Somerville Lands Securities For Its Educators

SOMERVILLE, MA — The Somerville Educators Union discussed three developments for district teachers and staff that it was a driving force behind.

The SEU introduced a co-teaching model for two grade bands that will act as a test model for the entire district in the 2026-2027 school year. In addition, the union has secured 12 weeks of paid parental leave for educators, which is the most of any municipality in Massachusetts. However Union President Dayshawn Simmons said the most important policy in her opinion is the implementation of a $50,000 minimum salary for paraprofessionals.

“Working in education shouldn’t leave you in poverty. For many of our paraprofessionals this raise will be life-changing. I asked Somerville to lead the way, and it is,” Paraprofessional Daphnee Balan said. “And it’s important to name, $50,000 a year is still not enough to live in Somerville or any of the surrounding towns.”

The SEU expressed gratitude to the school committee, city council, and other district leadership for their part in securing additional funds for the city’s schools in the Fiscal Year 2026 capital budget.