Pittsburgh Public Schools, teachers union approve new contract

Pittsburgh Public Schools and its teachers union have a new four-year contract that’s retroactive to July 1, 2020, when the last contract expired.

Superintendent Anthony Hamlet described the negotiations as “long and delicate” and said the covid-19 pandemic played a role in the delay.

Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina Esposito-Visgitis said it was a “hard-fought contract” and she was happy a deal was worked out before classes resume Sept. 3.

RELATED: Pittsburgh Public Schools board OKs Sept. 3 start date

The teachers union ratified the pact Monday and the school board approved it Thursday.

The contract includes raises, Esposito-Visgitis said, which are retroactive to July 2020.

The exact pay scale was not available Thursday. Teachers are paid under a tiered system based on education and years of experience. Those at the top of the scale received bonuses instead of raises, Esposito-Visgitis said.

“I am proud that we reached an agreement that honors our teachers’ professionalism and commitment to this district and our students,” Hamlet said.

The new contract doesn’t mean an end of negotiations between the union and the district, Esposito-Visgitis said.

The district’s paraprofessionals and technical/clerical staff have pending negotiations. The next session is Friday, Esposito-Visgitis said.

Once those contracts are ratified, “we’ll feel our job is done,” she said.

“Everyone is anxious to get the school year started, we’re very anxious to make sure things are safe and positive for our students,” she said.

The district is still working out transportation issues that resulted in a delayed start this year. Classes were initially set to resume Wednesday.

RELATED: Pittsburgh Public Schools pushes back start of school

“We need to continue to talk about it,” Esposito-Visgitis said of the busing issues. “It’s something we all have concerns about. We need to make sure we have what’s best for our kids.”

This is the second round of protracted negotiations between the union and the district. Negotiations for the prior contract stretched over 19 months and nearly led to the first Pittsburgh teachers strike in more than four decades.

RELATED: After 19 months of negotiations, Pittsburgh Public Schools OKs union contracts