Contract that ended LA teacher strike gets final approval

The board of the nation's second-largest school district gave final approval to a contract that ended a six-day teacher strike and provided another concession to Los Angeles educators by asking California to halt new charter schools until their effect can be studied.

The votes by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education came just hours after an oversight agency said the contract agreement that includes pay raises and a commitment to reduce class sizes may not be sustainable because of the district's precarious long-term financial outlook.

Board member Nick Melvoin acknowledged the difficulties outlined in the report by the Los Angeles County Office of Education but said the deal showed that both sides can work together.

He said "it's up to us, collectively, to make it sustainable," adding that the district and the union must work to get more state funding.

The 30,000 members of United Teachers Los Angeles already approved the agreement, which runs through June 2022. Teachers returned to work last week after walking picket lines for six days