Although the Belmont School Committee and the teachers union—the Belmont Education Association (BEA)—initially hoped to wrap up contract negotiations before the end of the school year, bargaining sessions are set to continue, with both parties aiming to reach an agreement by the start of the coming school year.
Salary Proposals
Among the challenges extending negotiations is the gap in salary proposals between the two parties.
In a recent update to the public, School Committee Chair Meg Moriarty wrote that the teachers’ union’s salary proposals for fiscal year 2026 exceed 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.
John Sullivan, the union’s president, said the BEA proposes salaries that include cost-of-living increases that keep up with inflation and provide a living wage for the district’s lowest-paid educators.
Previous Coverage
This year, Chapter 70 funds—state aid, which supports school operations—came in $200,000 higher than expected. The decision was made by the town to take a corresponding $200,000 out of the school budget for one-time funds, and put it toward the override mitigation fund, to account for the unexpected inflow from the state. This left the school budget unchanged at $70,629,379, despite the additional state aid.
“Any money we have, we’ve put on the table,” Moriarty said.
According to Moriarty, state funding amounts fluctuate year to year, making it unreliable for anything but one-time expenses.
Increasing Time for Educators and Students
Another issue being discussed by the two parties is time for educators and students.
The School Committee is interested in lengthening educators’ workday from seven hours to seven and a half hours, to provide additional classroom time for students; the committee is proposing increasing salaries by a 0.5% cost-of-living adjustment to compensate staff for the additional time.
According to Moriarty, Belmont has one of the shortest school days among comparable districts.
The BEA is interested in more time in the workday for educators to collaborate and plan for their classes.
“It’s fairly typical for [the School Committee] to say to us that resources are tight, but then to say resources are tight and you’re not working a long enough work day or work year comes across as you’re not working hard enough, when folks are putting in time above and beyond the school day and over the summer to prepare their classrooms for students,” Sullivan said. “It just seems to be that there’s a lack of understanding on the part of the School Committee as to how hard classroom educators are working to do the best for our students.”
“We are open to various solutions to accommodate additional time,” wrote Moriarty in her latest community update. “We remain committed to working with the BEA to find a path forward.”
Moving Forward
Sullivan said the union remains committed to continuing to negotiate for smaller class sizes and manageable caseloads, to allow students to receive adequate individualized instruction, and to support student outcomes and the well-being of educators and students.
According to Moriarty, both parties are committed to reaching an agreement before the start of the school year. To this end, the district has proposed 10 additional meetings with the BEA over the summer.
The BEA and School Committee will continue to provide updates on the bargaining process on their websites.
