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 update these pages regularly, and encourage you to check it often.

June 6, 2025

Dear Belmont Public Schools Community,

We met with the Belmont Education Association (BEA) on Wednesday, June 4, for our 15th negotiation session since October 2024. It was encouraging to hear the BEA President affirm a commitment to settling all contracts by the end of the school year. We share that goal. However, many proposals remain unresolved. We have presented three salary offers, including two revised proposals on May 5 after the BEA declined our initial April 14 offer. A month later, we are still waiting for their response. With the end of the school year approaching, we are hopeful the BEA will respond positively to our salary proposals so that we can reach a timely agreement on all outstanding matters and move forward together.

Despite that challenge, progress was made during the session. We reached 21 new Tentative Agreements, and both parties have withdrawn 44 proposals to date. However, 150+ BEA proposals remain under discussion and will need to be resolved in order to reach an agreement before the end of the school year. You can find the most up-to-date information about all Tentative Agreements on our “TA Tracker,” available in the BSC’s Public Portal.

In addition, we presented a comprehensive package for Unit D educators (professional aides, classroom assistants, tutors, campus monitors, and building-based substitutes). The proposal includes additional paid professional development opportunities, tuition reimbursement, expanded job protections, and enhanced leave benefits, including FMLA benefits and military leave. We deeply value the important contributions of our Professional Aides and Classroom Assistants and are committed to ensuring that appreciation is reflected in our proposals. These educators play a critical role in supporting our students and schools.

We also continue to negotiate for more time on learning for all students. As highlighted in a recent “Time on Learning” presentation, this remains a key priority for improving the quality of education that our students deserve. We are approaching this issue collaboratively, with a strong commitment to engaging educators in conversations about how any changes can be structured to best support both students and staff.

As the session concluded, the BEA suggested using state aid to increase educator salaries. However, Massachusetts state aid for FY26 has not been finalized. Proposed federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP could reduce how much state aid we receive in the coming years. In short, we cannot responsibly rely on state aid for salary increases because the amount is unknown, subject to change, and outside our control.

Meg Moriarty, Ed.D., BSC Chair