The School Committee started focused contract negotiations on Monday with Belmont Educators Association (BEA), Belmont’s teacher’s union.
School Committee Chair Meg Moriarty updated Belmont families on Feb. 6, telling them the contract negotiations are starting positively and collaboratively.
According to Moriarty, the parties have agreed on ground rules and exchanged proposals.
“Importantly, both sides are committed to reaching an agreement before the current contracts expire on August 31, 2025,” Moriarty wrote in her letter.
Looking Ahead
According to a presentation by the BEA, the union’s bargaining goals include time to prepare, plan, and improve learning, educator voice in decision-making, student and educator social and emotional health, improved compensation, justice, equity, and inclusion, health and safety.
According to union President John Sullivan, these goals emerged from surveys and conversations with staff, parents, and students.
“We had members of the team meet with different parent and student groups and community groups to talk to them before we actually started bargaining, so we’d have their input prior to going to the table,” he said in an interview.
In her letter, Moriarty wrote that the School Committee members “are committed to negotiating new contracts that recognize [the schools’ staff’s] hard work and reflect the respect they deserve.”
According to her letter, the School Committee is also guided by a set of predetermined principles throughout the negotiating process.
These principles include keeping students at the heart of all decision-making, supporting educators and school leaders to ensure their success and the implementation of effective teaching practices, providing meaningful opportunities for educators to have a voice in school-level decision-making, ensuring clear contract language to prevent misunderstandings before they arise, and being mindful of the town’s ability to sustainably fund our schools for the long term.
Funding
One of the issues the BEA is bringing before the committee is the topic of funding.
According to Sullivan, there are funding sources coming into the town that could be put toward the schools that are not currently accounted for in the school budget.
Sullivan also cited new growth in the town’s yearly revenue — which he said has historically been underestimated by the town — as a potential funding source.
The BEA and the School Committee will continue to discuss the exchanged proposals, including finances.
Moving Forward
In a statement to the Voice, Moriarty said, “The BSC [Belmont School Committee] and BEA engaged in very productive dialogue about some of the proposals put forth from each of the parties.”
“Given the number of proposals on the table, we will continue this process of asking questions and listening to understand one another’s proposals at our next meeting in March,” she added.
According to the district website, six more bargaining meetings are scheduled.
The School Committee’s Collective Bargaining website and the BEA’s facebook and Instagram pages will be updated regularly for the public to follow along with the negotiation process.