Right now, one in three teachers in Philadelphia’s lowest-performing schools lacks full certification. That means thousands of students — many in schools serving low-income and minority communities — are being taught by educators who haven’t yet received proper training in classroom management, pedagogy, or subject-specific skills.

These teachers aren’t the problem — the system is. Philadelphia’s reliance on emergency certifications is a symptom of years of disinvestment in public education, stagnant teacher salaries, and the absence of real support for aspiring educators. When teachers are underpaid and left to shoulder the cost of their own certification, it’s no surprise that many leave before they can build a long-term career in our classrooms.

Superintendent Tony Watlington put it bluntly: without state and federal investment to cover the costs of teacher education and certification, the emergency teacher crisis will continue — and so will the learning gaps in our schools.

Our students deserve more than band-aid solutions. They deserve fully prepared, passionate teachers who are invested for the long term. And teachers deserve fair wages, strong support, and affordable pathways to certification.

We are calling on Governor Josh Shapiro, PA Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid Mumin, and the Pennsylvania General Assembly to urgently fund state-level teacher training and certification programs, provide full tuition coverage for aspiring educators, and raise teacher pay — especially in hard-to-staff schools.

Philadelphia can’t fix this on its own. We need bold investment to ensure every child has access to fully certified teachers — not just those in higher-performing schools.

Sign this petition if you believe that every child deserves a qualified teacher — and every teacher deserves the pay, support, and training to thrive.