Chicago teachers voted last week to suspend a 7-day-old strike, sending some 350,000 students back to the classroom and paving the way for the teaching force to vote on a tentative contract. But for many in the Windy City, the contract has raised another potentially tall hurdle: how the cash-strapped district will manage to pay for it. District officials estimate the agreement forged with the Chicago Teachers Union will cost $295 million over four years--cheaper than the two previous city teachers' contracts, but nevertheless costly in a school district that estimates it will carry a $1 billion shortfall by fiscal 2014. The contract will run for three years, but can be extended for a fourth if the union and the school board jointly agree to it. The new agreement raises salaries across the board for teachers by an average of 17.6 percent over four years and maintains premiums for experience and advanced degrees. The district has touted a number of cost savings tucked into the pact, achieved through changes to sick-day and leave policies and a new wellness plan. And the district's overall financial health is tied to broader issues, including some, like teacher pensions, that are governed by state rules. Still, observers said they felt the contract could have done a better job at outlining a path forward for the cash-strapped district.