BACK TO SCHOOL! Seattle students head to classrooms as strike ends

SEATTLE (AP) — Thousands of students in Seattle are starting school Thursday after a tentative agreement reached by striking teachers and the district put a walkout on hold.

The strike that began Sept. 9 delayed the school year for 53,000 Seattle students,

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Larry Nyland thanked families for their "patience and perseverance."

The teachers union and school district reached a deal giving teachers a 9.5 percent pay raise over three years, guaranteed 30-minute recesses for elementary students, a longer school day and more teacher input over standardized tests.

Teachers complained that the city's technology industry had priced them out of living in the city where they teach.