Teachers OK contract: Two 3% hikes over 3 yrs.

Members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers last night ratified a three-year contract by a vote of 1,831 to 885.

The contract provides for two 3 percent across-the-board salary raises over the life of the pact.

Of significant interest to the teachers and other school district employees covered by the contract is that there will be no increases in employee contributions to health benefits.

The contract must be approved by the School Reform Commission, which will vote next week.

The vote in the Liacouras Center at Temple University was preceded by a spirited debate among teachers concerned about what they saw as excessive haste in bringing the contract to a vote, and concerns about the "renaissance schools" program for low-performing schools.

It specifies in the contract that teachers in schools designated as renaissance may be required to work an extra hour a day, two Saturdays per month and summer school.

Some teachers wondered if Superintendent Arlene Ackerman might designate all schools as renaissance schools.

A teacher from Benjamin Franklin High School said he had no worries about that probability.

"I have no problem working to make sure kids get the proper education they need," he said.

A teacher from the Julio DeBurgos School said there was too much haste in bringing the contract to a vote since a tentative agreement was just reached on Tuesday.

"We needed more time to understand it," she said. "It was so rushed."

"It's a good contract," said Melinda Barno, a Pepper Middle School teacher. "With the economy the way it is, we're getting pay raises and we have health benefits."

Under the contract, union members will receive a 3-percent raise in September, and another 3 percent in January 2012.

The union's 17,000 members also include librarians, counselors, nonteaching assistants and other staff.

The last contract expired Aug. 31, 2008. Union members have worked under five contract extensions since then.

After the tentative contract was reached this week, PFT President Jerry Jordan said, "I'm very pleased with the contract. It's a contract that is good for kids and fair to our members."