Baltimore County teachers' union reaches tentative agreement amid fight for pay raises
The Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO) indicated that they are not able to share details about the agreement until July 23.
For several months, Baltimore County teachers and union leaders have been pushing the school district to enact a pay raise that had already been approved.
Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) initially committed to the 5% raise as part of a three-year agreement, but the offer was changed to 1.5% after the county budget was approved. Under the budget, the school district got less funding than leaders expected.
A revised agreement moved the timing of the 5% raise from July 2025 to January 2026. However, Tabco did not accept the deal, saying it fell short of the previously agreed-upon compensation.
"So it's essentially people working with no additional compensation or raise from July 1 to January," TABCO President Cindy Sexton said. "It goes back to the thousands of dollars that some members will lose while they figure out those months and months without any additional money."
The teachers' union filed for an impasse, and a mediator was provided to help the two parties reach an agreement.
Since negotiations began, Baltimore County teachers have held several protests and rallies, voicing frustrations about what they referred to as broken promises.
"Everybody's frustrated, teachers are angry," Sexton said after one of the protests in May. "I go through the county, and you can see some schools are holding up signs outside. You know they want the agreed-upon money that we were guaranteed. Other counties around us are doing a better job and making better offers."
Teachers have also raised concerns about cuts after BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers announced budget reductions, including a $14 million cut from supplies and materials.
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