This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
by Tom MacDonald for NewsWorks
Rallying for more funding for the city’s schools, at least a thousand protesters took to the streets of Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
Mostly teachers, the crowd surged toward the Philadelphia School District headquarters, where the School Reform Commission was to meet for the last time before the school year begins Sept. 9.
The teachers, whose contract expires Aug. 31, chanted and called for more school funding.
"I’m worried about my life, my contract, my job, and my students," said preschool teacher Amy Kauffman.
Many of the teachers say they can’t afford the concessions that the financially struggling School District is seeking in order to qualify for more funding from Harrisburg.