PFT members ratified their contract Thursday night. Here’s what that means.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ membership voted 69% to 31% to endorse a three-year deal that gives 14,000 teachers, nurses, secretaries, counselors and paraprofessionals raises.
Philadelphia teachers approved a new contract Thursday night.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ membership voted 69% to 31% to endorse a three-year deal reached a week before the Aug. 31 contract deadline.
The raise means 14,000 teachers, secretaries, school nurses, counselors and paraprofessionals will get a 3% raise on Monday, then 3% raises in 2026 and 2027. They also get a $1,400 bonus.
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The deal, reached hours before students began the first day of the 2025-26 school year, also includes paid parental leave.
“This is a historic moment for our members, and we are proud of the contract we were able to settle‚" LeShawna Coleman, PFT’s chief of staff and the union’s chief negotiator, said at a news conference after the vote. “We heard the demands of our members, and we were able to deliver on our promises.”
Still — more than 2,000 members voted the contract down. The main point of contention was a new attendance policy.
PFT’s contract has long had a 3-5-7-9 attendance policy that penalizes teachers for taking their earned sick time. The new contract amends that policy, allowing members to take all 10 of their sick days before receiving a disciplinary warning. But PFT members used to be able to count multiple days, as long as they were taken consecutively, as one “occurrence” — occurrences are no longer counted.
The new policy allows principals to give employees who go past 10 sick days leeway — something that was not permitted in the old contract.
Other provisions of the contract are:
Parental leave, a new benefit for PFT members. They’ll now get 5 weeks’ leave upon the birth or adoption of a child.
Starting next year, it will be easier for teachers to reach the top of the pay scale - a status known as “senior career teacher.” Instead of having 10 years’ experience and a master’s degree plus 60 credits, PFT members will now need a master’s plus 30 credits. The experience provision remains the same.
Teachers, school psychologists and school nurses now get $225 a year to spend on classroom or health education supplies. Teachers and school psychologists previously got $200, and school nurses, $100.
Newly hired school nurses get up to $5,000 to obtain their school nurse certifications.
Some paraprofessionals new to the district get $2,000 pay increases, in addition to the 3% pay raises.
Joint district-PFT committees are being established to study the uses and effects of generative artificial intelligence in education and to consider an acceleration bonus program for those members who boost student achievement. Bonuses of up to $5,000 could begin in the 2026-27 school year.
Teachers who work in certain hard-to-staff schools will get bonuses of $2,500 in 2026, $5,000 in 2027, and $5,000 in 2028. (The bonuses had been $2,500 in the prior contract.)
Those who work in hard-to-fill subject areas will receive a bonus of up to $2,500 — a new provision for this contract. The superintendent sets the hard-to-fill areas annually, based on district need. (Special education, science, math, and world language are often tough-to-staff areas.)
The contract still awaits school board approval before it goes into effect.
PFT president Arthur Steinberg said the goal for the contract was “to set a floor for the future, and build on the educational program for our members and for the children in the city of Philadelphia going forward.”