School District of Philadelphia reaches tentative agreement with principals union

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

The School District of Philadelphia reached a tentative deal Monday with Teamsters Local 502 Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, the union representing the district’s nearly 1,000 principals and other administrators.

For the last three months, school leaders had been working without a new contract. Benefits and wages were some of the main sticking points.

The tentative four-year agreement marks the end of the bargaining stalemate between the union and Pennsylvania’s largest school district.

“Together, we are firmly on the path to becoming the fastest-improving large urban school district in the nation,” Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said Monday in a joint press release.

He added that the deal “provides the stability, clarity, and momentum” needed to advance Accelerate Philly, the five-year strategic plan.

“It also represents a meaningful step toward honoring and uplifting our exceptional leaders by addressing wage compression, providing across-the-board salary increases, and including collaborative language that acknowledges administrators as vital partners in the educational process,” union president Robin Cooper said.

According to the press release, additional details about the agreement will be released within the week. The district is at a crossroads as officials weigh the possibility of school closures and reconfigurations in the face of public pressure.