DETROIT, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Striking Detroit teachers and the school board Tuesday reached a tentative deal to end a two-week-old walkout affecting some 130,000 students.
The three-year agreement was announced at an afternoon news conference by Schools Superintendent William Coleman and the head of the 7,000-member Detroit Federation of Teachers, the Detroit Free Press reported. Teachers would give back $64 million in concessions the first year, receive a 1 percent raise in the second year and a 2.5 percent increase in the third year, the newspaper said.
"The package is not everything we hoped it would be, but we believe it's enough for our teachers to get back to work," said DFT President Janna Garrison.
The school board had sought $88 million in concessions to help balance its budget and plans to cut expenditures 2 percent across the board.
Rank and file teachers who walked out Aug. 28 were to vote on the proposal at a meeting Wednesday at Cobo Hall.
