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Detroit Teachers Reach Tentative Contract Deal But Still Not Happy

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit teachers have reached a tentative contract deal with the district. The contract calls for a 3 percent salary increase next year and 4 percent the year after that.

A general membership meeting was held yesterday at Martin Luther King Jr. High School to go over the tentative contract with both the Detroit Federation of Teachers and Detroit Public Schools Community District. The teachers will now have three weeks to vote on this contract deal.

Ivy Bailey, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said the new deal isn't a perfect fix for the teachers but it at least gets the ball rolling.

"The bottom line is no we are not getting what we deserve because we have had many cuts. We've been here and we've endured a lot," Bailey told WWJ. "But we have to start somewhere. We have a new school board, we have a new superintendent and they both have committed to treating teachers better, putting more money in our pockets, putting more resources in classrooms. Basically the bottom line is doing what's right for the children."

Bailey added that in the contract is a "wage re-opener" that'll take place after the third year. Through this the teachers will not lose any of the wage gains they've already received and have the opportunity to receive another raise.

Not all of the teachers were pleased with the deal with some protesting the new deal outside the Fisher building earlier today. Nicole Conaway, a math teacher at East English Academy, was one of the many teachers unhappy with the new deal.

She said even with the raise she'll be making less money then she did 10 years ago.

"At the end of this contract they offer we still will be making less then I made 10 years ago," Conaway said. "In the meantime our health care costs have gone up, all of our other living costs have gone up so they want to claim it's a raise and increase but we still end up behind.

"We need to move forward, our students deserve better and we deserve better."

Teachers will have until July 19 to turn in their ratification votes.

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