BUFFALO, N.Y. — Four years of outrage and protests culminated Monday evening with Buffalo Public Schools teachers overwhelmingly voting in favor of ratifying a new contract.
“One of the members got up to the microphone and made a motion to vote on the contract, and it was deafening inside in favor of doing so,” said Rich Nigro, a teacher at Buffalo Culinary School.
The contract — which received support from nearly 99% of voters — grants teachers a 21% raise over the next three and a half years and a 10% signing bonus, which will take the district’s average salary for teachers from $72,000 to $91,216.
The new deal also eliminates three steps from the district’s salary scale, now allowing teachers to reach the maximum after 24 steps.
“We're being beaten down in Buffalo, and this is something we could all feel good about, not just — Buffalo teachers, but the district and all of the people who worked hard to secure the contract,” said Marc Bruno, a teacher at Riverside High School.
Some teachers say the new contract doesn't hit all the marks, forcing teachers to adopt a three-bell schedule they originally voted against with start times at 7:30, 8:15, and 9 to accommodate the bus driver shortage.
The union also loses retiree health insurance for all new hires starting in 2026 — a benefit that the teachers federation originally said was a dealbreaker.
“Any negotiation, there's give and take,” Nigro said. “You have to give a little, to get a little … With the sacrifices that we had to make as a group, I think that was fair.”
The district also spoke out tonight, calling the agreement a competitive advantage, with Superintendent Tonja Williams saying in a statement:
“This landmark agreement not only makes our teachers some of the most highly compensated in the region but it was done in a way that will preserve the District's strong financial position for years to come.”
She added that the contract:
“Further demonstrates our commitment to respecting, retaining, and recruiting a highly qualified workforce for the Buffalo Public Schools.”