The United Teachers of Dade union has agreed on a contract with Miami-Dade County that would increase pay and enhance school security.
Voters in November approved a ballot measure to increase homeowners' property tax to give pay raises to teachers and bolster school security.
The union needed to ratify the measure approved by voters.
Referendum 362, which passed with 71 percent of voters' approval, would raise the average Miami-Dade homeowner's tax bill by about $142 per year, raising $232 million per year for the next four years.
The United Teachers of Dade consists of more than 30,000 teachers, support staff and security monitors in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
UTD said its negotiation team voted overwhelmingly in favor of an "unprecedented contract" on Thursday.
"This agreement is symbolic, not only because it is the largest compensation package in UTD’s history, but because through this process, our workforce has rediscovered its voice and political power in an environment that has been holding them hostage for far too long," UTD President Karla Hernandez Mats said in a statement. "We are thankful to our Miami-Dade community for supporting this effort and for giving our educators the gift of starting the New Year with a renewed sense of hope for them and their families."
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Referendum 362 also provided money to continue the current arrangement of having law enforcement at every school beyond this school year. The district had to make deals with 18 police agencies and municipalities to comply with the new state law requiring a police officer or an armed guardian at every public school.
The increase in pay would push the teacher salary average in Miami-Dade County from 45th in the United States to above the national average.
