\u201cI believe every child of God deserves a shot here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,\u201d Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Fox News in 2023. \u201cAnd one of the best ways we can guarantee their success is making sure every child has a quality education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, not every child of God receives a quality education in Pennsylvania, especially in Philadelphia. In fact, Philly children have endured much worse, including no bathroom breaks and rampant antisemitism.<\/p>\n
The district\u2019s academic record has been notoriously atrocious. More than half of Philadelphia\u2019s student body attends a state-designated \u201clow-achieving school,\u201d the bottom 15% based on statewide testing. Four out of 5 Philadelphia fourth-graders aren\u2019t proficient in reading or math, according to the Nation\u2019s Report Card. Only 6% of Philadelphia eighth-graders are proficient in science.<\/p>\n
Scores are so bad that the district is even trying to pay students to study and retake tests.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia schools are also riddled with danger and dysfunction.<\/p>\n
Recently, Philadelphia parents have raised concerns about teachers denying students bathroom breaks. Some students have become so desperate that they wear diapers to school to avoid public humiliation. Philadelphia teachers are denying not just hall passes but also basic human dignity.<\/p>\n
As a mother, I\u2019m appalled by this. The mistreatment of children, especially by a school system to which so many parents entrust their sons and daughters, shocks the conscience. I imagine every parent reading about this will feel the same way.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n
Other reporting has uncovered dozens of teachers convicted of serious crimes remaining in classrooms or lounging in district-funded \u201crubber rooms\u201d for months while under investigation. Meanwhile, the union protecting these teachers recently voted to authorize a strike, which will undoubtedly disrupt Philadelphia classrooms.<\/p>\n
Philly schools also have an asbestos problem. Since 2020, the Justice Department has investigated the district\u2019s asbestos monitoring program. The lengthy investigation highlighted a \u201clongstanding and widespread problem of asbestos contamination \u2026 that endangered students and teachers,\u201d leading the agency to file criminal charges against the school district last month.<\/p>\n
Though the district may claim funding is the problem, the numbers tell a different story. During a 2023 presentation, the district discussed its multimillion-dollar contracts to outsource its asbestos monitoring. Reporting revealed that independent investigators detected asbestos, which one contracted company, Tetra Tech, failed to detect.<\/p>\n
Tetra Tech has a $24 million contract with the district.<\/p>\n
Sadly, this isn\u2019t the only federal investigation targeting the School District of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
The Education Department recently concluded an investigation highlighting rampant antisemitism in the schools. For years, Philadelphia Jewish students have endured death threats, swastika graffiti and Nazi salutes. The federal investigation concluded that the school district failed to protect Jewish students from this hostile environment.<\/p>\n
Since then, little has happened to remedy the situation. Frustrated Jewish parents even reached out to Mr. Shapiro, also a practicing Jew, but to no avail. One parent\u2019s account said the governor has \u201cdone nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Mr. Shapiro\u2019s office refuses to respond to their messages.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time the governor has failed to protect Philadelphia children.<\/p>\n
More than two years ago, Mr. Shapiro made national headlines when he expressed support for school choice programs that break from his party\u2019s rigid orthodoxy. As a gubernatorial candidate, he said he was open to reforms such as the Lifeline Scholarship Program. Under this program, students attending Pennsylvania\u2019s low-achieving schools could qualify for educational savings accounts, empowering them with resources to find private schools that better meet their academic needs.<\/p>\n
The program nearly became law in 2023 \u2014 until the teachers unions mobilized against it. The unions\u2019 pressure campaign influenced the governor to veto the program.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no wonder he buckled: Unions are among Mr. Shapiro\u2019s biggest donors. In fact, during his gubernatorial run, Mr. Shapiro was the nation\u2019s biggest recipient of campaign donations from organized labor, taking in more than $4.5 million from government unions alone.<\/p>\n
Mr. Shapiro learned his lesson. Since the veto, he has sounded more like an opponent of school choice. His 2025-2026 budget plan proposed cutting funding to cyber charter schools statewide. These cuts threaten the 60,000 Pennsylvania students who attend cyber charters, potentially forcing them to return to the abysmal schools they initially escaped.<\/p>\n
Instead of prioritizing children, the governor wants to bail out mass transit agencies. His budget proposal calls for $300 million of state funds transferred to agencies such as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Yet SEPTA, which already received about $1.5 billion from the state last year, continues to lose ridership.<\/p>\n
Such backward policy priorities reveal a fundamental flaw in Philadelphia. Apparently, empty buses and feckless unions deserve a lifeline more than students stuck in the city\u2019s failing, violent schools.<\/p>\n
Megan Martin is the chief operating officer and general counsel for the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania\u2019s free market think tank.<\/p>\n
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