Philly Schools Need a Green New Deal: Panel

Philly Schools Need a Green New Deal!

Public schools in Pennsylvania are in toxic condition! Some of the oldest in the country, many of PA’s school buildings date back to the 1950s or even earlier. This means students and teachers face sweltering temperatures without air conditioning and risk exposure to lead, asbestos and mold. At the same time, we know that buildings are a huge source of carbon emissions, and need to be radically overhauled to address the climate crisis. Instead of serving as institutions of learning, our schools have become symbols of dilapidation and disrepair. We need massive public investments in our schools that will produce economic, social, and climate benefits for decades to come: a Green New Deal for Public Schools.

We have the opportunity to both rebuild our city’s schools to be safe and modern, and to create the building blocks of a Green New Deal. The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act, introduced by Representative Jamaal Bowman, would invest $1.4 trillion over ten years in public schools and would create 1.3 million good, green, union jobs in the public and private sector, primarily in the education and construction sectors. 

In this panel introduced by Councilmember Helen Gym and moderated by Dr. Akira Drake Rodriguez, Philly DSA-endorsed state Senator Nikil Saval, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers member Kate Sundeen, President of the citywide Philadelphia Home and School Council Shakeda Gaines, Training Director for IBEW Local 98 Michael Neill, and other stakeholders to be announced will discuss Representative Bowman’s legislation, what it means for labor, and what DSA members can do to support it.

RSVP for Zoom info.