The Detroit Public Schools and the Detroit Federation of Teachers announced a tentative deal late Thursday night. A spokesman for the struggling schools has called it a 'very aggressive agreement' and says that if it passes, it could very well rule out the possibility of the schools having to file for bankruptcy. The agreement freezes wages for two years, and allows a 1% teacher salary raise in the third year. In exchange, a new system of incentives and merit bonuses will be implemented. A meeting with the union members is scheduled for Sunday, where the contract will be presented to members. The union president hopes to have teachers approve the deal before winter break begins on December 18th. Both sides say that although the negotiation process was difficult, they believe that the agreement will improve the operations of Detroit schools.
See "Detroit Public Schools, teachers union reach a tentative deal", Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, December 3, 2009