East St. Louis students return to school after strike

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — More than 6,000 East St. Louis students are returning to school after a one-month teachers’ strike.

District officials and union negotiators struck a tentative deal Friday after a 13-hour bargaining session that lasted until 1:30 a.m.

The four-year contract was quickly endorsed by a majority of the roughly 400 striking teachers as well as the school board and a state-appointed financial oversight panel.

The district has been under state control since 2011 because of its poor performance,

The compromise plan pays a $3,000 bonus in lieu of a raise to all but first-year teachers. New and veteran teachers will receive two more bonus payments totaling $3,000 later this school year.

In return, the new contract extends by eight years the amount of time it takes teachers to reach top scale.

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