School Committee's Global Settlement Proposal
School Committee's Global Settlement Proposal
Shared at the September 16, 2026 Bargaining Session
Shared at the September 16, 2026 Bargaining Session
The goal of the School Committee's compensation offer is to continue to allow the district to recruit and retain the highest quality educators and support staff.
(Unit A: Teachers/Nurses, Unit B: Administrators, Unit C: Instructional Support Professionals, Unit D: Administrative Support Professionals, Unit E: Technology Support Professionals)
PROPOSALS
Cost of Living Increases (All Units):
Fiscal Year 2027 (Current School Year): 2.5% COLA
Fiscal Year 2028: 2.75% COLA
Fiscal Year 2029: 3.0% COLA
Steps (Unit A): Drops step 1 on the existing (16-step) salary table, and renumbers the salary table from steps 1 to 15.
Steps (Unit C): Adds step 6 to the existing (5-step) wage table.
Paid Holidays (Unit C): Increases the number of paid holidays from 4 to 6, adding New Year’s Day and Patriot’s Day.
De-Escalation, Restraint & Other Mandated Special Education Training (Unit A): Allows trainers to be compensated at the rate of $100 per hour.
Work Day (Unit C): Establishes additional work hours on half-day Wednesdays for department & professional meetings.
Compensation for Coverage (Unit A & B): Establishes compensation for unit members providing classroom coverage.
Lane Placement (Unit A): Clarifies parameters for lane placement.
Step Advancement (Units A & C): Clarifies number of work days required for Units A & C step advancement.
Longevity (Units A & C): Clarifies number of work days required for longevity payments.
Field Trip Compensation (Unit A): Provides school nurses compensation for travel with students to field trips on days when school is not in session.
Step Advancement (Unit D): All non-probationary Unit D staff would advance one step on July 1, regardless of hire date.
The School Committee's elementary scheduling proposal includes eliminating most half-day Wednesdays. The schedule change is meant to both benefit student learning and support families. It must be bargained due to Unit A work times defined in previous collective bargaining agreements.
PROPOSALS
Elementary Schedules (Unit A): To support student learning, the proposal eliminates most Wednesday half-days in elementary schools. One Wednesday of each month would be an exception and serve as a district-wide half day at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Current practices of half days for conferences would stay the same. Specialist schedules would be calibrated for greater continuity.
Work Day (Unit B): Adds language clarifying work hours.
The School Committee's proposal includes a new parental leave entitlement and expanded access to the Parental Leave Bank.
PROPOSALS
Parental Leave (All Units): Provides staff five (5) paid days of parental leave entitlement plus an additional ten (10) paid days from the Parental Leave Bank. After those 15 days, staff members would be able to use accrued sick time, for up to a total of 12 weeks of parental leave. (Current contract allows five (5) days from the Parental Leave Bank before using sick days.)
Sick Leave Bank (Unit D): Creates Sick Leave Bank procedures that mirror the Unit C procedures.
Personal Days (Units A, B, C): Creates additional flexibility around personal days at the beginning and end of the school year; prorates personal days for staff who begin or end service in the middle of the school year. For Unit C, adds a third personal day in the third year of employment.
A significant benefit of the the School Committee's proposal for Units D & E includes the opportunity to work remotely up to eight days per year. This is in response to a request from the WEA for additional flexibility for members of those units.
PROPOSALS
Remote Work (Units D & E): Creates opportunity to work remotely up to eight (8) days per year with prior approval from supervisor.
Management Rights (Units A-D): Adds language delineating the administration's right to oversee school operations.
Job Classification (Unit C): Clarifies various job groups within the Student Services department. This proposal differentiates job classifications by essential job functions, skills and training.
Probationary Period (Unit D): Decreases the probationary period for Unit D staff from six (6) to four (4) months.
The proposals in this category include a more equitable distribution of course reimbursement funds, to support Unit C members in growing their careers.
PROPOSALS
Course Reimbursement (Units A & C): Creates a more equitable distribution of funds for Units A and C course reimbursement: $20,000 Unit A/$15,000 Unit C. (Current contract: $30,000 Unit A/$5,000 Unit C) For Unit C, raises the cap for individual reimbursement from $500 to $5,000 annually.
Seniority (Unit E): Adds two newly created positions (Help Desk Coordinator and Senior Technician) to Reduction in Force.
Holidays & Compensation (Unit D): Adds contractual language to reflect the recent addition of an elementary secretary position in Student Services.
Professional Development (WEA): Increases compensation for Unit A staff teaching PD courses.
Coverage Rates (WEA): Increases compensation for Unit C staff serving as substitute educators.
Jury Duty (WEA): Adds a new provision in the Jury Duty article for all units.
Recommendation Writing Release (WEA): Provides all Unit A members with release time when writing 25 or more recommendations.
Sick Leave (WPS): Prorates sick leave for Units A & B members hired mid-year.
FMLA (WPS): Adds clarifying language that entitles Units C & D members to FMLA protections after working 1,000 hours in a year.
Unit C Professional Development (WEA): Improves language supporting professional development opportunities.
Seniority List (WEA & WPS): Agreement uses WEA’s preferred method of distributing the seniority list, and fulfills WPS request to distribute the seniority list only to units (A, D & E) where seniority is tied to the RIF process.
Performing Arts Stipend Postings (WEA): Adjusts posting timelines for Unit A Performing Arts stipend positions.
Unit C Career Advancements (WEA): Adds new language for Unit C career advancement.
Unit C Vacancies (WPS): Posts Unit C positions electronically, rather than via email.
Unit D Evaluations (WPS): Unit D members’ evaluations are signed through the electronic management system.