The Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and the Cincinnati Federation of Office Professionals have ratified new contracts with Cincinnati Public Schools. CFT passed its agreement with 95 percent of the votes and CFOP approved its contract with 97 percent of the votes.
"This contract was successfully accomplished because both sides rolled up their sleeves and remained tenacious and persistent in working to reach an agreement that's good for kids and fair to teachers," CFT president Julie Sellers said in a statement. "It's important that the new reforms and policies intended to improve teaching and learning are part of a collective bargaining agreement."
The agreement will take effect on July 1 and run through June 30, 2017. Teachers and support staff have been working under a contract that expired at the end of last year.
The new teachers' contract includes:
- A reduction in non-state mandated testing to increase instructional time for students
- An increased focus to meet the needs of students with disabilities
- A commitment to co-design a revamped teacher development and evaluation process
The agreement also provides teachers a 4-percent raise retroactive to January 1 and an increase of 2 percent next year, contingent on stable local funding.