This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Parents at Julia de Burgos School in the Fairhill section of North Philadelphia plan to protest the District’s proposed school budget cuts on Friday morning.
Tassie Rivera, a parent leader at de Burgos, is organizing the rally, which is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. in front of the school. Rivera, whose son is in 3rd grade, said she was shocked into action after she received a letter from the school outlining the slashing impact the District’s financial crisis would have on the school’s budget and urging parents to help.
With the nearby Fairhill School set to close this summer, de Burgos could see its enrollment rise by the hundreds. The K-8 school now has 648 students, according to the District’s most recent numbers. On top of school closings and their attendant effects, Rivera said the prospect of a school without counselors, secretaries, sports, or music was too much to take.
"It’s impossible to run a school with 900 kids and only teachers and one principal," Rivera said. "Our principal will be playing the role of secretary and counselor. It’s impossible. It can’t happen."