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The Philadelphia teachers union and school district reached a tentative contract agreement late Sunday night, potentially avoiding a citywide teachers鈥� strike hours before students and teachers return to the classroom.

District and union leaders announced they had reached a three-year contract agreement, but they did not disclose any details about the contents of the agreement as of Monday.

鈥淭he PFT is thrilled that we have been able to reach a tentative agreement with the School District of Philadelphia on a three-year pact ensuring that school will open on time, as well as three years of labor peace,鈥� said Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg in a joint statement with Superintendent Tony Watlington.

Watlington said in the statement that the agreement 鈥渂oth honors the hard work of our educators and maintains our record of strong financial stewardship.鈥�

Watlington, Steinberg, and Mayor Cherelle Parker appeared side by side to praise the agreement, at the district鈥檚 back-to-school welcome event at Edward Steel Elementary School on Monday,

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 prove that you value public education by simply pumping your fist in the air symbolically,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to keep moving forward, and we鈥檙e going to keep working together.鈥�

Union leaders had been preparing their members for a strike in the leadup to the school year. The PFT, which represents some 14,000 educators and school staff, was negotiating for salary increases, amending the district鈥檚 controversial sick leave policy that union members say punishes teachers for using sick days, and adding paid parental leave.

The state budget impasse made negotiations more fraught, Steinberg said Monday. District officials have been operating off of a financial plan that assumed major funding increases under Gov. Josh Shapiro鈥檚 proposed budget, but Republican legislators have resisted approving those increases.

Steinberg said they came to a decision to rely on the budget figures Shapiro has proposed, and that 鈥渨e鈥檒l adjust on the fly if we have to.鈥�

Parker said she believes teachers 鈥渟hould be paid what they鈥檙e worth.鈥� She vowed that 鈥渆very chance we get to generate more revenue to help them, we will,鈥� but that under the deal announced Sunday, the district and union 鈥渄id the best they could with what they had.鈥�

Though neither Steinberg nor district spokespeople would comment on the details of the negotiation process earlier this month, Steinberg previously told Chalkbeat the district鈥檚 proposals 鈥渨eren鈥檛 as irksome as they usually are鈥� and that during negotiations 鈥渘othing that set a bad tone, as it has in the past.鈥�

On Monday, Steinberg said while the collective bargaining process was 鈥渁dversarial鈥� at times, it 鈥渄id not stray off into contentiousness very often.鈥� He said Sunday morning both parties 鈥渟at down and had a frank conversation,鈥� made progress, and then reached an agreement by late Sunday evening.

The three-year agreement will be put to PFT members for a ratification vote and if approved, it will also go to the Board of Education for a vote.

This story has been updated with additional comments from Mayor Cherelle Parker and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg.

The Philadelphia teachers union and school district reached a tentative contract agreement late Sunday night, potentially avoiding a citywide teachers鈥� strike hours before students and teachers return to the classroom.

District and union leaders announced they had reached a three-year contract agreement, but they did not disclose any details about the contents of the agreement as of Monday.

鈥淭he PFT is thrilled that we have been able to reach a tentative agreement with the School District of Philadelphia on a three-year pact ensuring that school will open on time, as well as three years of labor peace,鈥� said Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg in a joint statement with Superintendent Tony Watlington.

Watlington said in the statement that the agreement 鈥渂oth honors the hard work of our educators and maintains our record of strong financial stewardship.鈥�

Watlington, Steinberg, and Mayor Cherelle Parker appeared side by side to praise the agreement, at the district鈥檚 back-to-school welcome event at Edward Steel Elementary School on Monday,

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 prove that you value public education by simply pumping your fist in the air symbolically,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to keep moving forward, and we鈥檙e going to keep working together.鈥�

Union leaders had been in the leadup to the school year. The PFT, which represents some 14,000 educators and school staff, was negotiating for salary increases, amending the that union members say punishes teachers for using sick days, and adding paid parental leave.

The state budget impasse made negotiations more fraught, Steinberg said Monday. District officials have been operating off of a financial plan that assumed major funding increases under Gov. Josh Shapiro鈥檚 proposed budget, but Republican legislators have resisted approving those increases.

Steinberg said they came to a decision to rely on the budget figures Shapiro has proposed, and that 鈥渨e鈥檒l adjust on the fly if we have to.鈥�

Parker said she believes teachers 鈥渟hould be paid what they鈥檙e worth.鈥� She vowed that 鈥渆very chance we get to generate more revenue to help them, we will,鈥� but that under the deal announced Sunday, the district and union 鈥渄id the best they could with what they had.鈥�

Though neither Steinberg nor district spokespeople would comment on the details of the negotiation process earlier this month, Steinberg previously told Chalkbeat the district鈥檚 proposals 鈥渨eren鈥檛 as irksome as they usually are鈥� and that during negotiations 鈥渘othing that set a bad tone, as it has in the past.鈥�

On Monday, Steinberg said while the collective bargaining process was 鈥渁dversarial鈥� at times, it 鈥渄id not stray off into contentiousness very often.鈥� He said Sunday morning both parties 鈥渟at down and had a frank conversation,鈥� made progress, and then reached an agreement by late Sunday evening.

The three-year agreement will be put to PFT members for a ratification vote and if approved, it will also go to the Board of Education for a vote.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at .

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