This week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced it will decide whether the School Reform Commission has the power to cancel its contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT), philly.com reported.

Last fall the School Reform Commission voted unanimously to cancel the contract with the PFT in order to rework its health-care provisions. The plan would have cut nearly $45 million from teachers' health care benefits to increase funds for schools.

Then, in January 2015, a Commonwealth Court ruled that the SRC lacked the authority to cancel the teachers'  contract. “We cannot find that the legislature has provided the means expressly required to pursue the current path chosen by the SRC,” stated the court.

Since the Commonwealth Court's ruling, the PFT called on the school district to immediately resume bargaining sessions with the union. But the SRC instead decided to appeal the decision taking the matter to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

“We remain convinced that the SRC had clear statutory authority when it acted last fall to redirect a projected $200 million in savings to our schools over the next four years,” said a statement from the commission.