Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city and the United Federation of Teachers reached an agreement on a tentative worker contract.  

The new contracts will consist of many things that the teachers’ union has been asking for like yearly raises, bonuses and a hefty starting salary for new teachers.  

Annual raises will sit between 3% and 3.5%, and bonuses will reach up to $1,000. The new top salary for the city’s most experienced teachers would be over $150,000, including the bonus.  

Under the proposal, all members of the UFT would also receive a one-time ratification bonus of $3,000, plus retroactive payment from when original contracts ended last September.  

This new agreement recognizes the city’s public schools as the first school system in the United States to offer a voluntary virtual learning program.  

This program will be available to all high school students and some middle school students to take classes at night and/or on the weekends. The city is emphasizing that this is not a substitute for in-person learning, but more of an opportunity to take a broader selection of classes.  

The proposal must be approved by the UFT membership, which covers around 115,000 full-time employees and just over 5,000 part-time employees, before it goes into effect. If approved, the contract will extend until the end of November 2027.