Back-to-school season is officially upon us in Philadelphia. However, the 2025-26 school year begins with a big challenge — massive SEPTA service cuts.
“We have more than 52,000 children, young people in our school district who use SEPTA services to get to and from school,” said Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington, adding that he’s excited to begin his fourth year as superintendent.
With 32 bus routes eliminated and 16 others shortened, Watlington encourages families to carpool or look into another program the district offers.
“We’re encouraging some of our parents to use our flat rate program, where they get a $300 stipend per household to transport their children to school,” he said.
Watlington says the district will be understanding if some students arrive late. They merely need to bring a note from a parent or guardian.
But due to a shortage of bus drivers, the superintendent said the district cannot add more buses to make up for the SEPTA cuts.
The superintendent also had an exciting update for students interested in science.
“We’re looking forward to launching a new science curriculum this year,” he said.
Watlington added that while students are improving, they still have a long way to go.
“We still have way too many children who are not reading and performing in math on grade level,” he said.
The district is also working to find more teachers.
“So we’re doing several things. One, we’re expanding our footprint, not just in Pennsylvania, but in other states. Number two, we are building our own pipeline through our own initiative, where we’re taking people who already work in the school district,” Watlington said. “And we’re getting them through a four-year institution in Pennsylvania debt-free in partnership with the PFT.”
The district is also going to relaunch Parent and Family University, a program that provides free resources, courses and support to help families engage with their children, school and community.
Finally, it appears the school year will not be disrupted by a teacher strike. The school district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which represents about 14,000 city educators and professional staff, announced Sunday night that they had reached a tentative agreement for a three-year contract.
More from CBS News