In May, the Belmont Education Association (BEA) and the School Committee settled on a three-year contract for district educators and staff, which runs through fiscal year 2028.
The parties reached an agreement after a year and a half of negotiations. Ultimately, the contracts include 128 contractual changes, including expanded access to sick leave banks and paid parental leave. The School Committee voted to accept the contracts for all four bargaining units on May 27.
The official contracts are still being finalized by the district’s human resources department, according to Superintendent Jill Geiser. However, a look at the 128 tentative agreements provides insight into changes coming to the school system.
One-Time Payments
All members of the BEA will receive a one-time ratification payment as part of the contract. Members of Units A, representing educators, and B, representing directors, assistant directors, and assistant principals, will receive $500. Members of Unit C, representing administrative assistants and clerical aides, and Unit D, representing professional aides and classroom assistants, will receive $1,200.
Elementary (K-3) educators will also receive a $1,000 “Prep Time Gap Payment.”
The funds, totaling $500,000 from free cash, were approved 195-26-10 on the final night of Town Meeting on June 10.
“The reason the School Committee pursued this approach is because it is fiscally responsible,” School Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty told Town Meeting. “These are one-time payments funded with one-time revenue. They do not become part of the salary base, they do not compound over time, and they do not create additional obligations in future budgets. This approach allowed us to recognize and invest in educators and staff who serve Belmont students every day, while staying within the district’s long-term financial framework and preserving staffing and programming.”
Cost of Living Adjustments
Unit A members will receive a 2.3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) each year, according to the new contract. Unit C members will receive a 2.5% COLA each year, and Unit D members will receive a 3% COLA.
Increases were also made to the steps of the varying pay scales for union members.
Compared to surrounding districts, Belmont educators settled on a lower COLA than has been typical in recent years, according to Moriarty. Newton’s educators, who went on strike for 11 days in 2024, will receive a 3.25% COLA in the fall. Arlington educators, by comparison, will receive a 2.75% COLA, she said.
As Town Meeting members debated the allocation of free cash for one-time payments, some residents raised concerns that, with rising inflation and a 24% increase in health insurance costs in fiscal year 2027, educators and school staff are taking home less per paycheck than ever before.
“Salaries for teachers in Belmont, as well as other places, have not kept up with inflation, or even close to it,” said Tara Donner, a precinct 6 Town Meeting member. “As Chair Moriarty said, the School Committee is in a bind because the School Committee is in charge of settling contracts and has no control over the amount of money with which to settle those, so teachers who have worked harder than ever in the last six years are getting paid comparatively less and less.”
15 Minutes of Instructional Time
Starting in the fall, students across the district will have an additional 15 minutes of instructional time. Previously, Belmont students saw an average instructional time of about 5.93 hours per day at the elementary level and 6.23 hours per day at the middle and high school levels, according to the School Committee.
Other districts, including Lexington and Arlington, have more than six hours of instructional time on average on the elementary level, according to Moriarty. Lexington has an average of 6.67 hours of instruction per day at the middle and high school levels, and Arlington has an average of 6.43 hours, she said.
The additional 15 minutes adds up to more than a week of added instructional time over the course of a school year, Moriarty said.
“[This is] an important gain that will provide greater opportunities to engage with the curriculum, strengthen grade-level skills, and continue academic growth. It will also support teachers’ instruction as they implement increasingly rigorous learning experiences, including recently adopted literacy and mathematics curricula at the elementary and upper elementary levels,” Moriarty wrote in her final negotiations update to the community.
Class Size/Caseload Working Group (CSCWG)
Throughout negotiations, union members emphasized the importance of manageable class sizes and caseloads for both educator and student success. The two parties agreed to form a Class Size/Caseload Working Group to study school data and recommend solutions.
According to the tentative agreement, the working group will be formed within 30 days of the contract ratification and will “monitor class sizes, recommend solutions when limits are exceeded, and ensure accountability for implementation.”
The group will be made up of seven people appointed by the union and seven people appointed by the School Committee. The committee will report its findings at least once per school year at a public meeting.
“The agreements include a commitment around preparation time for elementary educators and the Class Size/Caseload working group, but continued vigilance and accountability will be necessary to ensure these commitments are fully implemented and that educator concerns around workload, class size, and caseload are meaningfully addressed,” said BEA President John Sullivan.
