The union representing thousands of Philadelphia public school teachers slammed the school district’s decision to move forward with cuts despite new funding from the city. A day after the Philadelphia City Council failed to pass a tax proposal that aimed to save 300 school district positions, A rthur Steinberg, the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, expressed disappointment with the district’s decision to not restore those positions. “At first I didn’t believe it,” Steinberg said. Steinberg’s disappointment came after finding out that despite the tax not moving forward, the city did allocate $48 million in funds to go toward the district. “Their behavior once they now have the money to not restore those positions to the schools flies in the face of everything they say. Their main concern is kids and the communities they serve,” Steinberg said. Mayor Cherelle Parker had proposed a plan for a $1 rideshare tax to provide money to prevent the cuts. But without enough support for the tax, councilmembers took a different path. “With nearly $50 million in new funding, Council has given the District a lifeline so we can come together and find a mutually agreeable, long term and predictable local funding plan for the District while avoiding cuts to positions. The District decided to make the cuts anyway,” Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said. After the vote, Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington said the cuts would go forward, adding that while they are grateful for the funding, “its not quite enough to sustain these positions over time.” “It doesn’t seem like they’re trying to fix this,” an educator who will be impacted by the cuts told NBC10. In a statement, the district responded to the union’s concerns and remarks. The School District of Philadelphia appreciates Mayor Cherelle Parker’s and the City Council’s continued commitment to Philadelphia’s students and public schools. While the additional funding will benefit District children in the 2026-27 School Year, it does not reflect the recurring year-over-year funding the District would need to restore 340 school-based positions. Unless additional, recurring revenue is received by the District, we will not be in a position to restore the 340 school-based positions. The potential funding will be used to continue the District’s focus on accelerating academic achievement. We remain committed to working with City Councilmembers. The School District of Philadelphia ...read more read less