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The Philadelphia principals union and school district reached a tentative contract agreement late Monday that includes raises and language recognizing administrators “as vital partners in the educational process.”
No further details about the new four-year agreement were available.
The 1,000-member Commonwealth Association of School Administrators Teamsters Local 502 or CASA union represents school principals, climate workers, safety supervisors, and other administrators. They have been working without a contract since their prior four-year agreement expired in August. Union members have packed school board meetings and a City Council hearing in recent weeks, increasing public pressure on the district to reach a deal.
But a strike threat was never on the table. A longstanding provision in nearly all of the union’s prior contract agreements, as well as Pennsylvania’s Act 105 law, forbade administrators from stopping work.
The new tentative agreement “will provide continued stability for our administrative leaders,” said CASA President Robin Cooper in a joint statement with school district Superintendent Tony Watlington late Monday night.
Cooper said the agreement addresses key issues for union membership including wage equity for administrators who have several years experience in the district, across-the-board salary increases, and includes “collaborative language” that “affirms the dedication and innovative leadership” that school principals provide, “recognizing them as pivotal change agents, who drive both student and teacher success.”
Watlington said in the joint statement that the agreement “provides the stability, clarity, and momentum we need to continue our strong partnership with CASA and to advance our five-year strategic plan” as well as “honor[ing] the dedication of our CASA members and upholds our commitment to strong financial stewardship.”
Since August, the district has settled new multi-year contracts with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School Police Association of Philadelphia, which represents school safety officers.
The tentative agreement will go to union members for a vote sometime during the first week of December, Cooper told Chalkbeat on Tuesday.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
