Details Emerge About Newton Tentative Teacher Contract Agreement

NEWTON, MA — New details have emerged about the contract the Newton teachers union and School Committee tentatively agreed to last week. The contract is set to be voted on by the members of the union and then the school committee Dec. 16.

The last contract, a one-year collective bargaining agreement for educators, expired at the end of August. Union officials and district officials have been negotiating for more than a year to agree to a new contract, while paying teachers the same step increases from the previous contract, per state law.

The new agreement would bump salaries retroactively for the current year, and then set in motion a three-year contract from Sept. 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023.

Teachers receive automatic increases in their wages, known as “steps,” until they reach a specific year of service, called “top step,” in addition to cost of living adjustments. Both were increased in the tentative contract.

According to the school committee among the changes to the contract the starting salary increases for new teachers and educational support staff will go up by 4 percent. Middle school content leaders, cultural exploration coordinators and assistant coordinators will get new stipends. The contracts made changes so that the parental leave policy treats parents of all genders equally. Faculty with more than 10 years experience in Newton will get a "longevity payment" increase of 10 percent.

The agreement comes after months of negotiation and protests from union members.

"Our agreement reflects how much we value every educator in Newton and their contribution to making Newton Public Schools such a wonderful place for all our children," read a joint email from the School Committee and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller Monday.

Previously:

Newton City, Teachers Union Tentatively Agree

Newton Teachers Push Again For Job Contract ...

Read the full email sent Monday:

Dear Families:
As announced last week, the School Committee negotiating team, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office, reached a tentative agreement with the Newton Teachers Association.

Our agreement reflects how much we value every educator in Newton and their contribution to making Newton Public Schools such a wonderful place for all our children. On Monday, December 16, the union is meeting to vote on the contract. If ratified, the School Committee will also vote at our regularly scheduled meeting later that evening.

Once the contracts are ratified, copies may be found on the NPS website. Given that we are well into the 2019/2020 school year, the tentative agreement reflects a one-year retroactive contract for the current year, followed by a three-year contract from September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023. Here are some highlights:

• Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA):

Current year top step: 2.75% Current year non-top step: 2.50% 3-year contract (total) Top step: 9.0% Non-top step: 7.75% (Teachers receive automatic increases in their wages, known as “steps,” until they reach a specific year of service, called “top step.” These “steps” are in addition to the negotiated COLA.)

• Starting salary increases for new teachers and educational support staff (approximate increase of 4%)

• New stipends for middle school content leaders and cultural exploration coordinators and assistant coordinators

• Slight increase of $5 in health insurance co-pay for primary care and specialist visits. Significant decrease in co-pays for more convenient care options like “minute clinic” and “urgent care”

• Changes to parental leave policy that treats parents of all genders equally

• Hour, wage, and protection increases for educational support professionals

• Longevity payment increase of 10% for faculty with more than ten years in Newton

• Injury protection benefits for the rare occasion that educators sustain serious injury while on the job

Our goal with this contract is to continue to attract, inspire and retain terrific educators. We look forward to the rest of the school year and wish you all joyful holidays.

Sincerely,
The Newton School Committee
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).