Hundreds of Philadelphia School District teachers are still waiting to find out where they will work next school year and union leaders say problems with the district’s vacancy selection process are creating unnecessary stress. After weeks of uncertainty over potential budget cuts, the district says all 340 school-based positions that had been at risk are now secure. But the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers says a new challenge has emerged as impacted educators try to select school assignments that should be based on seniority. Union leaders say many teachers are weighing whether to stay in the district or accept offers elsewhere while they wait for their assignments. “We have lots of teachers that said they had offers from unfortunately charters, etc. and they’re like well, if I don’t know where I’m going I may take this. It’s not just about a school, it’s about location, cause people have childcare and commutes to thinks about,” LeShawna Coleman, PFT treasurer, said. According to the union, the vacancy selection process, which is typically completed by the end of June, has been delayed this year and is plagued by errors including missing vacancies, incorrect seniority dates and inaccurate personnel records. “Those people were force transferred when they didn’t need to be. So some teachers decided that I want to go back if my job is available, some decided they didn’t want to go back and the districts records on that weren’t great,” Coleman said. The union says district officials and union representatives met Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning to work through the issues. In a statement, district superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington said, “I want to affirm that all 340 school-based positions are secure and that we are moving as quickly as possible to match the impacted employees to the appropriate job site based on collective bargaining agreement rules.” The district also says it has filled 92% of teacher positions, an increase from this time last year. Coleman said teachers simply want enough information to prepare for the upcoming school year. “They have put their heart and soul into working with the students everyday. They ask a simple thing: ‘Tell me where I’m going to be teaching, so I can prepare. What grade will I have? What’s subjects will I teach?'” Coleman explained. The union hopes teachers will have answers about their school assignments by the end of the week. With the start of the school year approaching, many educators are still waiting for clarity about where they will report this fall. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. School District of Philadelphia Jul 2 More than 700 former Philadelphia school employees owed millions, audit finds nbc10 investigators Jul 1 Computers, pianos among unaccounted for items at Philadelphia schools: Audit Philadelphia School District Jun 23 Philly school district launches transition office for $3B facilities master plan Philadelphia Jun 22 Philly officials head to Harrisburg to rally for new school funding Philadelphia Jun 10 Solution found to prevent job cuts in Philly School District, mayor says ...read more read less