Update: The Washington Teachers’ Union voted in favor of ratifying a tentative contract with D.C. Public Schools on Tuesday night.

3,445 union members approved the contact, while only 29 voted against it.

Original: After more than three years of stalled negotiations, D.C. Public Schools have reached a tentative contract agreement with the Washington Teachers’ Union, according to a statement from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday.

“Today, we are proud to reach an agreement that delivers robust back pay in recognition of the tireless efforts and sacrifice our teachers have made over the past three years,” reads Bowser’s statement on the agreement, which spells out a 12 percent increase in salary over four years, and a four percent retention bonus. “This agreement provides our educators with competitive raises that will help the District to retain and attract the best talent for our schools.”

The news of the agreement comes less than a week after teachers held demonstrations at at least five different schools, demanding a contract providing fair wages and fair working conditions — meaning more staffing, smaller class sizes, and guaranteed lesson planning times.

WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons did not immediately return DCist/WAMU’s inquiries.

The WTU tweeted that in addition to the 12 percent salary increase and 4 percent signing bonus, the contract included a significant increase in administrative premiums, or negotiated compensations for teachers in the union. According to DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, it also includes retroactive backpay for teachers who worked throughout the pandemic.

“There are many more details we’ll share soon so please keep an eye out,” reads the tweet. “We are thankful for you, for your letters and calls to the mayor, and for waking up early with us to march. And we’re thankful for a fair contract.”

https://twitter.com/WTUTeacher/status/1595465190673453057

After three years of unsuccessful negotiations, DCPS entered an arbitration process in October and returned to the bargaining table last Thursday. Because contract negotiations are confidential, union leaders were not able to share the details of the city’s proposed agreement. The tentative agreement still needs to be voted on by members of the unit, and then sent over to the D.C. Council for approval.

Bowser and DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee have pointed the finger at WTU leadership for long-stalled negotiations, arguing they city had put fair offers on the table and the union’s reluctance to accept them kept raises out of teachers’ pockets. As DCPS teachers – a 5,000-some strong group – went on without a contract in the past three years, educators faced a sea of challenges – from COVID-19 and remote learning to school reopenings to short-staffing. A September WTU survey found that four in five D.C. teachers are unhappy with their jobs, and nearly half planned to leave their roles in the next few years.

Ferebee, in an interview with DCist and WAMU on Wednesday afternoon, said that he is “excited” about the propsects of a ratified contract and pinned the sluggish negotiations on pandemic interruptions. During the pandemic, the WTU and the school system spent time negotiating the terms of DCPS’ COVID response in memorandums of agreement (or MOAs) and Ferebee says this delayed talks.

“We spent time, significant time, I would say, on what was important at that moment,” Ferebee said. “We’ve now transition from that time period, we’re in a different day…I’m confident that had we not we not had the challenges of pandemic and had to work through two MOAs on that topic we would have been here sooner than where we are today.”

Clare Berke, an English teacher at Benjamin Banneker High School, had not seen the tentative agreement yet by early Wednesday afternoon, but told DCist/WAMU she was glad an agreement had been reached.

“It’s just nice to be done,” said Berke. “I’m super excited about finally having a deal.”

The education advocacy group EmpowerEd applauded the tentative agreement in a statement on Wednesday, calling the three years that DCPS operated without a contract “embarrassing.” The group said it will continue to work with lawmakers and the city’s education officials to advance reforms in D.C.’s schools, and also called attention to wages of the city’s public-charter school teachers.

“We also stand with our DC public charter teachers today, too many of whom are still underpaid, as well as our paraprofessionals and teachers aides across sectors who make demoralizingly low wages,” reads the settlement.

Matthew Frumin, the incoming Ward 3 councilmember and founder of the coalition for D.C. Public Schools and Communities, also celebrated the step towards a solidified contract.

https://twitter.com/MatthewFrumin/status/1595479053405810688

This story was updated with statements from Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin, the advocacy group EmpowerEd, and DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee.