L-S School Committee ratifies three-year teachers contract with 7.375 percent COLA

SUDBURY — January 7, 2025 — Lincoln-Sudbury ratifies three-year teachers contract and trims FY26 budget to 2.99 percent. The L-S Regional School Committee approved a 2025-2028 agreement with the Lincoln-Sudbury Teachers' Association carrying a 7.375 percent Schedule A cost-of-living adjustment — 3 percent, 3 percent and 1.375 percent — and a rebuilt Schedule B stipend formula tied to hours and student participation. Negotiations Subcommittee Chair Kevin Matthews called the talks "extraordinarily civil" and credited the union's negotiators as "the gold standard." Director of Finance Kirsteen Patterson presented a revised FY26 budget of $39,506,909, down from a 3.6 percent draft after a $248,557 reduction in out-of-district tuition costs. Director of Student Services Richard Whitehead reported 22.2 percent of L-S students hold an IEP, with two students returning from out-of-district placements in the spring. The Jan. 28 budget public hearing follows.