Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers and the city school board last night approved a three-year contract that one official said carefully balances the interests of employees, taxpayers and a district trying to reinvent itself.

Teachers and other professional employees ratified the contract by a vote of 1,671 to 438. They voted by mail over the past week, and ballots were counted last night at union offices on the South Side.

The school board later met in special session and voted 8-0 to approve the deal. Mark Brentley Sr. abstained because his wife, Sharon, is a teacher.

"There's no question there is a tremendous sense of relief for both parties," Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President John Tarka said.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt noted the parties narrowly averted a strike and said, "where people work together, stay together and hold together, a good result comes."

The contract is retroactive to July 1 for about 2,800 teachers and other professional employees, including social workers and counselors.

It gives raises of $2,100 a year to teachers and other professionals at the top of their salary scales. The agreement also gives raises at each step along the scales and allows employees to move one step each year.

Top-scale pay for a teacher with a bachelor's degree will increase to $75,800 by the end of the agreement, and top-scale pay for a teacher with a master's will increase to $79,800. Teachers may earn additional pay for special certification, longevity or extra duties.

The contract holds the line on health care benefits for employees and current retirees. But employees who retire July 1 or later will pay a higher percentage of pre-Medicare health coverage, and they'll have to do without district subsidies for a Medicare supplement.

The pact provides domestic partnership benefits for the first time.

The district succeeded in adding 10 minutes to the work day. That change -- taking the work day to 7 hours, 16 minutes -- takes effect in the fall and will add 32 hours to a union member's work year.

While the bargaining was fraught with difficult moments, negotiators last night had kind words for each other.

Mr. Tarka thanked school board leaders who attended the 20-hour session that resulted in a tentative agreement Jan. 15. Theresa Colaizzi, chairman of the board negotiations committee, thanked Mr. Tarka "for recognizing what we have at stake in our district."

The district is more than two years into Mr. Roosevelt's campaign to improve academics and finances. He refused to consider a contract requiring a tax increase, but teachers demanded more money for their role in the campaign.

In October, union members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike at any time. The union's first strike since the 1975-76 year may have been just days away when the parties reached a tentative agreement.

"When we are in the midst of contract negotiations with any of the unions, we must always maintain a delicate balance, making sure we consider the interests of all stakeholders," Ms. Colaizzi said. "The slightest tip of the scale, in any direction, can be disastrous ... And after nearly a year of determination from both sides, we were able to reach an agreement that benefits all concerned without any disruption to our uphill journey to excellence."

She said teachers' work "should never be taken lightly," while board member Randall Taylor, noting the district's financial challenges, urged taxpayers to lobby state officials for a better way to pay for public education.

Some teachers complained that the jump from step nine to step 10 -- the largest move on their salary scale, worth more than $20,000 -- now will occur in two phases instead of one. That was one in a series of grumbles by both sides.

"A good contract is one nobody likes. I think we found it," board member Floyd "Skip" McCrea said.

The district still is negotiating with two other PFT bargaining units, representing about 600 paraprofessionals and 50 technical-clerical workers. Talks were held yesterday and resume Wednesday.

Also expired are the district's contracts with tradesmen and two locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.