Teachers in the Northern Lehigh School District can rest easier now that they have a new four-year contract in place.

On an 8-0 measure, the school board on Monday approved the new collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Northern Lehigh Education Association.The contract spans from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2021, which calls for a salary increase in each of the four years.After the meeting, Director Gregory Williams said the contract calls for a minimum increase of $875 for teachers on every step of the salary scale in the first year of the contract, and a minimum increase of $1,000 for teachers on every step of the salary scale in the second through fourth year of the contract.Board President Gary Fedorcha applauded both sides for being able to come to terms on a new contract by the middle of March.Fedorcha heaped praise on all those involved on both sides in the negotiation process, and commended them on their "professionalism," and said they "handled it extremely well."Williams expressed his thanks to both sides for working so well together."Thank you to the teachers, and the board," Williams said. "What I'm most proud of is where the relationship is now."Fellow Director Donna Kulp said she was also grateful for the positive relationship the board has with the teachers."It's nice to have the relationship we do have with the teachers," Kulp said. "I'm very proud of the relationship we have between the board and the teachers."In April 2014, the board approved a collecting bargaining agreement for three years, which called for a salary increase in each of those years.That contract was from Sept. 1, 2014, through Aug. 31, 2017, and called for salary increases of 2.10 percent in the 2014-15 school year; 2.40 percent in the 2015-16 school year; and 2.49 percent in the 2016-17 school year, which equated to an average on-scale increase of 1.01 percent.It also called for an increase in the percentage of premium that teachers pay toward health care.