Philadelphia teachers’ union president rejects $100M offer

The president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has rejected a four-year, $100 million contract offer from the district.

Union president Jerry Jordan tells Philly.com he won’t take the newest offer to his members.

Philadelphia teachers have been working without a contract for three years and without raises for four.

The proposed contract would include bonuses for teachers in hard-to-staff schools, and raises for teachers now maxed out on the pay scale, as well as step increases that boost a teacher’s pay for years of service.

But the deal doesn’t include back pay or retroactive raises, which Jordan says offers “no recognition of the years that people have sacrificed.”

Superintendent William Hite Jr. says the financially strapped district would have offered more money if it could.