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Helen Gym is the founder of Parents United for Public Education, an organization advocating for a strong Philadelphia public school system.
What is Parents United?
Parents United for Public Education came about to engage public school parents and charter parents all across the city to stand up around a strong public school system. With all the events that have transpired in the last year or so there’s nothing more important than the quality of our schools. It’s tied to our population, our future and tied to children —getting people engaged and active and passionate about our public schools.
Tell us a little more about yourself.
I’m a transplant from the Midwest, came here from college. Stayed here more permanently since the 90s. I’m a former public school teacher in the district. I was the first editor of the Philadelphia Public School Notebook. I’m a parent of three children. I helped found a charter school in Chinatown. I’m a daughter of immigrants.
What was life growing up in the Midwest?
My parents did not have that much. Everything I ever got in my life, including sports, art activities and community functions, learning to ride my bike at the park, swimming in public swimming pool came from public spaces. They have had an impact. That belief I carry with me. No matter what background you come from these public goods help all to give each other the quality and access to opportunity that many people would not have otherwise. I appreciate the fact that there was an amazing recreational center where I grew up (in Columbus, Ohio) that was public and free.
How do you summarize the current situation with the Philadelphia public schools?
We’ve been at this for a very long time. I was a teacher in the 90s, present for the state takeover in 2001. What makes this crisis very different is it’s created a perfect storm for public schools. The governor has been made it his mission to underfund public schools all over the commonwealth. He’s underfunded public education. Philadelphia public schools include public schools and charter schools. A massive and rapid expansion of this school system is needed. The biggest danger for the Philadelphia public schools at this time is beyond funding and politics. It’s not Republicans and Democrats. it’s really about people who believe in public goods and public spaces for all. A lot of people have said let education like the housing market. We are moving very rapidly away from the notion. People think that everything is for sale – that children are customers, clients and commodities to be bought and sold.
How can the issues facing the school district be fixed?
The governor took out almost a billion dollars in public education. Almost all came directly from schools itself. All the school aides were stripped out… it’s a shell essentially. How much longer can we live with this? They are still fighting for pennies under the couch. They are starving us to the point of dysfunction. It’s purposeful and deliberate. There’s a whole community of people who are saying this. The political thing I see as political gamemanship has no relevance of what we are talking about. We need to come up with the amount of money it takes to fund the schools. We are not even close.
What can students do to have an impact on the school district?
It’s been an incredible year to see thousands of students pour out onto the streets to testify about what’s happening in the city. We saw thousands come out around school budget crisis. I feel like students being conscious that their education is tied to this larger question about the moral center and future of Philadelphia is something that is both necessary and powerful. I think many have done it and many more can make that connection.
Can adequate school funding be achieved?
I have no doubt that the city and state will strike a deal regarding Philadelphia public schools. But, will that deal lower the bar? We haven’t had a conversation about the quality of education. I have no doubt that people are going to bicker about things that have nothing to do with what the core issues are in the schools.. The political leadership with both the city and state have lost their moral center and they don’t understand what the issue is. They are bickering over numbers that irrelevant and they don’t know what we need. It’s us who needs who define the numbers. We put out the number, the minimum amount is $180 million. Until we have the conversation about the $180 million… we want a guidance counselor in every school. We want to distribute secretaries. We want our school aides back. We lost 1,2000 of them. You can’t run a lunch room with one person running a lunch room. These are the things in which we are going to redefine. We are going to demand that schools are adequately staffed and funded by Sept. 9, with a fair funding formula. We are drawing a line. The $180 million is only acceptable when it goes back and restores… and we feel that the schools are safe for our children. We define safety with the number of adults in a building not a security camera.
Do you support a boycott of Philadelphia schools?
If they give us $50 million by spring we will run out. We are calling upon the district to not open schools until they are fully staffed and funded. Boycott may not be the right word. Until we are in some level of the ballpark and then we start to discuss what it takes to keep schools open and staff them. I think what we are calling upon is for the district to be responsible to not only the children but also the staff. This is their responsibility to do. And we won’t support it otherwise. We think schools should stay closed and not open until.
What other school issues are there out there?
I think there are a lot of things happening with the school district right now. Who runs the school district? Why are we in Philadelphia, one of the few places in the country where we can’t elect our own school board? We are under a state run school board for 13 years and mayor-appointed before that. The question about responsible and responsive leadership at our school district level is a very important conversation to be had. The changing notion of public – we are eroding that very quickly, expanding the idea of privatization is opening the door to other problematic areas. There are issues such as high stakes testing. Grading schools. We strip more and more resources. We demand students are college and career ready. Dichotomy of standards that have no money and resources attached to them…. Setting people up to fail.
Last thoughts…
We have a governor who ran against public schools and children. That’s how I feel. The next governor’s race we are going to have to decide how much education will become an issue. We need to ask the question whether we are going to allow the next governor to get away from that. The mayor’s race is right after that. Will we allow people into office who don’t think about, don’t care and aren’t committed to public education in Philadelphia? It is possible that if you demand unlimited school choice you will run out of money to do public education? There are limits to things. For most people there is a big different between public and private. The fight is going to continue.
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