Philadelphia teachers union reaches contract agreement after nearly 2 years of extensions

Philly teachers reach deal after almost 2 years

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia teachers union has agreed to a multi-year contract with the city’s public schools.

The agreement was announced Tuesday by the union and officials of the Philadelphia district, one of the nation’s largest. Union members are scheduled to vote on the deal Thursday.

Few details were released. Officials say they will wait until union leaders discuss the proposal with members.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan says the contract covers 17,000 employees. The previous one expired in August 2008, but teachers continued to work under five extensions.

The district has more than 161,000 students in public schools and another 33,000 in charter schools.