Following a two-week delay, Bellevue students are back to hitting the books this week as the extended summer break finally came to an end Monday.

The Bellevue teachers’ strike is over.

The teachers are headed back to the classroom after they approved a new contract with a 95 percent majority. The vote came Sunday night after teachers heard details of the new contract during a 90-minute meeting at Sammamish High School.

Bellevue schools officially opened on Monday.

An estimated 1,200 teachers went on strike Sept. 2. Sticking points were a district mandated curriculum, pay and health benefits.

The contract agreement was reached at a critical time, as many seniors stressed about meeting college application deadlines and the parents of younger students were running out of childcare options.

During Sunday night’s meeting, Bellevue teachers approved a new three-year contract, in which the district raised its offer for supplemental pay to 5 percent over three years in addition to COLA. According to the district, the $4.8 million budget cut earlier this year and raise in teacher pay will result in larger class sizes by about 1.5 students on average.

“Teachers in the classroom are the number one determinate of how well students do in school, other then their parents,” Stephen Miller said, at the beginning of negotiations in June. “The best way to get good teachers in the classroom is to pay them well, give them good benefits, realistic case loads, class sizes that are reasonable, and to respect their professionalism in the classroom.”

In addition to an increase in pay, the new three-year contract also will grant teachers more freedom in the classroom.

Prior to the contract agreement, teachers’ voiced concern over a curriculum that they felt charted lesson plans and test taking, mandating what was taught in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. Bellevue teachers said the program did not take into account the individual learning style and needs of each student.

In the new contract, the school district relented in its requirement that teachers follow a set curriculum. The Web-based curriculum will now serve as a resource, allowing teachers to deviate from daily lesson plans without first having to get approval.

The Bellevue School Board was expected to ratify the new teacher contract on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at district headquarters.

For more information visit www.bsd405.org.