (I know I am). This year’s cohort of retirees includes two additional members of the PFT staff: Arlene Kempin and Evette Jones. I know you join me in thanking them for their service to this union and our school district. I wish all of our retirees health and happiness.

» READ MORE: Jerry Jordan, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president, is retiring after 37 years with the union

As I wind down my time with the Federation, I have been reflecting on just how much we have accomplished together, and how powerful it has been to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you in moments of great struggle and moments of great joy. With fight, passion, and solidarity, we have endured many losses, and we have celebrated many wins — sometimes headline-grabbing and sometimes quiet moments.

Our collective advocacy, rooted in a deep belief in equity and justice, is central to our union’s mission, and I am so proud to be part of it.

There are so many forces that wanted to destroy us, and to destroy the public education system that is near and dear to all of us. But together, in solidarity, we clawed our way back from devastating budget cuts, layoffs, the cancellation of our contract, and so much more. With fortitude, deliberation, and solidarity, our union has been at the national forefront of what it means to reject austerity and define what it means to truly invest in public education.

Together, we defeated a certain governor (making him the only one-term governor in modern Pennsylvania history), and we led the fight to restore a billion dollars in funding cuts.

Together, we won against the former SRC’s efforts to overturn our contract, and we stood strong through a frozen contract.

Together, we won the first citizen-led ballot initiative and ultimately the return of our schools to local control.

Together, we have won pivotal elections that have made a real impact on the work we do.

Together, we have fought tirelessly to end the facilities crisis, ensuring real change and investment, with much more to come.

Together, we stood strong and demanded the reopening of schools only when it was safe to do so in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

Together, we elevated the stories and realities of inequitable funding; and after a decade-long court fight that brought so many partners together, we have a final court ruling that has once and for all deemed Pennsylvania’s school funding unconstitutional. And now, Pennsylvania’s legislative and executive branches are court-ordered to address the decades-long injustice.

Together, we won a PA House bill that has outlined a multi-year plan to move us towards equity, and together, we are closer than ever before to winning a lasting remedy to years of underfunding.

And in so very many other ways, we have stood together when it mattered most.

And together, we fight another day.

For me, underscoring every single day’s work has been an unwavering belief that a better tomorrow is possible, and that the only way to get there is together.

I am profoundly grateful to have had the great honor of not only serving as your President, but also in several roles on staff. I have such fond memories of my time as an ESL and Spanish teacher, and I have carried the lessons I learned from my students throughout my career. To be able to wake up each day and fight this righteous fight is a blessing.

I wish PFT’s President-elect Arthur Steinberg and the entire leadership team much success in their new roles. And while I’ll only be a phone call away, I know that they will forge their own path. I wish each of them the very best.

While I do look forward to some down time, I remain deeply committed to the labor movement, and so don’t be too surprised if you see me at a march or a canvas in the near future.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you — for your trust in me, for the transformational work you do each day, and for giving so much of yourselves to your chosen profession and to our union. I’ll be rooting each and every one of you on.

Enjoy your summer, PFT. Take good care of yourselves and each other.

With respect, gratitude, and solidarity forever,

Jerry