Boston Teachers Union calls off Wednesday rally in light of tentative contract agreement

Organizer Erica Kouka used a bullhorn during a walk-in, hosted by Boston Teachers Union at the James F. Condon School on Oct. 17, 2024. It was one of several actions the union took during contract negotiations that ended Tuesday with a tentative agreement.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Boston public school teachers have reached a tentative contract agreement that calls for more resources for students with disabilities and raises, union leaders said in a statement Tuesday night.

After a little more than a year of negotiations, the Boston Teachers Union reached the tentative agreement Tuesday with Boston Public Schools. The last labor contract had expired Aug. 31.

As a result, the union has called off a rally scheduled for Wednesday night at Mayor Michelle Wu’s State of the City address.

“This tentative agreement includes important guarantees such as improved in-classroom staffing levels for students with disabilities; meaningful changes to wages especially for paraprofessionals; and other key improvements to learning and working conditions in the Boston Public Schools,” Erik Berg, union president, said in the statement.

Specifics of the settlement were not disclosed Tuesday night.

The tentative three-year contract includes wage raises for all educators “with a particular focus on our lowest paid workers,” Mayor Michelle Wu, Superintendent Mary Skipper, and Jeri Robinson, chairperson of the Boston School Committee, said in a joint letter Tuesday.

“We truly value our educators and their commitment to our students’ success,” the letter said. “We thank the BPS community for your continued support.”

When the contract is formalized, more information will be posted on the Boston Public Schools website, the letter said.

The BTU had said current practices in the district’s classrooms for students with disabilities and English language learners were “unsustainable and detrimental to students’ success.”

On Jan. 8, the union voted unanimously to hold pickets at 116 public schools, saying its vote reflected frustration after nearly a year of contract talks with city leaders failed to “yield meaningful progress on critical issues.”

Union members next will vote to ratify the agreement, or call for a return to the bargaining process, the union’s statement said. The last contract covered 8,500 educators.