The Brookline School Committee (BSC) and the Brookline Educators Union (BEU) reached a contractual agreement early in the morning on Tuesday, May 17 during a mediation session that began at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 16. On Monday, over 900 educators went on strike to demand a fair contract.

This agreement comes after months of contract negotiations and marks the first time in three years that educators have had a contract.

According to the BSC’s statement, the terms of the new agreement “acknowledge the needs of students and educators, as well as the financial reality of the town.”

The terms include a 6 percent increase in all wages and stipends from Sept. 1, 2020 to Aug. 31, 2023, followed by 8 percent from Sept. 1, 2023 to Aug. 30, 2026, with an additional 1 percent on Aug. 31, 2026.

The contract also enacts “longevity pay:” additional compensation for teachers who have reached the highest salary step.

The agreement acknowledges that the superintendent has the authority grant “Professional Teacher Status” to educators as soon as allowed under the law, and defines a “Working Group on Workforce Diversity and Underrepresented Staff” to “identify strategies and specific action steps to be taken to enhance the district’s ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce.”

The agreement also includes changes to daily preparation time for educators. Teachers in grades K-8 will receive 40 “prep minutes” per day; teachers in grades 9-12 will have one unassigned block per day and starting in 2025, most specialist teachers will have one unassigned period per day.