Chicago teachers approve contract

CHICAGO – Members of the Chicago Teachers Union overwhelmingly have approved a new three-year contract that includes pay increases and a new evaluation system, union officials announced late Wednesday.

The contract was ratified by 79 percent of the union’s membership. The contract now must be approved by the Chicago Board of Education, which is scheduled to meet later this month.

Teachers walked off the job Sept. 10, idling 350,000 students in the nation’s third-largest school district for seven days before the union’s delegates agreed to suspend the strike and return to classes, pending the outcome of Tuesday’s vote.

The contract includes 3 percent raises in its first year and 2 percent for two years after that, along with increases for experienced teachers.

The school district also agreed to reduce the percentage of teachers’ evaluations based on test scores, down from a proposed 45 percent to the 30 percent set as the minimum by state law. It also includes an appeals process to contest evaluations.