A message from the Chamber’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Chellie Cameron, to our regional business community as we work together to achieve our Chamber 2028 vision.

Dear Chamber Community,

I hope you are finding time to relax, recharge, and enjoy the summer season with family and friends. Here at the Chamber, we are taking this time to reflect, look ahead, and plan on how we can create the greatest impact for our members and region this fall.

On August 26th, many students in the School District of Philadelphia will return to school, marking the end of summer and the beginning of a new era for many of the region’s families. As students return to the classroom, the business community celebrates the historic investment in K-12 public education in this year’s state budget, a monumental win for Governor Shapiro. The FY 2024-25 budget delivers over $1 billion in total increases in K-12 public education funding, marking the largest investment in the state’s history. Importantly, this funding is being allocated more equitably, ensuring that the schools in greatest need receive the support they deserve.

While this is a tremendous win for our community, we must also address the challenges that lie ahead. Many public school students rely on Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to get to and from school each day. However, SEPTA is expected to receive $46 million in additional state funding, which falls significantly short of the $240 million needed to avert a fiscal crisis.

SEPTA will face service cuts, fare increases, and job losses without additional resources, which could lead to a decline in ridership and create a negative spiral that impacts students and the broader Greater Philadelphia community. Reliable and efficient public transportation is essential for the economic vitality of our region, and we need more business leaders to speak up about how important it is to find a long-term transit funding solution. If you are willing to add your voice to our advocacy work in this area, please reach out to us and consider signing on to urge lawmakers to take action.

Not only do we need to make sure students can get where they need to go, but we need to provide them with the support needed to launch successful, sustainable careers. We at the Chamber are particularly excited about the launch of the “Career Connected Learning PHL” (C2L-PHL) initiative, a transformative city-wide youth workforce program. This initiative, a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Works, aims to integrate and streamline work-based learning activities for youth ages 12-24. Starting this summer, C2L-PHL placed more than 8,000 young people in summer employment and will expand year-round, work-based learning opportunities to 2,000 more. This program is a significant step forward in providing high-quality, career-connected learning experiences that will help our youth build life-sustaining and thriving careers.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our community. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

In Service,

Chellie

Chellie Cameron
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia