Boston Teachers Union Puts New Deal on Table

The Boston Teachers Union has put forth a new contract intended to break the impasse between the union and the city, which includes concessions on wages and a new teacher evaluation system. 

"We need to break the stalemate," said Richard Stutman, union president, according to an article in the Boston Globe. “This is an opportune time to start the school year with a clean slate, a fresh start.”

The union announced it would accept a six-year pay raise contract that includes no raise for the first year, then incremental one percent increases, then three percent increases for the last three years of the contract. The union had previously pushed for a slightly higher increase in the first two years.

But the wages concession comes with a sticking point. The union announced it would only agree to the raise part of the contract if the School Department uses the teacher evaluation system the union wants. This system would make student test scores a central piece of juding a teachers' performance. 

The School Department has until the end of the day on Sept. 4 to accept the proposal.