Belmont Education Association President John Sullivan has pulled nomination papers to run for president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA).
“I’m interested in making sure the statewide union is member-led,” he said.
According to the MTA’s nomination form, Sullivan is seeking a two-year term to begin July 2026. Nomination papers, which require 200 signatures of support, must be filed with the MTA executive director-treasurer by 5 p.m. on March 6 for the May 2026 election. Papers must be signed by at least 200 association members, active or retired, and no more than 50 signatures may be obtained from any one local association. Additionally, no more than 100 signatures may be obtained from any one electoral district.
“My priority is visiting [local associations] and finding out what members are interested in so we’re sure to include their voice in the campaign,” said Sullivan, who is in the process of collecting signatures. “We’re hearing that members want locals to be supported from our statewide organization and ensure there’s two-way communication between our leaders and members of the MTA.”
Sullivan is a special education teacher at Belmont High School whose career in education spans more than 30 years, 31 of which have been in Belmont. He is in his 11th year as president of the BEA.
According to Sullivan, his campaign should have no impact on the current teacher contract negotiations, and instead urged the School Committee to return to the table rather than file for mediation.
“He is clearly a very effective advocate for his union and I’ve experienced that over the last few years,” said School Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty. “He’s very passionate about the work he does. I’m not too surprised he’s trying to take the next steps and move to the state level.”
Sullivan made the announcement at the end of August on a Facebook page dedicated to his campaign with Gayle Carvalho, president of the Quincy Education Association, who serves on the Executive Committee with him and is running for the role of vice president. He is familiar with two other groups campaigning for the top leadership positions in the union.
Efforts to reach the MTA were unsuccessful.
