ITHACA, NY (WSKG) - Teachers in the Ithaca City School District will complete voting on their new contract today.
Teachers Union President Adam Piasecki, who helped negotiate the tentative agreement, says the district is losing experienced teachers because they can't afford to live close to where they work.
"The cost of living in Ithaca is much different than elsewhere in the Southern Tier or even central New York," he said. "So, people are having a hard time finding housing. The real estate market is untouchable, people are having to commute in long distances."
Piasecki said teachers also need better vision and dental health insurance but did not specify if those improvements are part of the new agreement.
He’s optimistic that teachers will ratify the contract.