A Statement from the Easton School Committee Negotiation Subcommittee – 4/11/25
We are pleased to announce that the Collective Bargaining Agreements between the
Easton School Committee and the Easton Educators’ Association for Unit A and Unit C
(paraprofessionals) originally scheduled to expire on August 31, 2025, shall be
continued through August 31, 2026.
The modifications to the Agreements are as follows:
- Unit A
a. The Cost-of-Living Adjustment for Unit A will increase by 2.5 percent.
b. If an employee does not use all the employee’s personal leave days in a
year, the remaining personal leave days will be added to the employee’s
accumulated sick leave. - Unit C
a. In recognition of the $100,000 appropriated at Town Meeting in May 2024
for paraprofessional pay, 85 cents will be added to the hourly wage as of
the date of ratification of this Agreement. Further, paraprofessionals who
are employed as of the date of ratification, will receive this increase
retroactive to September 1, 2024.
b. In addition, effective September 1, 2025, the hourly wage will be increased
by an additional $2.15 thus increasing the base by a total of $3.00.
c. If an employee does not use all the employee’s personal leave days in a
year, the remaining personal leave days will be added to the employee’s
accumulated sick leave.
The School Committee thanks the EEA for their collaboration on this Memorandum of
Agreement and looks forward to continuing our work together.
A Statement from the Easton School Committee Negotiation Subcommittee – 3/7/25
The School Committee negotiation team has met twice with the Easton Educators’ Association (EEA) to negotiate over successor contracts for Unit A members (teachers, nurses, instructional coaches, reading specialists, guidance counselors, and clinical staff) and Unit C members (paraprofessionals). We very much appreciate that a number of unit members have attended the two sessions, both as speaking and silent representatives, as these sessions address important issues that have an impact on all of our staff, our students, the School Committee, and the community as a whole.
Based upon an agreement reached by the parties before the first meeting held on Jan. 29, 2025, the EEA used that meeting to present initial economic proposals, whereas the School Committee team made proposals to adjust certain contract language, including renewing several proposals from past negotiations that would be helpful in serving students.
The EEA’s initial proposal for 2025-26 consisted of increasing the Unit A salary schedule by 2% and the Unit C schedule by $3 per hour, but also included proposals for increases in additional years, with additional dollars to be triggered in the event the town passes an override, a possibility that has been discussed widely in the Town. At our most recent negotiation session on March 5, the School Committee team made a counter on economics by proposing a one-year package for 2025-2026 for each unit. The proposal matched that of the EEA for 2025-2026, but also made a portion of the $3 per hour increase for Unit C retroactive to Sept. 1, 2024, in light of the $100,000 put aside for Unit C from this year’s budget. It further provided that all other proposals would be withdrawn and available for renewal during negotiations for 2026-2027 and beyond. The School Committee’s one-year package is attached.
In proposing this one-year package, the School Committee recognized the importance of providing pay increases for our employees. This is important both to support staff members who share their expertise, dedication, and passion in serving our students every day and to maintain salary schedules that are within the parameters of surrounding districts.
At the same time, the School Committee negotiation team understands the dire budget situation faced by the town for Fiscal Year 2026 and beyond, a situation in large part due to minimal increases in state funding in the face of increased costs in providing services. We urge all citizens and employees to review the information published by the PASE Committee and the “FY2026 Preliminary Operating Budget Change Memo #1,” published on Feb. 24, 2025, which describes the town’s operating budget deficit heading into FY2026 as $5.4 million.
We recognize that this level of deficit must result in a reduction in the number positions the school department will have to serve our students. These reductions will directly impact class sizes, student extracurricular programs, school programs and elective courses, enrichment offerings, summer programming, transportation, technology, staff professional development, and more.
The School Committee team appreciates the work of PASE in identifying the need for the citizens of Easton to pass an operational override in support of town and school department services, and we are glad that the EEA has expressed its understanding of such a need.
Of course, the process for an override is a long one: First, the Select Board must vote to initiate the override. Second, residents must pass not only a balanced budget with the limited existing funds and an override budget at Town Meeting (May 19, 2025). Lastly, residents must vote to approve the override at the polls via a special election. At this point, such a process would not be completed until late May or June at the earliest. Until then, we must move forward in identifying the positions to be cut and notifying the individuals who will be laid off.
The School Committee’s decision to propose a one-year package balances our strong interest in providing a pay increase for staff and our efforts to limit the loss of positions and thus services for students beyond the 40 to 50 positions already anticipated. It guarantees wage increases for staff for 2025-2026, despite the uncertain times. Just as important, in the event of a successful override, the School Committee could begin to restore a number of positions and thus services for students, while also heading into negotiations for 2026-2027 and beyond with knowledge of the override status — and thus the dollars available for further wage increases for staff.
As always, the School Committee is committed to negotiating with all bargaining units in an effort to reach agreements that address the needs of staff, students, and the community we are all here to serve.
Respectfully,
Easton School Committee Negotiation Subcommittee
Easton School Committee Package Proposal – EEA Negotiations 3-5-25