Pasco teachers ratify new 2-year contract

Teachers in Pasco ratified a new two-year contract by an overwhelming 95-percent Thursday evening.

The deal, which includes a pay hike in the double-digit percentages, comes one day before the current contract was set to expire.

The membership rejected an agreement earlier in the summer, and is the last in the Tri-Cities to settle a contract for the current school year. The move also avoids a possible strike like what happened in 2015, that delayed the start of the school year by nine days.

"This is a sustainable contract that will allow us to keep and attract great teachers," says Pasco School Superintendent Michelle Whitney. "I'm very proud of the hard work done by our bargaining teams this summer."