10 days of masking, 450 new air conditioners, 17,000 backpacks: The Philly school year by the numbers

Classes start for 115,000 students Monday, and the Philadelphia School District’s 216 public schools will be ready to welcome them back, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said Wednesday.

Watlington, Mayor Jim Kenney, and a phalanx of other officials touted the start of the school year at a news conference at Citizens Bank Park.

» READ MORE: Philly schools are going mask-optional, but kids and staff must mask for the first 10 days of class

“I can already feel the excitement of the first day of school, when students walk into their classrooms for the first time to meet their teachers, their classmates, and to get a glimpse of the school year,” school board member Sarah-Ashley Andrews said. “Every school year begins with new opportunities to connect with their teachers, their classmates, their friends in a safe, welcoming space where they are encouraged to think, explore new interests, expand their knowledge, and reach their greatest potential.”

Kenney said he’s looking forward to “the most normal year we’ve had recently.”

Here are some things to know about the 2022-23 Philadelphia school year, by the numbers:

😷 10: The number of days students will have to mask when school begins. Though most surrounding districts — and charter schools — have said they will be mask optional, Philadelphia’s chief medical officer, Kendra McDow, made the call for district staff and students to wear masks at the start of the school year.

The policy has received some public pushback, but Watlington has said he’s comfortable with the recommendation.

“We remain diligent and working with our partners at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to create extensive health and safety protocols that will prioritize keeping our students and staff safe as they return to school,” the superintendent said Wednesday.

🧑‍🏫 97.4: The percentage of teacher and counselor positions that are staffed as of this week.

That translates to more than 200 expected to be unfilled on Monday, when students return.

Watlington has said that all students will have appropriate staff in front of them on day one, even if a permanent teacher is not present. That could mean “well-trained” substitutes or other district workers who have teaching certificates.

“We will have lots of central office supporting schools the first days of school,” Watlington said.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia schools still have more than 200 teacher vacancies heading into the 2022-23 school year

The district is still actively hiring teachers and other workers.

“We’ll take teachers from Bucks County, from Lower Merion,” Watlington said.

💨 450: The number of new air conditioners installed in city classrooms this summer. Philadelphia has a stock of aging buildings, and only about half of its schools are fully air-conditioned.

Many buildings lack even the electrical capacity for full air-conditioning. The district has billions in unmet capital needs.

“This team is plugging away, trying to do the best we can with the resources we have,” Watlington said.

Officials said in June they would no longer declare districtwide early dismissals or days off for excessive heat; only those schools that lack cooling in all instructional space would be affected by such decisions.

🎒 17,000: The number of backpacks given out to 10,000 city families during district back-to-school events.

» READ MORE: Summer’s over for thousands of Philly teachers. One school welcomed staff back in style.