City teachers negotiating new contract with district

Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers will continue to work under the terms of their expired contract until the union reaches an agreement with the school district.

The contract for 2,300 teachers, 540 paraprofessionals and 20 technical-clerical employees expired Friday. Negotiations began in the fall, after the two parties agreed on a two-year contract extension in 2015 as the district underwent leadership changes.

“We have confidence that we will reach an agreement that is guided by a shared goal of refining systems to better ensure equitable outcomes for students,” said superintendent Anthony Hamlet in a statement. “We value our teachers and the investment they make in our students, and we are

lucky to have a committed workforce."

Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers president Nina Esposito-Visgitis said she was disappointed that the two sides were unable to reach an agreement before the contract expired.

“However, we are not at all deterred and, along with the district’s negotiators, we will continue to work diligently beyond the contract’s expiration date to bring our members a fair agreement that recognizes the tremendous work that they do on behalf of the district’s students, our district and the Pittsburgh communityas a whole,” she said.