Kelso teachers union, district reach deal; school to resume

KELSO, Wash. (AP) — Classes in the Kelso School District are set to resume with a two-hour late start Monday after the teachers union and the district reached a tentative contract agreement.

The Daily News reports that the faculty ratified the pact Sunday evening. All 226 teachers present at a membership meeting voted to approve the contract.

The Kelso Education Association has been negotiating with the district since April and had been working without a contract since June 30.

The agreement ends an eight-day teacher's strike that began Sept. 16. The strike was declared illegal by a Cowlitz County judge Friday and would have settled the union with $2,000-a-day fines if work did not resume Monday.

Kelso School District serves more than 4,500 students. The union represents some 300 teachers and other certificated educators.