Thursday, 4:30 PM
Boston teachers approve contract
By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff
Members of the Boston Teachers Union voted to accept a new four-year contract Wednesday that would give teachers, on average, a 14.8 percent raise over the life of the contract and give the school system more flexibility in reforming low-performing schools.
The schools, to be called "superintendent schools," will have a longer school day and smaller classes. Teachers in those schools will be paid up to 20.4 percent more and receive more training. The union also has agreed to increase the amount members will contribute to their health insurance from 10 to 15 percent over four years.
More than 90 percent of the more than 1,000 members at the meeting agreed to the contract in a voice vote, said Steve Crawford, union spokesman. The school system and the union tentatively settled the contract on Feb. 27, narrowly averting a one-day strike. The Boston School Committee, which also needs to approve the agreement, is scheduled to vote on the contract on March 21. Jan.
