The School District of Philadelphia is launching a campaign aimed at recruiting new teachers and retaining current ones.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 9:27PMThe School District of Philadelphia kicked off an early hiring effort Wednesday at West Philadelphia High School, launching a campaign aimed at recruiting new teachers and retaining current ones ahead of the next academic year.
Visitors were greeted with cheerleaders, music performances and a baby grand piano as district leaders emphasized the importance of starting the hiring process months earlier than usual. "We're going to onboard those teachers faster and retain more of them," Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. said.But Watlington said the shrinking number of college students entering the teaching profession poses a significant challenge. "The number of people going to public and private universities to become teachers is down by over 70%, so we've got to be really creative about how we expand our recruitment footprint," he said. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg said competition from suburban districts remains a concern, especially as the district considers a plan to close more than a dozen schools. "People are gonna leave, it's going to exacerbate the shortage. People are gonna look other places," he said."We want to make the case to our new teachers that we will be modernizing 159 campuses," Watlington said. State lawmakers have taken steps to ease financial burdens for aspiring educators. This year marks the third round of Pennsylvania's $10,000 stipend for student teachers. "Given the shortage of teachers - which is dramatic all across the country - it is a problem here in Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania. This is one way to help fill that problem," said State Sen. Vincent Hughes. For some educators, the motivation to join the profession is deeply personal. JohnPierre Forte, a Philadelphia public school graduate who is now an assistant principal, said his own teachers inspired him to return to the district. "I love all the passion that the teachers gave me as a kid. And from going through that, it made me want to do the same for the kids that are coming up for today," he said. "Helping teachers grow. That's the main thing."The application for the Pennsylvania Student Teacher Support Program, which provides a stipend of up to $10,000 for student teachers, opens Thursday. You can find more information at
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