The District 65 Educators Council voted to approve a three-year contract by a large margin on Friday.

Of the 680 teachers who voted, 579 voted to ratify the contract and 101 voted against it, council president Paula Zelinski said in an email.

A tentative agreement was reached in the contract negotiations before Thanksgiving contingent on approval by teachers in the council and the Evanston/Skokie District 65 Board of Education.

This comes after months of tense negotiations between the teachers and the board of education. The two sides began talks in February, and a federal mediator was called in to help in October. The two sides disagreed over several key issues, including planning time for teachers in kindergarten to fifth grade.

In late October, the council announced it was activating a strike timeline, meaning the offers from both sides were posted online and the teachers would have the ability to strike after in a matter of time. However, a tentative agreement was eventually reached, avoiding a strike. The details of the agreement will be released if the board votes to approve the contract.

The board will vote on the contract at their meeting Monday night.

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