Two years of tedious negotiations might have finally paid off for the Washington Teachers’ Union.
It said it’s reached a tentative deal on a new contract with the District. D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee will announce the terms of that deal today.
“Although it was a long, sometimes difficult process, it was the right process to go through,” Rhee told the Washington Post.
The new contract will give teachers a raise of more than 20 percent over five years. The money for those raises will come from more than $60 million from a group of private organizations. Teachers will also be able to earn bonuses if their students perform well.
Rhee will have more freedom to decide which teachers to fire and which teachers to retain, if some schools are forced to be closed because of budget cuts or declines in enrollment.
The members of the teachers’ union and the D.C. Council must still vote to approve the contract.
