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The Philadelphia School Board approved salary hikes for principals and administrators.
The ratified contract with Commonwealth School Administration Association, Teamsters Local 502 was announced at Thursday night’s board meeting. The labor union represents 1,000 principals, safety supervisors and other administrators in the city.
The four-year agreement will give administrators 3% annual raises, along with $1,500 bonuses in 2025 and 2028. They will also receive a variety of increased benefits, including five weeks of paid parental leave.
Robin Cooper, president of CASA Teamsters 502, said that while the union didn’t get everything they wanted, the contract is fair.
“I leave here today thinking that the school board heard me, they heard the concerns for our union,” Cooper said. “We were able to get things together relatively quickly.”
Cooper said that over half of the union’s membership showed up and voted, with an almost unanimous 97% approval to pass the agreement on Wednesday.
Board President Reginald L. Streater praised the union’s work and thanked them for their continued efforts to support students in the district.
“When people come after our children you are first in line with the board fighting for our babies,” Streater said. “I think that matters for this work, so I want to say thank you so much for all you do.”
Defending educators amid a congressional investigation
Teachers and advocates came together in support of educators Ismael Jimenez, Keziah Ridgeway and urged the school district to resist congressional pressure from Washington to investigate the two educators.
Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., announced Nov. 24 that the Philadelphia School District, along with Berkeley Unified School District in California and Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, should be investigated for alleged antisemitism.
In a letter to Superintendent Dr. Tony Wallington, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Pennsylvania Republican representing parts of Monroe County, said that the district is “rife with antisemitic incidents,” following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Jimenez is a social studies curriculum director, and Ridgeway is a teacher at Northeast High School. Both had been targets of activist groups, and Ridgeway was suspended in September 2024.