Lincoln Board of Education to consider 2-year agreement between LEA and LPS

February 10, 2026

In a proposal presented to the Lincoln Board of Education on Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Lincoln Education Association (LEA) and Lincoln Public Schools have reached a tentative two-year contract agreement for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years.

The tentative agreement represents an intentional combination of the valuable contributions our teachers make for Lincoln Public Schools and revitalizing district practices to support student learning along with teacher retention and recruitment.

Approved by a vote of LEA members on January 28, the tentative agreement provides a total compensation package increase of 4.20 percent for the 2026-27 school year, with the base salary increasing from $49,556 to $50,156. In addition, the 7.44 percent increase in health insurance costs from the provider will be split between the school district covering 80 percent and educators 20 percent of the out of pocket increase. 

For the 2027-2028 school year, the tentative agreement provides a total compensation package increase of 4.25 percent, with the base salary increasing from $50,156 to $50,756.

Other highlights of the proposed contract changes for educators includes:

• Special Education incentives that allow current and new educators to move an additional step on the salary schedule. There will also be a $1,000 stipend at three, five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of consecutive service in a Special Education role.
• There will be two weeks of paid parental leave for certificated staff that runs concurrent with FMLA during a 12-month period.
• New hires will be compensated at the workshop participant rate for attending required orientation days.
• Educators at Step 15 or higher with 750 hours of accumulated leave can elect to be paid out accumulated leave hours they will receive the following contract year at $25 per hour.
• Educators who qualify for leave payout at separation will be paid $25 per hour.
• Eligible educators will have 75 percent of leave payout go to a 403(b) and 25 percent to an HRA.
• Extra standard assignments are moving from a points system to a base generator, with boys and girls equivalent sports being paid the same.

This agreement with LEA impacts approximately 3,700 teachers, librarians, nurses, social workers, counselors, school psychologists, speech language pathologists and early childhood teachers.

Comments:

Superintendent John Skretta
“We are grateful for the collaborative effort from the LEA Negotiations Team throughout the negotiations process. We often say that LPS is a destination district for educators, and this agreement solidifies that stance. We celebrate the visionary leadership from our Board to address a broad range of facets in the negotiated agreement that can only be described as win-win in addressing needs identified by teachers. The additional incentives and longevity stipends for Special Education teachers will help to address critical shortage areas. This agreement reinforces the fact that teachers are  valued and dignified by the Lincoln Public Schools, and the raises and step movement will strengthen our efforts at recruitment and retention of our dedicated, highly qualified teachers.”

LEA President Deb Rasmussen
LEA President Deb Rasmussen wanted to thank the LEA Negotiations Team and the LPS Negotiations Team members for their collaborative effort.

“This year’s negotiations focused on the stability that a two-year agreement would bring to the staff and the district office. We’ve been trying to implement things without having time and this two-year agreement is a wonderful way to get quality wins for everyone. The paid parental leave is a big win for LPS and LEA as are the retention bonuses for special education staff. There are also retention and hiring stipends for school psychologists and speech language pathologists to help with these shortage areas. Being able to get raises and step movement in a two-year agreement is a wonderful thing for all LPS certificated staff and coaches/advisors knowing their salaries are not based on points and are actually in the agreement is a wonderful starting point for extra standards.” 

Rasmussen also wanted to thank the members for their support of all the changes that are in this agreement. President Rasmussen wanted to recognize the LEA Chief Negotiator Matt Erb and negotiations table team members Mindy Diller, Megan Simsic, Michael Regnier, Nicole Lopez-Bettendorf, Carol Floth and Jeff Pierce from LPS and Teresa Matthews and Todd Tystad from NSEA.

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