LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A tentative agreement between the Lynden School District and its teachers is moving forward.

Lynden Education Association (LEA) President Lona Smit tells My Bellingham Now that union members voted to ratify the agreement on Friday night, Oct. 23.

“We’re grateful to our members and the Lynden community for standing together, supporting one another, and helping us through this process. We also appreciate the work the school board and the district’s bargaining team put in to come to the table ready to listen and negotiate,” Smit said in an email.

“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 continued. “On Wednesday evening, it felt good to celebrate the hard work of both teams and an agreement that reflects our shared interests.”

MBN previously reported that the two sides reached the tentative agreement on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

No details of the contract, including length and salary terms, have been disclosed yet.

The LEA’s approval of the contract will avoid a looming strike that teachers voted to authorize starting on Wednesday, Oct. 28, if they could not come to terms on a new contract.

The district’s board of directors are expected to hold a final vote to approve the contract at their meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12.