• Protect children’s right to a good education and teachers’ right to collectively bargain
• Ensure the School Reform Commission is open, accessible and effective
• Fight against vouchers and attempts to privatize the school district
• Return to the School Funding and Accountability Formula
• Make higher education affordable and achievable without crippling debt

A proud graduate of a public school and two state universities, I know the value of a good public education. I would not be the person I am today were it not for the hard and dedicated work of public school teachers. In 1689 William Penn brought free public education to our great city, and in 2012 we must fight to ensure all of our children receive the good public education they deserve.

No one is more committed to enriching our children’s lives than our city’s teachers. Year after year they have had to do more with less but have still been willing to make concessions. Harrisburg and the School Reform Commission need to give them the support they need to succeed in giving our children the education they need.

The Philadelphia School Reform Commission is at a major crossroads. Any gains that the SRC has made have been outweighed by persistently violent schools, scandal, ineffective leadership and funding shortfalls. The SRC's new leadership needs to quickly set a clear path of accessibility and vision.

Some schools are improving, some are not. Some charters are improving, some are not. We have the data on what works; we need the leadership to bring improvement citywide.