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A joint statement from the school district and the union said the new contract "will allow us to recruit and retain strong professionals," but did not provide details on the deal.
After a week-long strike, teachers in Tacoma reached a contractual agreement with Tacoma state schools, the union and the district said Thursday.
If teachers approve the contract, the school will start on Monday, the district said. Teachers will vote on the tentative agreement on Friday morning.
A joint statement from the school district and the union said the new contract "will allow us to recruit and retain competent professionals," but did not provide details of the agreement.
The statement highlighted concerns about funding the state legislature, saying the school board, the chief executive and the union had been "placed in a difficult situation".
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"Without changes in state funding, public schools in Tacoma will face painful cuts," the statement said.
Striking teachers from the state's fourth largest school district had called for wage increases reflecting increases in other districts across the state. The dispute over teacher salary increases has plagued most of the nearly 300 school districts, with many jurisdictions agreeing to double-digit wage increases after legislators injected about $ 1 billion like McCleary.
Sara Ketelsen, a math teacher at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, said she and other union members would not learn the details of the deal before Friday's meeting.
"I'm really relieved and excited and nervous," said Ketelsen. She had spent a portion of Thursday night getting ready to return to Friday's picket line and said she wanted to "make sure everyone wins" in the new deal.
"I'm just excited to be back with my students on Monday," said Ketelsen.
The news of the contract quickly spread during a group discussion between Ann McParlton, professor of special education and mathematics at Foss High, and his colleagues.
McParlton, whose husband also teaches in Tacoma schools, worked in the union's bargaining team in 2011, the last time teachers in Tacoma went on strike.
"I trust the bargaining team (union) who volunteered their time," she said. "They have received a clear message, which includes the support of their union brothers and sisters, to get the best. They would not have agreed otherwise.
In the past two years, the Washington legislature has added nearly $ 2 billion to its K-12 budget to cover the state's tab for teacher salaries and to satisfy the McCleary affair. But the schools of Tacoma, unlike the districts of the richest districts of Washington, did not receive such a large ransom to pay heavy increases. According to forecasts by the state superintendent's office, Tacoma will lose about 4 percent of its allocation to teachers' salaries this year and the district has warned of multi-million dollar shortages in the coming years.
The districts of Seattle, Spokane and Edmonds have also forecast budget cuts after approving double-digit wage increases in recent weeks, prompting teacher unions and their districts to unite.
"It's a state-wide problem," McParlton said. "We just need to work together. This should not separate us if we can get the districts and (para-professionals) and all the others to work together. "
Earlier Thursday, the teachers' union, the Tacoma Education Association, held its biggest rally since the start of the work stoppage. Meanwhile, some teachers returned to work despite the strike. About 125 staff members, some of whom are members of the union, accepted the district's "supplemental work supplement" offer on Wednesday, district spokesman Dan Voelpel said by telephone. Angel Morton, president of the teachers' union, called it "a district tactic to divide us."
The union represents approximately 2,400 teachers and office professionals.
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