Mayor Parker’s plans for city hiring | Morning Newsletter
And addressing Philly’s teacher shortage.
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to Tuesday! Spring is in the air, with a chance of rain and a high near 65.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker wants to diversify the municipal workforce by reshaping the way the city hires and promotes its workers. Our lead story unpacks what exactly she hopes to achieve and how she plans to get there.
— Erin Reynolds (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Hours after her inauguration, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed an executive order that began the process of eliminating college degree requirements for some city jobs.
The move was part of Parker’s larger plan to diversify the municipal workforce. She wants it to better reflect Philly’s diversity, and she thinks some civil service rules are getting in the way.
On the surface, it may seem like Philly’s city government does not have a diversity problem. But the problem becomes more pronounced when looking at who gets the best-paying jobs and who succeeds at climbing the ladder.
The average base salary of Black city employees is about $66,000, while white city workers make $83,000 on average.
There’s a national teacher shortage and Pennsylvania, in particular, is struggling.
There was a 70% drop in teacher licenses issued between 2011 and 2022, and in Philadelphia, the need for new teachers is acute.
Recent research out of Penn State found that Philadelphia teachers leave the profession at a higher rate than the rest of the state.
What could help? Higher starting salaries for teachers.
And a new state program, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, will take a stab at this. The program will pay student teachers in Pennsylvania $10,000 to $15,000 if they agree to work in high-needs districts and promise to teach in the state for three years.
Officials hope the student-teacher stipend will help plug holes in the pipeline, but Monika Shealey, dean of Temple’s College of Education and Human Development, says it’s “long overdue.”
“For some reason, we think that student teachers and teachers should be doing their work as a matter of community service,” said Shealey. “It’s a profession.”
Keep reading to learn more about Pennsylvania’s continued efforts to attract more teachers.
What you should know today
A prisoner escaped from the Episcopal Hospital on East Lehigh Avenue Monday morning. Alleem Borden, 29, was in police custody for vehicle theft, and was taken to the hospital after complaining of pain.
A 28-year-old man has been charged with slashing a SEPTA passenger with a hatchet and attempting to rob him over the weekend.
A man died at SEPTA’s City Hall station after he accidentally fell onto the tracks early Monday morning and was electrocuted. Investigators believe the fall was an accident.
A slowdown in Philly’s real estate market will likely have an impact on the city’s coffers. The city expects to bring in about $110 million less in transfer tax revenue than initially projected.
Philly’s Department of Licenses and Inspections acted quickly to demolish a Strawberry Mansion house after a partial collapse Thursday night. Residents were surprised.
The Jersey Shore’s iconic boardwalks will get a $100 million cash infusion for repairs. Here’s which towns will see the money.
A Chester County dog breeder’s unvaccinated puppy died from parvovirus. After sharing the story on TikTok, the internet came after her.
🧠 Trivia time
This hit ice cream shop is opening a new location in Northern Liberties.
A) Float Dreamery
B) Zsa’s Ice Cream
C) Weckerly’s Ice Cream
D) Milk Jawn
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
🍽 Reviewing: Craig LaBan says The Royal Tavern still one of Philly’s great gastropubs.
🏡 Touring: This three-bedroom rowhouse in South Philly is on the market for $329,900.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: The Dutch Harness horse that took over I-95 during a morning rush hour last week has a new name.
FEE WARY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Rebecca Bonner who correctly guessed Monday’s answer: Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat.
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