What tentative contract means for Lincoln Public Schools teachers

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A new proposal could change how much Lincoln Public Schools pays staff.

The Lincoln Board of Education and Lincoln Education Association have reached a tentative contract agreement for the 2024-25 school year.

When negotiating the proposal, education officials said they wanted to do what was best for the district.

Under the proposed contract, LPS teachers would see a 4.55% bump in pay, and the pay increase schedule would be accelerated.

“Teachers that stay in the district can get to their highest salary earlier,” said Deb Rasmussen, the union’s president.  “They don’t have to wait like me when they’re almost 63 to hit the top of the schedule. They’ll be at their higher earning capacity probably 20 years before that.”

The proposal would also end early release days for all schools.

Blake Simpson, the district’s director of employee relations, said the agreement gives teachers designated days off for planning.

The changes will help educators use their time more effectively, according to Simpson.

“If there was a theme, I would say professional time is what we addressed in that agreement in changes to learning structure being a big component of the agreement,” he said.

The school board will hold a second reading and vote on the contract at its next meeting on Feb. 13.