Takeaways from the TTA Contract Negotiations, Session 3

Session 3 was the end of new proposals; next meeting both parties will come back with counter proposals.

To see the rules for the open contract negotiations, click here, and to see the Session 2 recap click here. A copy of the current teacher’s contract is here, and ESP (Education Support Personnel) information is here.

Wednesday’s bargaining session was the last chance for both the district and the union to bring forward new proposals. At that meeting, representing the district were School Committee Chair Bridget Garabedian, School Committee member Rich Russo, Town Manager Richard Montuori, Superintendent Brenda Regan, Assistant Superintendent Lori McDermott, Business Manager Dave Libby and the district’s attorney, Rosann DiPietro.

Representing the TTA were President Conner Bourgoin and Co-Vice Presidents Emily Niles and Emily Noel. Also on hand were Wynn teacher and former TTA president Josh Bilodeau, TMHS teacher Peter Molloy, ESP Joanne Elwell, TMHS Special Education Lead Teacher Jillian Nashawaty and Mass. Teachers Association representative Ted Lewis.

Up first for discussion was the teachers’ contract.

District Proposals for the TTA

• Expand teachers’ workday from seven hours to eight hours. The daily extra hour would be used for PLC (professional learning communities), parent/teacher conferences and communications, extra help and equitable rotation of duties plus faculty meetings and extra prep time. Current cost of living step increases are 2.25%; to compensate for the additional hour, the district is offering a 3.5% increase the first year of the contract for steps 1 though 4 and a 3% increase for steps 5 through 10, then a 3% increase the next two years.  
• POINTS OF INTEREST:
  • The district sees this as a way to add the extra prep and PLC time requested by the TTA without adding more half days and losing learning time. The cost of living pay increase is to compensate for the extra hour of time. The TTA, through Lewis, expressed displeasure over the compensation suggested in light of the extra daily hour and what he characterized as the “low morale” of teachers throughout the state. You can see the TTA compensation proposal below in Proposal 20. No other nearby school districts are working eight hour days. 
  • The TTA notes that this is a 6% increase in work time throughout the year versus only a 3% income increase for most members. 
  • Teachers would not have to hold evening parent/teacher conferences unless they opt to, but could still offer two conferences per student per year. 
  • Building principals would be responsible for setting schedules based on what is best for each school.
• If the Friday before April vacation is Good Friday, then Thursday will be the 1/2 day. 
• Adding language about the work school counselors do over the summer. 
• Changes to align pre-K times with the elementary school times. 
• Language around student supervision on buses, at lunch, at breakfast — whenever students need it. 
• Appendix B (compensation for non-teaching duties) updates:
  • Working on compensation for teachers who chaperone events but are not the activity advisor.
  • Change all “Lead Teachers” and “Department Heads” to “Department Leaders” and change the compensation for all to $7,756. This gives former Lead Teachers a boost in their stipends.
  • Remove a stipend for new teachers who are being mentored, as this is not an area of compensation for any comparable district. 
  • There are currently 4 1/2 case managers covered by the TTA contract; by 2025 these roles will be removed from the TTA contract and will be considered more administrative, as staff evaluating teachers should not be a part of teaching staff..
  • Adding any new roles decided on by the joint committee.
  • The district had no increase proposals at this time. They will counter the TTA proposal.

TTA Proposals for the District

• Proposal 14: Bus monitors for K-6, for 1/2 hour at the end of the day, receive a $3,600 stipend
• Proposal 15: Adding language for DLC (developmental learning classroom) working conditions. DLC classrooms serve students with significant delays in academic, functional life skills or social interaction capabilities:
  • Preschool classes capped at seven students, grades K-8 capped at five and grades 9-12 capped at eight.
  • Add a dedicated BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) to the program, and if the BCBA is absent, every effort will be made to ensure a general education BCBA is in the building.
  • Have a duty-free lunch period equal to the length of a student lunch.
  • Have one prep block per day, and have five additional blocks per week to split between prep, consulting, common planning and classroom business. DLC teachers will have discretion on how to use their blocks. If a DLC teacher must stay with a student through their lunch or prep time, they’ll be compensated based on the teacher hourly rate.
  • Each DLC teacher will do morning and afternoon van duty but will be excused from lunch and bus duty.
  • Teachers should have full discretion to employ their own teaching methods, techniques and practices.
  • The dissolution of a classroom cannot happen without first discussing it with the DLC teacher.
  •  All DLC teachers will be given the option to assist in hiring aides and paraprofessionals for their classrooms.
  • Provided with adequate release time for observation and visitations to sending schools. 
• Proposal 16: Adding Department Heads for the following departments at TMHS: Wellness, Foreign Language, Special Education, Fine Arts, CBTE (Competency-based teacher education) and English Language Learners (districtwide)
• Proposal 17: Change sick day buyback at retirement from 15% to 30%
• Proposal 18: Temporary leave will be requested through the Frontline app. Add two personal days, for a total of five. In order for members on the TTA board to have adequate time to train on union matters, there should be the same amount of Association Days as members. All requests will be made by the President and approved by the Superintendent. 
• Proposal 19: Increase tuition reimbursement from $750 to $1,500 a year, and be able to use that amount towards more than one class.
• Proposal 20: Change longevity increase to be based on a percentage of income instead of a static number — 10 years 1%, 13 years 1.5%, 20 years 3%, 25 years 6%, and 30 years 10%.  Change the steps currently in place by eliminating current steps 1 and 2, and renumber steps 3-8 as 1-8, then add on a new maximum step (9) that is 6% higher than the previous step. An 8% cost of living raise for the 2024-2025 school year, 8% for 2025-2026 and 8% for 2026-2027. 
• Proposal 21: An 8% increase for the 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years for all Appendix B positions. Add two bus duty stipends for the Dewing, Heath Book, Center and Ryan schools, starting at $3,600. Add a stipend for TMHS morning announcements starting at $3,762. Add a stipend for TMHS Advisory Academic Planners starting at $5,000. Add pay for Chaperoning Student Event at the hourly teacher rate; this would not apply to any group advisors. Adjust hourly rate to $50 per hour; the current rate is $34.86. 

TTA House Cleaning Proposals

• Proposal 1: Change all pronouns to be gender neutral.
• Proposal 2: Add Memorandum of Agreement regarding Aperture (completed in October 2022) as a new Appendix F. 

District Proposals for ESPs (Education Support Professionals)

• ESPs will be assigned as a substitute by the building principal for absent teachers instead of asking for volunteers, with an increase in pay. 
• There was no proposal for compensation because the district was waiting for the TTA’s proposal and plans to counter.  

TTA Proposal for ESPs to District

• Remove the language that after 10 continuous days of an assignment, ESPs will receive $60, and after eight weeks $80. Replace with the language that from Day 1 to Week 4 they shall receive $100 per day and anything beyond four weeks, $150.  
• Change the longevity pay from a static number to a percentage based on the following:
  • after 7 years – 1%
  • after 11 years – 1.5%
  • after 14 years – 3.0%
  • after 17 years – 6%
  • after 19 years – 10%
  • after 23 years – 13%
• The wage proposal is in the chart below. 

• And the new stipends are in the chart below:

Agreements:

• The District agreed to the language about ESP Personal Days proposed at the last meeting.
• The district said they would be willing to accept the proposal for 1/2 day sick days if there is a willingness for the TTA to accept the language about ESPs stepping up to substitute.  

Still in Discussion

• Any financial decisions
• Teacher prep time: The TTA and district have two different solutions. 
• Bringing all contracted aides in house: The district is looking at this as a possibility.

You can watch the full negotiation on YouTube here. The next negotiation is scheduled for February 15.