Teacher Contracts

Do you wonder who really makes the decision about teacher contracts? There's a lot of information swirling about the ongoing Sudbury Public School union negotiations, and there is some finger pointing towards SPS School Committee (past and present) and how they might be responsible.

However, the truth is, that the SPS School Committee actually doesn't have that much control. While they approve the school budgets, as presented by the administration, they are not the ones in control of the overall spending number. That allocation is done by the Town Manager with guidance from the Select Board. The Town Manager gives SPS a total budget number, and that's what they need to work within.

But there is a sneaky back-door way around it. It preys upon a community's wish for a great education for our kids. What can happen (and what I'm guessing is actually in process here) is that a structural deficit can be created (See this article from April 2024 that explains what a structural deficit is - What is a Structural Deficit?). If a school committee agrees to a union contract that exceeds the budget allocated by the Town Manager/Select Board, then the Town Manager/Select Board will likely come to the community and request a override in that year of the next. And when they request this override, they can say, "Well, if you don't approve this override, then your teachers could be laid off and your kid's education will suffer." Honestly, it's a kind of extortion. Is the School Committee in on the back-door plan? That's anyone's guess.

It's a sneaky way of forcing a tax increase by withholding money from a department that the community doesn't want to withhold money from.

I hope this doesn't happen this time. Last year we had some $9 Million dollars in free cash. That means that we over-budgeted by $9 Million dollars. If we as a town really do hold education as a core value, and if the SPS union negotiations exceed the current budget allocation, then the Town Manager/Select Board should be allocating some of that $9 Million to the schools - they shouldn't ask for an override. Most towns have to make a choice - library services vs education, senior center funding vs education, etc. But we are not in that situation. We have plenty of money in our tax levy to fund our schools alongside other programs by JUST MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES.

If you have seen the pleas from the teachers union and you are moved to try to influence the people who are really making the decision, then your letters and calls should be focused on your elected Select Board and the Town Manager.