Late last week, after almost a year of collective bargaining meetings, the School Committee announced in a letter to the community its request for third-party mediation from the state to resolve contract negotiations with the teacher’s union, the Belmont Education Association (BEA). The union, however, has declined to file for third-party mediation.
According to a BEA press release, the union is instead requesting the School Committee withdraw its application for mediation and resume negotiations with the union, stating “the lack of progress is the direct result of the committee’s repeated engagement in surface bargaining and regressive proposals on salary.”
In her letter to the community, School Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty wrote the two parties are still far apart on salary proposals due to the union proposing salary increases exceeding the town’s budget, which, if implemented, could lead to forced cuts and program reductions. After more than 70 hours at the table, she said, the two parties remain more than $2 million apart on salary over the course of a three-year contract.
According to her letter, “mediation allows both sides to work with a neutral third party to move toward an agreement that respects educators while keeping the system sustainable.”
February 2025
The School Committee and the Belmont Education Association (BEA) had been meeting since October 2024, and in February had agreed on ground rules and had exchanged proposals.
“Importantly, both sides are committed to reaching an agreement before the current contracts expire on August 31, 2025,” Moriarty wrote in a letter to the community at the time.
According to a presentation by the BEA, the union’s bargaining goals at this point included: 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; and health and safety.
The School Committee had also developed a set of principles to guide their negotiations. These included 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 the schools for the long term.
March 2025
As of March 10, no specific monetary figures had been discussed, according to Moriarty. She said the two parties had engaged in high-level talks about their values and priorities.
One of the main issues being discussed at this point was how the time during the school day would be allocated for students and educators. According to BEA President John Sullivan in March 2025, the union was interested in increasing educators’ time to prepare for classes. Other issues included: expanding educators’ voices in decision-making processes, improving the well-being of students and staff, and improving benefits and compensation for staff and teachers.
Moriarty said that priorities for the School Committee when it came to time allocation included: increasing student learning time, increasing time for educators and administrators to prepare for their classes, and adding professional development opportunities.
June 2025
The BEA and School Committee extended negotiations into the summer by adding 10 bargaining sessions to their schedule.
The gap in salary proposals between the two parties was among the challenges in extended negotiations. In a letter to the community, Moriarty wrote that the teachers’ union’s salary proposal for fiscal year 2026 exceeded the school budget by $725,000.
A presentation from the BEA, meanwhile, stated that the district’s 2026 budget for salaries, when supplemented by state Chapter 70 funding and the funds saved from staff turnover, would cover the cost of the BEA’s proposed salaries for the coming school year.
Moriarty said state funding amounts fluctuate year to year, making it unreliable for anything but one-time expenses.
The School Committee also proposed lengthening educators’ workday from seven hours to seven and a half hours, to provide additional classroom time for students. The committee proposed increasing salaries by an additional 0.5% cost-of-living adjustment to compensate staff for the additional time.
The BEA, meanwhile, expressed interest in more time in the workday for educators to collaborate and plan for their classes.
Both parties expressed a commitment to the bargaining process and an interest in wrapping up contract negotiations by the start of the school year.
September 2025
The school year began without a new contract settled, despite the BEA and School Committee engaging in over 60 hours of negotiations, according to a letter to the community from Moriarty.
There continues to be a significant gap in salary proposals between the two parties, with the School Committee proposing 2.5% to 4% salary increases for educational staff, and the BEA proposing salary increases of up to 12% to 37% at some steps, according to a letter by Moriarty.
The issue is whether there are funds available to pay for these salary increases.
One fiscal consideration being discussed by the two parties is the cost of health insurance. The union stated the town could save millions in funds by switching the town’s health insurance coverage for municipal employees. In contrast, an assessment by the Select Board found no savings and projected potential cost if the town were to make the switch.
In a letter to the community, Moriarty stated that the decision to switch health insurance coverage would also come from the Select Board, and the board has decided not to pursue this change at this time.
Both the School Committee and BEA have expressed continued commitment to settling contract negotiations as quickly as possible, although the School Committee is pursuing mediation from the state while the BEA is pursuing a complaint with the state labor relation board.