Philadelphia School District, teachers union reach agreement on first day of school

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The first day of school brought good news — a tentative deal between the School District of Philadelphia and its 14,000-member teachers union.

The tentative agreement reached Monday morning by the district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers avoided a possible strike after the contract expired on Aug. 31. The union also represents counselors, nurses and paraprofessionals.

Details of the deal were not released.

The good news was welcome, as there was bad news, too. The first round of SEPTA cuts was implemented over the weekend and affected commutes for thousands of students on the first day of school. The cuts will continue to do so until and unless a funding agreement is reached in the state capitol in Harrisburg. The legislature and Gov. Josh Shapiro remain at an impasse on the budget, which was due on June 30.

The first phase of cuts eliminated more than 30 bus lines and impacted trolley, subway and elevated lines and Regional Rail service.

“I am really so excited to be here today and let everybody know, starting with my membership and the children and parents of the city of Philadelphia, that school will continue uninterrupted for three solid years,” said Arthur Steinberg, union president. “Once the details of this are released, I think everybody is going to be very happy.”

“There is something for everybody. Not only did we take care of the economic needs of our members because they had to feed their families as well, but there are quite a few things that are good for kids,” he said. “When we have programs that are good for kids, communities thrive.”

“We’re going to continue to be partners with the PFT to do great things for kids,” Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. said. “We are going to continue to work together to be the fastest-improving large urban school district in the country and we are well on our way.”

The issues in play included wages, benefits and working conditions. The union is working on the logistics of ratification, Steinberg said.

The union head praised Watlington for his direct involvement. Both made their comments at a news conference at Edward T. Steel School on Wayne Avenue. Elected officials present included state Sen. Sharif Street, state Rep. Darisha Parker and City Councilmembers Cindy Bass and Kendra Brooks.

It was part of a busy day in which Watlington, Mayor Cherelle Parker and School Board President Reginald Streater, along with other school and elected officials, traveled around town to celebrate the start of the school year.

They started at the district’s Broad Street garage, where they greeted bus drivers, then headed to Edward T. Steel Elementary School, followed by a visit to the William C. Longstreth School. At each location, the group rang a bell symbolizing the opening of the school year.

At a news conference at Steel, Parker touted the increased funding that the city approved for the school district in 2024. It was achieved by raising the district’s share of real estate taxes by 1% and a new reappraisal process that will mean an additional $240 million for the district over the next five years.

“That’s the way we affirm that we believe in public education,” said Parker, a former teacher. “The way we speak and show Dr. Watlington and President Streater our belief and appreciation for public education is to send you all the dollars that you need. Yes, I believe that teachers deserve to get paid and should be paid what they are worth, and [that’s] why every chance we get to generate more revenue to help them, we’ll do so.”

She thanked the district and the PFT for getting the deal done.

“With this agreement they did the best they could with what they had because our young people and families deserve it,” she said.

Next up is a resolution to the transit troubles. At the mayor’s press conference, Watlington said that attendance on the first day appeared to be down about 20%.