The Prince William Education Association, the union representing over 11,000 Prince William County public school teachers, finalized their negotiations for a historic collective bargaining agreement Thursday with the county school district.
The finalized negotiations include more flexibility for staff leave, more support for staff transitioning to different grade levels and more compensation for staff acting as club leaders.
“This is beneficial to all our students, enhances employee morale, and facilitates the retention of valued employees in our schools,” union president Maggie Hansford said in a statement.
The union announced Tuesday that the deal includes 12 weeks of paid leave for the “birthing parent” in a new short-term disability leave program, the organization said in a statement. The “non-birthing parent” can also receive six weeks paid leave that can be taken whenever they choose.
The union called it a “historic” employee leave policy that will give new parents up to six weeks of paid parental leave.
“It expands to parents who are choosing to adopt, you get that six weeks paid as well,” Hansford told WTOP.
The program will also guarantee that educators’ jobs will be secure during their parental leave so they can easily return back to their school positions.
“These benefits will forever change the quality of life for educations and support professionals who wish to expand their families without being financially burdened and professionally impacted,” the union said in a statement.
Hansford said that the new, first-of-its-kind deal will allow teachers and staff to devote more “time and energy to their students and families.”
“There are many school divisions within Virginia that previously have not offered a parental leave package,” she said. “Our younger colleagues could not be more grateful.”
The parental leave program goes into effect on July 1.
The union swept the school employees election in Feb. 2023, becoming the largest public sector union in Virginia. Since then, the association had been negotiating a contract with Prince William County Public Schools for over a year, with a partial tentative agreement reached in December 2023 just before the school board’s deadline.
The only terms missing from the partial agreement dealt with a wage proposal. InsideNova reported that an increase in wages was one of the biggest sticking points during last year’s negotiations.
The school district was offering a 6% average salary increase throughout the collective bargaining process, which was included in the district’s passed 2025 budget. The union’s bargaining team initially proposed a 17% wage increase, with multiple counter proposals afterward.
The newly finalized negotiations do not include an overall wage increase.
In Fairfax County, public school teachers and staff will also be eligible to get maternity or paternity leave starting July 1.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
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