This portal has been created to keep the Belmont community updated about the Belmont School Committee's (BSC) ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the Belmont Education Association (BEA) for a 2025-2028 successor contract. We will continue to provide updates on this site regularly, as well as via posts on our social media accounts (Facebook: BelmontPublicSchools, and X: @belmontschools). We encourage you to visit these resources often for the latest updates.

March 6, 2026

Dear Belmont Public Schools Community,

During Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, the Belmont Education Association (BEA) announced that it had conducted a vote of “no confidence” in the Belmont Select Board, School Committee, Superintendent Dr. Geiser, and Director of Human Capital Mike McAllister. 

I am deeply disappointed by this divisive action and attempt to undermine Town and District officials. I want to express my strong confidence in Superintendent Geiser and Director McAllister, who have remained actively engaged throughout this process and have continued to participate in negotiations in good faith.

As noted by the executive directors of the Massachusetts Associations of School Committees and Superintendents, votes of no confidence have increasingly been used by teachers unions across the state during difficult contract negotiations. While these divisive actions may bring attention to the current negotiations, they do not change our responsibility to continue working toward resolution. We will continue to negotiate in good faith and we encourage the BEA leaders to do the same, without resorting to public pressure strategies that compromise the process. 

Since my February 6 update, we have been preparing for our first mediation session on March 9 with Unit A (Educators). We expect to begin mediation with Units C (Administrative Assistants and Clerical Aides) and D (Paraprofessionals, Classroom Aides, Campus Monitors, and Building Substitutes) after the Unit A contracts are settled. 

On February 24, the School Committee reviewed and discussed the Superintendent’s proposed FY27 school budget. During these discussions, the district provided information about the potential budget implications of reaching agreements at the salary levels proposed by the BEA, which exceed available funding in FY27 and FY28.

Based on current projections and the Town’s multi-year financial model, closing that gap would likely require reductions in staffing in order to maintain a balanced budget as shown in the visual below.

These projections are estimates and depend on many factors, including final negotiated agreements and future budget decisions. However, they illustrate the significant financial tradeoffs that would be required if the BEA salary proposals were implemented in full.

I want to reiterate my confidence in Dr. Geiser’s leadership of this school district. We remain committed to negotiating in good faith, reaching agreements that are fair to employees and fiscally sustainable, and keeping students at the center of decision-making. We are hopeful that mediation will help the parties move toward resolution.

Meg Moriarty, Ed.D., BSC Chair