►
Description
From the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education held Monday, November 28, 2016:
Science Leadership Academy Beeber Teacher Melissa Lawson testifies on the challenges of teacher retention and recruitment in the School District of Philadelphia.
View the full hearing here: https://youtu.be/zfTHKrvMFTQ
A
I
am
Melissa
Lawson
I
am
a
school
counselor
and
athletic
director
at
science,
Leadership
Academy
at
Bieber
high
school.
We
are
a
school
that
only
has
three
teachers
of
color
I
want
to
first
start
off
by
saying
that
is
an
honor
to
sit
before
you
as
an
educator
of
our
amazingly
resilient
children
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia.
A
Secondly,
I
want
to
say
that
becoming
an
educator
is
a
calling
and
one
that
shouldn't
be
taken
lightly,
I'm
in
my
14th
year
of
that
call
as
an
educator,
all
of
which
have
been
with
the
school
district
of
philadelphia.
In
my
14
years,
I've
seen
the
SRC
and
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia
decimate
the
vibrant
and
robust
educational
system
that
we
once
knew
through
budget
cuts,
massive
layoffs,
forced
transfers,
school
closures,
charter,
school
expansion
and
facilities.
A
They're
constantly
dwindling
enrollment
resulted
in
layoffs
and
forced
transfers
of
dedicated
educators
that
students
have
become
accustomed
to.
I
was
in
that
forced
transfer
number.
After
eight
years
at
bart
from
high
school
educator
turnover
in
schools,
like
Bartram,
are
internalized
by
students
like
the
foster
care
system.
They
lose
faith
in
the
system
by
being
bounced
around
from
teacher
to
teacher
and
principal
the
principal,
so
they
never
adapt
because
they
fear
that
the
person
that
they
bond
with
could
be
stripped
away.
A
Sometimes,
educators
are
only
prevented
the
only
parental
figure
that
a
student
may
know,
and
in
recent
years
many
of
their
parental
figures
were
removed
from
their
lives
through
no
fault
of
their
own,
but
simply
sent
away
through
bureaucracy.
Prior
to
the
massive
layoffs
of
2013,
there
were
over
500
counselors,
which
allows
for
multiple
counselors
in
each
school.
After
the
layoffs,
that
number
was
cut
in
half
and
many
schools
currently
only
have
one
counselor
and
in
in
many
cases
there
could
be
multiple
counselors
depending
on
the
enrollment.
A
The
counseling
ratios
are
as
high
as
nine
hundred
to
one,
which
makes
it
very
difficult
to
address
all
of
the
needs
of
the
students
in
a
timely
fashion
and
have
left
many
of
the
relationships
that
were
built
between
the
counselor
and
the
students
broken.
Many
of
my
colleagues
were
forced
to
look
for
work
outside
of
the
profession
and
when
openings
became
available
once
again
for
counselors
three
years
later,
they
turned
them
down
because
they
had
lost
faith
in
our
district
and,
quite
frankly,
they
lost
faith
in
the
one.
Stable
profession
of
education
through
the
budget.
A
Cuts
came
a
stalemate
with
the
teachers
contract
that
led
to
four
years
of
working
with
no
step
increases
or
raises,
and
during
that
time
I've
seen.
Many
of
my
colleagues
leave
the
district
and
the
procession
because
their
lifestyles
weren't
sustainable,
with
the
pay
that
we
are
currently
receiving.
Many
had
got
master's
degrees
through
contract
through
the
contract
freeze
and
were
paid
as
a
new
teacher
with
a
bachelor's
degree,
and
that's
such
a
significant
difference
in
pay.
A
Teachers
are
coming
to
school,
burned
out
and
tired
from
working
two
jobs,
just
to
stay
afloat,
to
pay
their
non
reimburse
master's
degree
and
that
they've
just
earned
and
continue
being
an
effective
educator
day.
In
and
day
out,
many
teachers
who
are
frozen
close
to
the
top
of
the
pay
scale
feel
like
they
are
handcuffed
to
the
district,
because
they
would
have
to
start
from
the
bottom
or
take
a
pay
cut
in
some
of
the
surrounding
districts.
A
A
These
are
essential
things
that
the
district
has
failed
to
provide,
along
with
up-to-date
curriculums
and
course
offerings
that
actually
match
the
students
interests.
Teachers
are
coming
out
of
their
pocket
to
ensure
that
students
have
what
they
need
to
be
successful
and
teachers
can
be
found,
staying
late
and
coming
in
early
to
ensure
that
they
are
prepared
for
instruction
and
too
often
support
students
and
families
through
tutoring
or
school
clubs
that
fill
the
void
of
programs
that
have
been
cut
district-wide
without
receiving
any
compensation
at
all.
A
It's
hard
to
attract
and
retain
teachers
and
environments
like
this
when
nearby
districts
are
providing
all
of
these
resources,
as
I
mentioned
earlier.
Being
an
educator
is
a
calling
so
with
that
calling
the
real
reward
is
not
in
the
paycheck,
but
in
bringing
out
the
greatness
and
children
and
watching
them
become
successful.
Productive
citizens
in
the
world
with
our
support
and
encouragement,
there's
nothing
like
attending
college
graduations
for
former
students.
Weddings
are
seeing
them
at
their
place
of
business
and
them
telling
you
that
you've
made
a
difference
in
their
lives.
A
I
chose
to
stay
in
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia
through
all
of
this,
because
when
I
look
at
my
students,
I
see
myself.
I
grew
up
in
South
West
Philadelphia
was
the
first
generation
college
student
and
chose
to
come
home
and
help
to
change
the
circumstances
of
the
students
in
my
community
and
as
an
educational
role
model
I
believe
that
I
stand
on
the
shoulders
of
the
education
educators
of
color,
who
helped
to
shape
me.
A
Many
of
the
educators
that
I've
come
across
as
a
student
were
also
members
of
my
community
and
took
pride
in
being
an
educator.
The
way
that
I
see
it.
Somebody
took
a
chance
on
me
and
then
give
up
the
call
to
educate,
no
matter
what
the
circumstances
were
in
the
district
in
the
80s
and
90s.
So
I
will
stay
here
and
continue
to
fight
for
the
educational
future
of
our
children.
A
But
I
want
the
school
district
to
recognize
all
of
the
fighters
that
are
here
for
these
children
and
support
us
with
resources,
adequate
staffing,
adequate
pay
and
curriculum
improvements
that
will
attract
and
retain
other
amazing
educators
like
the
ones
that
helped
to
shape
their
futures
as
well
as
mine.
Thank.