After rejecting one deal, Philly principals have a tentative contract
The Commonwealth Association of School Administrators agreed to a new tentative contract Thursday morning. Members rejected the last deal offered by the Philadelphia School District.
Philadelphia's principals' union has a tentative contract, officials confirmed Thursday.
The deal with Teamsters Local 502, Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, was signed just before noon, union president Robin Pleshette Cooper said.
"We believe it's something that our membership will like," Cooper said. "There were some hard decisions that had to be made, but we believe we fought hard for the membership."
She declined to disclose terms of the contract.
Kevin Geary, a schools spokesman, said the deal would run through 2021. He said the district would have no further comment until members ratify the contract.
The 650 CASA members rejected their last contract proposal, brought to the city's principals and other administrative workers in June 2016. That pact would have given members a 3 percent bonus, some salary bumps, and no increases in health-care costs. Members said at the time that the contract did not go far enough to improve working conditions. The highest salary then was $130,000.
Since then, the union's leadership has changed. Cooper became the new CASA president in January; her election was seen as a result of membership's dissatisfaction with the last contract proposal.
Principals were upset that, after they agreed to forgo a promised raise in 2013 amid a Philadelphia School District budget crisis, some of their members were let go.
Union members agreed to contracts with concessions in 2011 and 2014, when they took pay cuts of about 15 percent.
After her election, Cooper said members would only consider a contract that recognized principals' sacrifices.
CASA is to consider the pact at a special meeting Thursday. The SRC must also sign off before any contract is in force.