Below is the NYT article about the latest developments, with more of the very powerful, yet non-inflammatory messaging that Gist is particularly good at (she never says a negative word about the unions – just focuses her message on the kids…while not budging an inch!):

The decision incited outrage among teachers and unions but was embraced by President Obama and his education secretary, Arne Duncan. Dr. Gallo and Ms. Sessums met for the first time in March, and they later began working with federal mediators to come to a resolution. The two sides spent about 48 hours negotiating, Dr. Gallo said.

"It has been extraordinarily fruitful because we gained an understanding and what it takes to make that reform," Dr. Gallo said. "This is going to be real, and it's going to be hard. This isn't like, Oh boy, here's the cake and we're just going to sit down and enjoy eating it all."

In a statement Mr. Duncan praised the plan as well as administrators, union members and teachers for "working through what has been a very difficult period and coming to agreement on a plan to improve their school."

Teachers do not need to reapply for their jobs under the plan, but they must attend an interview session with the school's leadership team, which will decide how to improve each teacher's performance, Dr. Gallo said.

The union must also drop a lawsuit it filed in connection with the firings. A streamlined collective bargaining agreement will be developed in the next year, and the school day might be extended by as much as an hour.

Teachers will receive $30 an hour for a mandatory 90 minutes of after-school planning time and a $3,000 stipend for the longer school day, which will be paid with a federal grant, Dr. Gallo said.

Ms. Gist, who supported Dr. Gallo's initial plan, said in an interview that the process had never been about "poking a stick in anyone's eye or showing what kind of authority we have," but trying to change the culture of a school in dramatic need of improvement.

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Going Back to School: Fired Staff Is Rehired

By KATIE ZEZIMA

Published: May 17, 2010

www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/education/18school.html