The City of Philadelphia has found a sponsor to help lighten the cost of the bike share program set to begin this Spring. Independence Blue Cross will contribute $1.7 million a year for five years. For that they get to name the program – it’s called “Indego” – written on the chunky blue bikes and at the 60 docking stations across the city.

The stations are located from 2nd and Walnut west to 44th and Walnut and Temple University south to the Tasker. It looks like 13 of them will be on this side of the Schuylkill, including one at Clark Park. The stations will house about 600 bikes total. Built by Trek, the bikes have step-through frames, pedal-powered front and rear lights, baskets, three speeds, and adjustable seats.

There are a bunch of different ways to pay, including by-the-trip or a membership. Prices will be announced in March, according to the Indego website. There’s an FAQ here that addresses some other questions.

We’re still waiting on an exact launch date. We’ll keep you posted.

Here’s what the bikes look like:

Philly’s IndeGo bike share bike: pic.twitter.com/hgnMOmsRUF

— Bike Coalition Phila (@bcgp) February 11, 2015

In an effort to improve teacher selection process, the School District of Philadelphia has launched a new online teacher application portal. Approximately 400 teacher vacancies are expected for the 2015-16 school year. “Our revamped selection process is designed to attract highly qualified and committed teachers to The School District of Philadelphia,” Superintendent Dr. William R. Hite said in a statement.

“We hope new-to-teaching and experienced educat[ors] will join our efforts to make all schools great,” Hite said.

In addition to the online application, the teacher selection process now includes a phone interview and other online activity, both administered centrally, before candidates are presented to principals for site selection.

The hiring timeline has been shortened compared to previous years. Qualified candidates will know within four to six weeks if they are eligible for site selection.

The School District is particularly seeking to hire individuals with experience in secondary math (grades 5-12), secondary science (grades 5-12), special education, art, music, and upper elementary (grades 5-6). Approximately 9,000 teachers currently work for the District. The District’s starting salary for teachers with no experience is $45,360.

The application is available through the Employment section and Office of Talent webpage on the District website (www.philasd.org).

Teacher candidates may contact recruitment@philasd.org for more information.

Here’s this week’s menu for local public schools (Monday, Feb. 2 through Friday, Feb. 6). If your school uses a Satellite menu, click here.

Come back every Sunday evening for the coming week’s menu.

BREAKFAST (K-12)

A variety of three cereals will be offered daily and served with a yogurt parfait or a mini loaf.

Monday

Choose 1: Chicken Sausage, Egg & Cheese on English Muffin or Cinnamon Granola Round
Choose 1: Raisins or Fresh Pear
Variety of Milk

Tuesday

Choose 1: Mini French Toast or Cream Cheese Filled Pretzel
Choose 1: Pear Cup or Fresh Apple
Variety of Milk  Continue Reading

Philadelphia schools will close at 12 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, due to heavy snow and strong wind in the forecast for the area, the Philadelphia School District has announced. All after-school activities, including all athletic programs and professional development classes, are canceled for the day.

An estimated 6 to 12 inches of snow is expected in the Philadelphia area, according to Accuweather.com. Please stay tuned for more weather-related announcements and alerts as the city is preparing for the first major snowstorm this winter.

Click to enlarge.

The annual Philadelphia Marathon returns this weekend, with thousands of runners participating in the event and many guests visiting the city. Good luck to anyone who is running!

The event brings a lot of excitement to the streets, but also means road closures, delays and detours. During the three-day event, which also includes the Rothman Institute 8K and Kids Fun Run on Saturday, motorists are advised to use alternate routes and avoid areas along the race course. There will be increased security in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway area, with parking and traffic regulations strictly enforced.

Major areas impacted during the Marathon weekend include:

• The Benjamin Franklin Parkway – Friday, Nov 21 through Sunday, Nov 23
• Citywide along the 26.2-mile route of the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, Nov 23 (see map)
• The I-676 off-ramps at 22nd Street (westbound) and 23rd Street (eastbound) will be closed on Sunday, Nov 23 after 4 a.m. for event security preparation.

Motorists and pedestrians can expect significant delays when trying to cross roads or streets that are adjacent to the course. Police will allow traffic through intersections along the course, when possible, depending on the flow of the race participants. All streets are scheduled to be reopened by 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov 23.  Continue Reading

Some open resistance to standardized testing has bubbled up around the city over the past couple years, with instances of parents and students opting out of the annual Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests. The issue will go before the City Council’s Education Committee today from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The PSSAs are given to students in grades 3-8 to measure yearly progress. Opponents, who also include teachers, have argued that elementary and middle school curricula have focused too heavily on preparing students for the exams.

The public is invited to today’s meeting, which was scheduled to hear testimony on a resolution authorizing the committee to “conduct hearings concerning the time and financial cost of standardized testing administered to Philadelphia public school students as well as the effects of testing on teaching and learning.”

The meeting is in the City Council Chambers Room 400. Be sure to bring your photo ID if you plan to attend.