Baltimore County teacher's union says they are close to master agreement

BALTIMORE -  Baltimore County's teacher's union says they are close to a master agreement they feel confident bringing to the Board of Education.

The Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO) held its last contract negotiations with the Baltimore County Public School Board on Tuesday.

The union, which represents more than 9,000 educators in Baltimore County, is fighting for a contract that would increase salaries, increase leave time and reimburse them for certifications.      

Once the union takes that agreement to the board, it will then be recommended to TABCO's representative assembly before a final vote before the general membership in early January.

"We are proud to have raised the bar for educators in Baltimore County this negotiation cycle," said Cindy Sexton, TABCO President. "Not only have we come close to an agreement in record time, but we feel these new tentative agreements will help Baltimore County become a place where educators can truly thrive, making Baltimore County a place that attracts and keeps educators."  

The union has already reached some tentative agreements with Baltimore County regarding support for teachers in student behavior management, vacation pay and bereavement leave.

"BCPS continues to be committed to successfully completing negotiations to establish new collective bargaining agreements with its employee associations," Baltimore County Public Schools said in a statement. "Our system has more than 20,000 employees who are working hard to move this system forward, and we want to ensure the new agreements recognize this commitment and the impact staff have on our more than 110,000 students."