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NAZARETH, Pa. (AP) — Teachers in an eastern Pennsylvania school district have approved a four-year contract, narrowly averting a strike. Officials with the Nazareth Area Education Association say teachers voted Thursday to accept the contract, which resulted from mediation between teachers and the Nazareth Area School District. The school board approved the agreement on March 18, when the teachers had planned to walk out. The 341 teachers had been working without a contract since late August. The agreement calls for yearly raises of more than 3 percent from the 2015-2016 school year through the 2018-19 school year. The proposal will also allow teachers to maintain a traditional health care plan, though monthly premium rates for family households would increase through the 2018-19 school year.

Nazareth teachers agree to 4-year deal, includes pay bumps