Boston public school teachers reach tentative contract agreement with city
It appears that Boston public school teachers have avoided a strike. The union has reached a tentative contract agreement with the city after several months of negotiations.
Boston teachers have been working without a contract since August 31. A protest had been planned for Mayor Michelle Wu's State of the City address Wednesday night, but that has now been called off.
Boston school teachers contract
An email that went out to teachers in all Boston Public Schools said the tentative agreement is for a three-year contract, which is pretty standard. It is said to include a raise for all educators, specifically the lowest paid educators, which are typically paraprofessionals.
The email was signed by the mayor and Superintendent Mary Skipper. The teachers' union said the deal also comes with more resources for children with disabilities, which had been a cornerstone of their negotiations.
Teachers have been required to be certified in general education, special education and English as a second language. Some were often simultaneously teaching all three types of students in the same classroom.
The union president says that this agreement will now increase classroom staffing levels. The next step is that the union members will vote if they want to ratify this new agreement, or they can go back to more bargaining sessions.
More than 48,000 students attend Boston Public Schools. The teachers contract covers 8,500 educators, according to the union.
