North Penn Teachers Get Contract After 19 Months

Teachers at one of the city’s largest school districts have reached agreement on a new contract, ending a 19-month dispute.

The North Penn School District board and members of the union representing more than 1,000 teachers both voted Thursday to accept a mediator's proposal for a five-year contract.

Officials said the deal raises overall salaries by 1.87 percent in the first year and more 4 percent in each of the following years. Teachers will pay 10 percent of their health care premium in the first year and 12 percent in the final years. An arbitrator's recommendation on benefits and working conditions was accepted earlier.

The union went on strike April 19 but a judge ordered teachers back a week later to ensure that the district's 12,700 students would get the state-mandated 180 days of instruction by June 30.