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Politics & Government

Schools Advocates and Other Protesters Descend Upon City Hall

Protesters showed up to City Hall to voice concerns on school funding, sugar-sweetened beverage tax and earned sick leave.

At times Thursday morning, it was hard to hear what was going on in city council chambers.

The noise from passing protesters in the passageways of City Hall began to drown out testimony given to council members soon after a budgetary committee hearing, and a subsequent full council session, began.

The group of protesters, which attempted to make a pass through the meeting room, but were denied entry by city council security, citing noise and occupancy issues, were rallying for various causes.

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There were those whose aim was to raise awareness for the proposed paid sick time bill, which would require certain employers to offer paid leave for ill workers. Then there were the students and teachers whose only goal was to raise awareness of the fact that city schools, facing a $629 million dollar funding gap, are in dire need of some help.

“Save our schools,” shouted the protesters, whose presence forced members of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Civil Affairs Unit to close the doors to council chambers.

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A large group of students from South Philly’s Girard Academic Music Program showed up, blocking the hallway with their chants.

“A school like ours can’t function without this money,” Kara Mulder, who Wednesday night graduated from the school, said of the proposed cuts to public education in the city, which include a slashing of arts and music programs.

Mulder, who said the arts would take a major hit if city and school district leaders didn’t reach a compromise on ways to ensure schools’ continued survival, said about 50 percent of this year’s graduating class had attended Thursday morning’s protest.

The students were mostly members of the school’s choir and concert band.

Other protesters included Teamsters who oppose Mayor Michael Nutter’s proposed two-cents-on-the-ounce soft drink tax, which has been billed as a way to raise revenue for the city and schools.

Inside the hearing, Francis McGorry, who represented the Coca Cola bottling plant in Northeast Philadelphia, had testified in front of city council members that such a beverage tax, which was defeated during a prior problematic municipal budget cycle, would kill jobs.

The last go-round, a similar sugary beverage tax was killed, with many giving credit to the strong opposition raised by food and commercial workers union members.

“Any beverage tax would be devastating to our local business,” McGorry testified Thursday. “With that beverage impact, significant amount of loss of jobs.”

McGorry, who said about 700 employees work at the Northeast plant, questioned whether the company should consider relocating outside of the city should the beverage tax go through this time around.

“Really, in the end, we need to know, should we stay in Philadelphia,” he asked rhetorically.

The protesters who were outside the meeting hall eventually dispersed, after it was apparent that they would not be granted admittance.

But those whose concerns about the city and school district’s fiscal future who were able to make it inside council chambers displayed their feelings in the form of posters, buttons and stickers.

A look around the meeting room showed various causes that were at the forefront of public awareness. There were the students holding signs that contained quotes such as, “Philly Jobs, Not Taxes,” “An Educated Philly Is Priceless,” and “I’m worth 25 cents.”

Then there were the numerous “Say No to the Beverage Tax” placards being held by union workers and their supporters.       

Patch will have more on this story as it develops.

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