As most of you know 3,500 school district employees were recently given pink slips. 1202 of which are the School Safety Staff, whose job it is to defuse tensions, maintain order and deescalate conflicts, often without having to involve the police. They live in the neighborhoods and know the kids. Laying them off will make the schools unsafe for the students. It will make it difficult for the teachers to teach and for the kids to learn. These essential workers are being cut for a savings of approximately $9 million, while the State is spending $400 million on a prison right north of Philly. A parent was quoted yesterday saying, “I might as well send my kids directly to juvie for a degree.”
Sometimes extreme measures require extreme actions to bring attention to the issue. Some of these individuals plan on fasting in front of the governor’s office on Broad St until proper funding is provided and jobs restored.
Interview with Nutter:
