The Portland school board on Feb. 8 unanimously approved a new contract for teachers after nearly two years of negotiations with the Portland Association of Teachers.

In the contracts, the teachers gained limits on class sizes and requirements for extra pay for larger class sizes. Teachers also will get more planning time when they compromised to lengthen their work day by 15 minutes. Teachers also gained future pay increases that would also be retroactive for 2-3 percent for the past two years.

PPS teachers had been working their second year without a contract.

In addition, teachers also won a clause prohibiting principals of schools to talk to the press about teachers’ paid leave, aggravating local journalists. Teachers’ paid leave has been a controversial topic between the administration, teachers, and the public. District spokesman Dave Northfield told the Oregonian that “the District is balancing the need for transparency with protecting the due process rights of our staff.”