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Votes In Today On Tentative Teachers Union Agreement

June 2, 2010
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By Kavitha Cardoza

Teacher votes for and against a tentative union contract agreement in D.C. will be tallied today. Starting at 10 this morning, teachers' votes cast by mail, phone and email will be tallied. A decision on whether they decided as a group to ratify the contract, or not, is expected by the end of the day.

The contract would boost salaries by more than 20 percent and include more professional development which pleases many teachers. But many are also concerned about a pay for performance plan and the teacher evaluation system.

Union officials have been trying to shore up support among members who have been without a raise for almost three years. But that was a little rocky when it wasn't clear for a while whether the city's Chief Financial Officer would certify the money was available. Even if the teachers vote in favor of the agreement, the city council still needs to sign off on it.

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