On the weekend before schools open, the situation is dire.  Our elected officials are still holding hostage money that should have been directed toward ensuring our schools are better staffed to meet students’ real needs.  The teachers’ contract is still being held up in negotiations, as the District would rather aim to squeeze as much as they can out of our city’s unionized workforce than to actually work toward making schools safe places for Philadelphia’s students to learn and grow.

As the chaos unfolds in the schools over the next couple of weeks, TAG’s Summer of Action is taking aim at the fall! Here’s what you can do:

Make The Stories Public

We need to make sure that the public is still focused on our schools in order to pressure elected officials for more funding. It is important that you document and share the problems in your schools. Here are some ways to collect and share the injustices and inequities you witness.

• Share your stories with us via Twitter (@TAGPhilly) and our Facebook page
• If you need your report to be anonymous, send it to TAGPphilly@gmail.com and we can protect your identity.
• Bring your stories to the TAG Back-To-School Story Slam on Sept. 26 at 6PM (location TBA)
• For union documentation, send your stories to: pftstories@gmail.com
• Write letters to the editor: The Inquirer, The Daily News, Newsworks, The Notebook, your neighborhood paper!

Organize Teachers, Parents, and Students
We need to get the word out to more people in order to build up the power to intervene and change what’s happening in our schools.  Here are some ways to connect and take action:

• Flyer and petition at your building during the first days of school! Download and photocopy this flyer for community members! Distribute to parents on the first day or at back to school night.
• Speak out to Governor Corbett — attend the PCAPS Candlelight Vigil  this Sunday, Sept. 8th at 6:30pm in front of the Governor’s office –  200 South Broad Street. Check out  http://wearepcaps.org/ for more information.
• Speak out to City Council — Attend the opening session of City Council on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 10:30am. Meet at the NE Corner of City Hall.
• Get schooled by the expert — See Diane Ravitch speak at the Free Library on Tuesday, September 17th
• Speak out to Harrisburg — travel there for a rally on Sept. 23, organized by Parents United: http://parentsunitedphila.com/

Thank you for everything you do.  In this moment of crisis, TAG is sending you, your schools, and our city the strength we will need to make it through the first day and beyond.