Teachers at Portland Public Schools voted Feb. 27 to approve a new three-year contract, which was ratified by the district board March 3.
The deal was reached Feb. 18 — two days before a strike was set to begin — and involved compromises on both sides. The district let go its demand to eliminate a provision limiting teacher workload, and went the other direction, agreeing to hire 150 teachers to reduce class sizes and workloads for teachers.
Portland Association of Teachers agreed to phase out an early retirement incentive, and simplify the transfer process. The contract also provides annual raises of 2.3 percent, and adds two more days to the school year. The district will continue to pay 93 percent of health insurance premiums.
