Providence teachers reach tentative contract agreement

Providence School. File photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The Providence Teachers Union has reached a tentative contract agreement with the city that includes pay raises and more professional development.

The proposal will head to the union’s 1,900 members next Thursday, and if approved, it will go to City Council for ratification. Teachers have been working without a contract since August 2017.

Teachers have operated under a work-to-rule provision since August, which means they only do what’s contractually required.

Under work-to-rule, teachers have largely been unavailable for after school help with the exception of writing college recommendation letters.

The tentative agreement comes days after Mayor Jorge Elorza won re-election.

Elorza said in a statement that the agreement is “a step in the right direction for our Providence school community.”

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