I met Philly schools’ superintendent at Whole Foods. As a teacher, I can’t afford to shop there.

I met Tony B. Watlington Sr. in the dairy section of Whole Foods on Pennsylvania Avenue in November. In the meat section, I introduced my infant son and invited him to visit my classroom. (I left the interaction chagrined when I realized the brand name of the three tubs of almond dip on clearance in my cart was laced with profanity.)

In late January, my mind instantly returned to this chance meeting with the new superintendent of the Philadelphia School District when I received an email requesting input on the “Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Priority Survey,” stating, “Our responsible use of the federal funding received during the pandemic and post-pandemic years helped lead to lower levels of student learning loss than other large urban districts, balanced budgets and our highest bond ratings in decades.”

Recently, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional because it doesn’t provide enough resources to students in Philadelphia and other underserved districts, thus depriving them of an adequate education.

As the impact of this seismic ruling begins to settle and more funding begins to reach struggling districts, I implore Watlington and the School District of Philadelphia to take a few basic steps to make better use of its new — and existing — resources. That starts with compensating teachers properly.

Except for an occasional pick-me-up or Amazon return, I don’t go to Whole Foods much. As a teacher, I can’t afford it. My most recent teaching contract increase did not even match the rate of inflation.

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Like countless other teachers in the female-dominated industry, the majority of my paycheck goes toward day care ($2,100 per month); I am still recovering financially from not having a viable maternity leave. Other young teachers send their checks directly to local universities for their required continuing education credits (while continuing to pay off undergraduate loans).

To make ends meet, many teachers are balancing multiple jobs or seeking extra employment in the summer months. And, no surprise, research found that Philly teachers are leaving the profession at very high rates — higher than the rest of the state, and faster than they can be replaced by new members of the profession.

Teachers should be compensated fairly so they can pay for their basic livelihoods.

(Yes, teachers get great insurance benefits working in the district. But it only makes logical sense that people working in environmentally unfit conditions — such as crumbling buildings full of asbestos — should have good medical care.)

I am good at stretching a buck — my son and I get all of our picture books at a thrift store for 50 cents. My classroom is filled with these findings, as well. We teachers have been doing this for years. Meanwhile, we watch as the district seems to struggle to manage its own internal resources in a smart way.

In collaboration with Scholastic, the district is spending half a million dollars to provide elementary schools with picture books. Bundles of shrink-wrapped new young adult readers lay in my classroom from a summer program that was held at my school but were never used. Watlington’s predecessor, William R. Hite Jr., spent $600,000 renovating his office, and I can’t help but notice administrators toting costly briefcases and other fancy gear.

I have seen portable Smart boards thrown away en masse. I have seen learners go through five Chromebooks in a year due to user damage. There are heavy building operational costs for half-empty schools. Some schools lack basic resources, while other buildings are overflowing with unused curricula.

The district must get better at managing its internal assets. This is frustrating to watch as a teacher — although we have historically had inequitable funding, as the recent funding lawsuit points out, at times it doesn’t seem like we make responsible investments with the money we have.

The district must get better at managing its internal assets.

What’s more, we have historically failed to place money closest to the students. The district has built new headquarters, invested in a myriad of consulting firms for instruction, and appointed costly new administrative positions. Meanwhile, classrooms continue to be overcrowded and buildings continue to be environmentally hazardous.

Buying more curricula materials and technology for teachers will not fix many of the district’s systemic issues. We must invest in more teachers in classrooms. We must invest more in safe school buildings. This is what will have the most impact on students.

Let me be clear: Even with a fair salary increase, I don’t expect to be making regular trips to Whole Foods anytime soon with a growing toddler and insane milk prices. I don’t expect the district to procure books from the thrift store. But I hope the district will begin financially investing in teachers. I hope the district will start being more judicious with its resources, just as its educators who are on a budget. And as more money comes in, I hope the district starts sending it where it has the most impact on the people who matter most: the students.

Lydia Kulina-Washburn is a high school English language arts teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. @LydiaKulina