LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Unified teachers have approved a new labor agreement with the school district that will give teachers wide-ranging decision-making power in running their schools.

United Teachers Los Angeles said Thursday that nearly 70 percent of its members voted in favor of the agreement. About 29 percent were opposed.

Under the pact, the district says it will not allow charter operators to take over low performing schools for the next three years, instead allowing teachers and administrators charter-like autonomy to write their own management plans for individual schools.

School reformers have criticized the plan for leaving innovative charters out of reform efforts, but UTLA President Warren Fletcher says the plan gives teachers equal footing to compete with charters, which have taken away hundreds of unionized teaching jobs.

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