Philadelphia Student Union is turning 15 this year. Here's a look back at some of our victories over the years.
 
1995 A group of Philadelphia high school students who are concerned with the state of public education in the city realizes that if meaningful school reform is going to happen it will have to be led by the most-affected: students. The Philadelphia Student Union is formed.

1996 Organizes over 2,000 students to converge on City Hall to help pressure City Council to give $15 million to public schools.

1997 Opens two school-based chapters at West Philadelphia High School and Simon Gratz High School.

1998 Wins much needed building repairs at West Philadelphia High School.

1999 Ensures that all students have textbooks in every major subject at Simon Gratz High School.

2000 Campaigns to improve relationships between students and staff at Bartram High School.  Organizes a student-staff basketball tournament to bring students and staff together.

2001 Leads the fight to limit privatization of Philadelphia public schools. Stops the privatization of the central administration and any high schools; gains a second mayoral appointee on the School Reform Commission; limits the overall number of schools turned over to for-profit companies.

2002 Influences the school district to double the number of counselors in Philadelphia public high schools from 114 to 228.

2003 Designs and organizes to implement Student Success Centers in neighborhood high schools. The Centers get piloted in 10 schools.

2004 Saves social workers from being cut from Student Success Centers.

2005 Saves West Philadelphia High School from being cut from the capital budget.

2006 After going through a hiatus and major transformation, PSU begins rebuilding from scratch.

2007 Successfully gets the district to drop its “deadline” for military opt-out forms and make opt-out forms available on the front page of the district’s website.

2007 Helps win a historic increase in basic education funding and, even more importantly, a new statewide funding formula that distributes resources based on the needs of each district.

2008 Sayre High School students win the right to train their school security guards in order to create a more harmonious relationship between them and students.

2009 Overbrook students work with elected officials and community members to develop an education platform that fits their needs.

2010 Student Success Centers are expanded to all neighborhood high schools.  Common planning time is implemented in all comprehensive neighborhood high schools.

2010 The Campaign for Nonviolent schools is launched on January 17, bringing together students, parents, clergy and community members from across Philadelphia.