The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers\u2019 contract is final: The city\u2019s school board formally adopted it Thursday.<\/p>\n
That means 14,000 teachers, school nurses, counselors, secretaries, and paraprofessionals will soon see raises and $1,400 bonuses in their paychecks. The three-year deal includes 3% pay bumps every year.<\/p>\n
PFT members ratified the contract a week ago<\/a> by a 69% to 31% margin.<\/p>\n The board\u2019s unanimous action came at a special school board meeting where officials voted to borrow $1.5 billion just to keep the district running \u2014 a move that comes with $30 million in borrowing costs \u2014 while the district awaits state funds amid a Harrisburg budget stalemate.<\/p>\n The last step in the contract\u2019s adoption came after a summer of saber rattling, averting a threatened labor strike.<\/p>\n Members of the district\u2019s largest union had voted to authorize a work stoppage, but ended up settling on a deal<\/a> a week before the Aug. 31 contract deadline \u2014 ensuring no disruption to school<\/a>.<\/p>\n Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the contract was good news, and praised the PFT leadership, including president Arthur Steinberg, chief of staff LeShawna Coleman, who served as chief negotiator, and Wendy Coleman, a union vice president.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are always fierce advocates for all of your members and are deeply committed to improving the lives of students, families, and employees, and we\u2019re grateful for all of your passion and dedication in this area,\u201d Watlington said.<\/p>\n Board member ChauWing Lam expressed gratitude to the district\u2019s teachers and other workers covered by the contract.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are working so hard, and making sure that every single student gets what they need,\u201d Lam said. \u201cReally, the work of the district is impossible without you.\u201d<\/p>\n Reginald Streater, the school board president, said the agreement \u201creflects our shared commitment to Philadelphia\u2019s students and the dedicated educators who serve them.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s in in the contract<\/p>\n The contract, which expires in August 2027, gives PFT members parental leave<\/a> for the first time in union history. <\/p>\n