Hermitage School District and the teachers' union reached a tentative contract agreement Thursday after five hours of working with an arbiter.

Details of the proposed agreement remain under wraps until it is voted on by the Hermitage Education Association and the school board. Both are scheduled to vote on the contract June 18, according to school board president Duane Piccirilli. A special school board meeting is set for 7 p.m. that day.

The agreement comes after almost a year and a half of negotiations between the board and the 165-member union. Teachers have been working without a contract since July.

Negotiations came to a halt in March over pay raises. The sticking point was a district offer of $1,600 a year as opposed to an HEA request for $2,700 a year.

Teachers went on strike for seven days in March, which changed the last day of school of from June 5 to June 14 to fulfill the state-mandated 180 days in a school year.

In May, both sides presented their "final best offers" to Dr. William E. Caldwell, a state-appointed arbiter from the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. In its offer, the union lowered their salary request from $2,700 to $2,200. In their offer, the board's negotiators -- school directors James Lumpp, Timothy J. Ruffo and Jessie Hull -- did not move on the pay raises.

According to sixth grade teacher Paul Estock, the union's chief negotiator, teachers are glad to see an agreement on the table.

"We're just happy we got a tentative agreement," said Estock.

"The board is just glad to get on with the business of education," said Piccirilli.

Negotiations for the next teachers' contract are due to begin in January.