The School District of Philadelphia and its teachers union reached a tentative contract agreement Sunday night, avoiding a possible strike next week.
The three-year deal was reached with less than 12 hours before the first day of school. The district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers released a joint statement announcing the contract, but they did not share details of its terms.
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Superintendent Tony Watlington said the contract "both honors the hard work of our educators and maintains our record of strong financial stewardship."
The deal still needs to be ratified by the union's 14,000 members, which include teachers, counselors, librarians and social workers, among others. Details of the agreement will be announced in the coming days, PFT and the district said.
"This contract recognizes the hard work and dedication our members bring to the district and allows them to have peace of mind that they will be able to provide for their families while continuing to educate the children of the School District of Philadelphia," PFT President Arthur Steinberg said in a statement.
During contract negotiations, PFT had pushed for increased salaries for staff and teachers, ending the current sick leave policy, which penalizes teachers for using sick days, and adding 12 weeks of paid parental leave. The current contract, which expires Aug. 31, does not include any paid parental leave.
The union [authorized a strike](/philadelphia-teachers-union-strike-authorization-vote-2025/) in June. That would have allowed them to walk off the job if a deal wasn't reached by the time the current deal expires. It was the first time PFT had authorized since 2000. The School Reform Commission, which was in place from 2001 to 2017, prevented the union from striking.