1,000 rally to demand more money for Philly schools

More than 1,000 angry but peaceful protesters marched through Center City Thursday afternoon, disrupting traffic for an hour and a half as they headed for the School District of Philadelphia's offices to demand increased public school funding.

Teachers, students, and parents, some pushing baby strollers, others stooped with age, gathered outside the Comcast Center at 3:30 p.m. to make the point that private industries should pay higher taxes to support the schools.

"Look at that building," said Brian Marr, 54, a longtime middle school teacher. "I wonder what kind of tax breaks they got."

Escorted by police, the marchers, dressed in red T-shirts and carrying homemade signs and banners, then looped around City Hall and made their way up North Broad Street, chanting, "You say cutbacks, we say fight back!"

They finally rallied for speeches outside the building where the School Reform Commission was meeting.

At the back of the crowd, Jelani Taylor, 5, who is about to enter kindergarten, struggled to keep up with his mother, Liz, a history teacher at Julia R. Masterman school.

"Why are we marching?" she asked her son.

"School funding!" he answered.

Passing the microphone to one another like a baton in a relay race, students, teachers, and labor leaders addressed the crowd. They decried budget cuts that have eliminated art and music programs and reduced staffs so that many schools have no librarians, guidance counselors, school psychologists, secretaries, or assistant principals.

"We have one thing to say to the people inside," said Ted Kirsch, president of the American Federation of Teachers' Pennsylvania chapter. "Shame on you!"

An agreement reached last week under which the city will borrow $50 million to allow the schools to open on time in September will not do enough to restore critical staff, supplies, and programming, said Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

"We still have almost 3,500 people laid off," Jordan said in a hoarse voice, noting that the lack of counselors is particularly troubling. "We have many fragile children. . . . It is a disgrace that the SRC, the governor, and the mayor are allowing this to happen."

Several speakers remarked that the weather, with perfect dramatic timing, underscored their mission.

Dark clouds descended on the Comcast Center, thunder drumrolled while the marchers reached City Hall, rain poured down as they turned onto Broad Street, and when they reached the School District offices, the sky cleared.

"We're going through a storm right now, but we're going to come out on the other side!" one woman shouted. "Sunshine always follows the rain!"