BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Bellingham teachers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ratify a new three-year contract with the school district, ending their strike.
More than 99 percent of the nearly 600 members of the Bellingham Education Association voted in favor at their ramification meeting at Bellingham High School.
Key points of the new contract include the following:
- Additional time for teachers to conduct district-required elementary school assessments
- Time for teachers to work collaboratively to implement new report cards
- Use of local funds to pay the 1.9 percent salary cut from the state Legislature
- An academic calendar which has been confirmed by BEA members, district administrators and school board
Last Friday, BEA members spent the day on the picket line on what would have been a teacher planning day. A tentative agreement was reached early Friday evening.
The district's 10,000 students will go back to school starting Wednesday.
