LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Lynden School District has finalized their new agreement with the teacher’s union.

The Lynden School Board voted unanimously on Thursday, Nov. 12, to approve the three-year contract with the Lynden Education Association (LEA).

The agreement includes gradual salary increases that exceed the state’s annual inflation adjustments by between 0.4% and 1%.

That’s still lower than the previous contract, which included salary increases that exceeded the state’s annual adjustment by between 2.5% and 3%.

The district said during contract negotiations that they were trying to stay “fiscally conservative” in the face of declining enrollment, rising insurance and lack of special education funding from the state. The school board said in a community message that they’ve been operating at a deficit for the past two budget cycles.

According to the district, the average salary of teachers within the union was $114,711 in the 2025-26 school year.

The new contract also includes stronger resources for class preparation, a reorganized and clarified process for involuntary transfers, new caseload targets for school counselors and stipends for some specialized staff positions.

LEA President Lona Smit said in an email that the union appreciated the school board and district’s bargaining team ability to listen and negotiate during the process.

“While we didn’t always agree, reaching this tentative agreement took honest conversations, a willingness to work through our differences, and a shared commitment to giving Lynden’s students the best learning experiences we can provide,” Smit said before the contract was finalized.

According to the district, LEA represents more than 225 professional educators and certificated specialists.