Rochester school board reaches agreement with teacher’s association

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Board of Education has come to an agreement with the Rochester Teachers Association for the first time in years.

The union president says more than 80% of the rank and file ratified the deal on Tuesday. The new contract includes a 3.8% increase each year of the three year contract, retroactive to last July.

Teachers who work through to the end of each school year will get a $1,500 bonus for the first two years of the agreement.

Rochester Teachers Association Adam Urbanski says this agreement is good for students and fair to teachers.

Rochester teachers haven’t had a new contract since 2016. They’ve been working under extensions since then not addressed in this agreement, including a limit on class size and more support staff.

Urbanski says those issues will be addressed in talks with the new superintendent.