On Monday, July 27th, we're launching five days of photo sharing to tell Penn's Board Chair, David Cohen, why our schools need an Education Equity Fund. We're asking you to post a photo on Facebook and Instagram with a sign that shares your story and uses the hashtags #DearDavidCohen and #PennPayPILOTs. When you post your photo, use the same hashtags in your social media friends and tag five friends to challenge them to post their own!

Philly’s public schools are in crisis, and Penn’s Board of Trustees have the power to change that. The Philadelphia Inquirer has made us all aware of the deadly consequences of asbestos in the schools, and students, teachers, and staff are risking their lives every time they step into a school building. At the same time, Penn is a multi-billion dollar institution and the largest private landowner in the entire city, but pays no property taxes. In a city where most of the local funding for our school district comes from property taxes, mega-nonprofits like Penn are directly contributing to our public school funding crisis. We need an Education Equity Fund now, and we need your help.

Penn’s Trustees are some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country. The President of the Board of Trustees, David Cohen, is especially powerful here in Philadelphia. In 2017, the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, led by Cohen, sued the city over a law that aims to close the gender pay gap. He was also one of the highest-paid executives at Comcast, with a total compensation package of $19.1 million in 2018.

We’re calling on Penn to contribute just a fraction of the yearly value of their property taxes. We need schools with teachers, librarians, nurses, and safe buildings. David Cohen and the rest of the Trustees have the power to make it happen. That’s why we’re launching a Penn Trustees Week of Action on the 27th. We’re asking you to join students, teachers, parents, and members of the Penn community to demand PILOTs from Penn’s Trustees!

Are you a Penn alum who tutored in an underfunded school? Are you a West Philly parent who has concerns about the safety of your child's school building? Tell David Cohen why we need Penn to start making Payments In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOTs) to to Education Equity Fund for Philly schools now!