Philadelphia School Teachers Prepping For Monday's First Day For Students
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The school year begins for Philadelphia public school students on Monday. Teachers in Philadelphia's cash-strapped public schools are already back at work, getting ready.
With staffing below last year's so-called "doomsday" levels, teachers need to be ready to wear many hats says Lestonia Glover, a teacher at Robert Morris Elementary:
"You have to be a mental health worker, you have to be a counselor, you have to be the disciplinarian. You have to be the teacher. You have to be the parent. You have to be the beautician. So you have to do a lot."
Masterman teacher Luigi Borda says as classes begin, teachers and students will find a way:
"Children are resilient. And they come in, they're excited. The teachers are going do their best. And at the end of the day, we'll get the job done."
Teachers have worked without a contract for more than a year, while the district demands concessions. The district says schools will be cleaned and repaired less often, while it awaits approval of a cigarette tax.
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