Teachers union ratifies 3-year deal with Philadelphia school district

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The Philadelphia teachers union released the details of its three-year contract with the Philadelphia School District after members voted to ratify the deal late Thursday — including a one-time bonus, a 3% annual pay raise and paid parental leave.

The contract between the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Local 3 and the school district was announced Monday, the first day of school. It will go into effect Sept. 1 and continue through Aug. 31, 2028.

In addition to teachers, the 14,000-member union represents counselors, classroom assistants, nurses, psychologists, secretaries and other education professionals.

According to the PFT, 70% of its members voted for the agreement.

Arthur Steinberg, PFT’s president, said in a statement that the terms of the contract represented “truly historic wins for our members.”

Some of them include: five weeks of paid parental leave for members who are new parents, including those who adopt children; a 3% pay increase for all members in each year of the contract; a one-time, $1,400 bonus for all union members; and the elimination of a district policy that disciplined members for using sick days.

In addition, the contract reduces barriers to becoming a senior career teacher, which has the highest pay level; increases the minimum pay grade of the lowest-paid paraprofessionals and increases annual allowances for nurses, psychologists and teachers.

In light of the teacher shortage, which especially affects teachers who provide educational services and support for students with disabilities, the contract creates a special tuition assistance program for members seeking special education certification.

“As we say, the working conditions of our PFT members are also the learning conditions of our students, and for at least the next three years, these conditions provided by this new collective bargaining agreement will provide better opportunities for advancement and support the reality of working in the classroom all while enhancing the learning environment for our students and better positioning PFT and the district for the future,” Steinberg said.

Under the previous PFT salary schedule for the 2024-25 school year, teachers and other professionals started off at $54,146 a year, but were able to make as much as $103,512, based on experience and educational level.

In the last contract, nonteaching assistants started off at $24,648 a year, but could make as much as $49,346 depending on their experience.

In a statement released when the agreement was reached, Superintendent of Schools Tony Watlington Sr. said he was pleased with a deal that “honors the hard work of our educators and maintains our record of strong financial stewardship.”

Despite the optimism over the new contract, the district still faces a $300 million deficit for the 2026 fiscal year and has had to dip into its rainy-day fund.

In addition, the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro have yet to reach an agreement on the state budget, which was scheduled for passage by June 30.