KIPP charter school reaches agreement with Baltimore teachers union

From The Baltimore Sun: A charter school network that was threatening to shut down its schools in Baltimore has reached an agreement with the teachers union. The agreement clears the way for KIPP, or the Knowledge is Power Program, to stay in Baltimore for the next decade. It gives the school the long-term stability to invest in its buildings as well as raise money for its schools. KIPP agreed to shorten its workday and pay teachers more than the average city teacher makes. The charter network had come into conflict with the union because its program offers students a long school day, after-school activities and Saturday sessions. The union had argued that although KIPP paid teachers more than any other school in the city, it was not paying them at the same union rate for the longer hours.