Buffalo Teachers, District Reach Tentative Agreement

By Julie Blair

Union leaders and district officials in Buffalo, N.Y., agreed to a teachers' contract last week, halting an on-again, off-again strike that has kept students and parents glued to televisions and radios for news of school closings since the beginning of the academic year.

State mediators offered a five-year contract that gives the district's 4,000 teachers a 13.5 percent salary increase and requires retirees to pay more for their health benefits. The school board approved the contract unanimously Sept. 20, and members of the Buffalo Teachers Federation were expected to approve it late last week.

"This is a very good contract," said Philip Rumore, the president of the union. "The financial package is pretty close to...