Proposer | Approver | Unit(s) | Language Change | Rationale | Status |
|---|
Belmont Education Association (BEA) | Belmont School Committee (BSC) | All | [Extend agreement by three years] | Extends the contract through 2028 | Tentative Agreement! |
BEA | BSC | A | [Rename “teachers” to “bargaining unit members” throughout.] | Uses more inclusive language | TA! |
BEA | BSC | All | [Gender neutral references throughout.] | Uses more inclusive language | TA! |
BEA | BSC | All | [Clean up agreement during main table negotiations to move items to more appropriate locations in the contract.] | Better organizes the contract | TA! |
BEA | BSC | All | [Reorder and rename articles in order to align the sequence of all four BEA contracts.] | Better organizes the contract | TA! |
BEA | BSC | D | "Article 4 – Sick Leave Bank ... Effective July 1, 2025 the Unit D sick bank shall be merged with the Unit A sick bank. Unit C shall access the Sick Leave Bank according to the terms defined in the Unit A agreement. The provisions of Article Four, in its entirety, do not apply to Building Substitutes.
4.1 A Sick Leave Bank is hereby established for those employees eligible for sick leave who have exhausted their sick leave and who have serious, long-term illness.
4.2 Aides new to the system will contribute one (1) day of sick leave to the bank in the first year of employment. If the Sick Leave Bank is exhausted, it shall be renewed by the contribution of one (1) additional day from each unit member’s allowance.
4.3 The Sick Leave Bank shall be administered by a Sick Leave Bank Committee of four members. Two members shall be designated by the School Administration and two members shall be designated by the BEA, so long as at least one member is a Unit D member. The decision of this committee as to the amount of leave to be granted shall be final and binding. The criteria used by the committee in determining eligibility and amount of leave are as follows:
a. Adequate medical evidence of serious illness (in the form of a doctor’s certificate or letter).
b. Exhaustion of previous sick leave.
c. An examination of the history of the way in which previous sick leave has been used.
d. Length of service in Belmont.
4.4 An initial grant from the Bank shall be limited to ten (10) workdays and can be extended by the Sick Leave Bank Committee only by further demonstration of need under the criteria listed in Section 4.3"
| Combines all sick banks into a single sick bank for sake of efficiency | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | "Article 26 – Sick Leave Bank Effective July 1, 2025 the Unit C sick bank shall be merged with the Unit A sick bank. Unit C shall access the Sick Leave Bank according to the terms defined in the Unit A agreement. 1. A sick leave bank has been established for use by eligible employees covered by the Contract who have exhausted their own sick leave and who have serious illness.
2. All employees shall contribute one (1) day of sick leave to the Bank on each July 1st whenever it runs below 100 days.
3. The initial grant of sick leave by the Sick Leave Bank Committee to an eligible employee shall not exceed fifteen (15) days.
4. Upon completion of the fifteen (15) day period, the period of entitlement may be extended by the Sick Leave Bank Committee upon the demonstration of need by the applicant.
5. The Sick Leave Bank shall be administered by a Sick Leave Bank Committee consisting of four (4) members. Two (2) members shall be designated by the Committee to serve at its discretion and two (2) members shall be designated by the Association.
The Sick Leave Bank Committee in administering the Bank and in determining eligibility and amount of leave shall consider:
a. Adequate medical evidence of serious illness.
b. Prior utilization of all eligible sick leave.
c. Length of service in the Belmont School System.
d. Propriety of use of previous sick leave.
6. If the Sick Leave Bank is exhausted, it shall be renewed by the contribution of one additional day of sick leave by each employee covered by this Contract. Such additional days will be deducted from the employees’ annual fifteen (15) days of sick leave. The Sick Leave Bank Committee shall determine the time when it is necessary to replenish the Bank.
7. The decision of the Sick Leave Bank Committee, with respect to the eligibility and entitlement, shall be final and binding and not subject to appeal.
8. The Sick Leave Bank will have a cap of 120 days beginning 7/1/98 with an accumulation of 131 days.
9. Employees new to the Association shall contribute one (1) day of sick leave to the Sick Leave Bank in the first year of employment."
| Combines all sick banks into a single sick bank for sake of efficiency | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | "Article 21.3 - Professional Development At the High School, four (4) release days will be provided. The first of these release days shall coincide with the first day of school, with the exception of grade 9. Reference: meeting schedule Calendar addendum see MOA Section 4 June 2011." | Aligns contract with current practice | TA! |
BSC | BEA | A | "Expenses for three in-district courses highly recommended by the district, EMI IDEAS (or equivalent), Understanding Teaching Studying Skillful Teaching I (or equivalent), and Understanding Teaching II (or equivalent), will be covered by the School Department. These expenses include the cost of the program, books, and graduate credit costs for all participants. Admission to such courses will be on a space available basis. Every effort will be made to schedule course availability in a manner that will meet the demand. Should the district elect to change the courses that are highly recommended from those mentioned above, they will continue to cover said costs." | Corrects outdated language | TA! |
BSC | BEA | A | "Article 19.4(a) - Class Size and Assignment (a) On the basis of a seven-period day, High School teachers working in the major academic areas will be assigned no more than thirty (30) periods per week, of which not more than twenty-five (25) shall be teaching periods. In cases of unfilled vacancies where educators may volunteer to teach additional sections of a course in lieu of a personal preparation period or a lunch such that they would exceed the above limits, a salary adjustment equaling 20% of their salary for each additional 0.2 FTE will be applied. Such additional assignments may be for one school year in duration only, during which the Building Principal will endeavor to hire a permanent replacement. While educators may volunteer, the Superintendent or designee has the final decision on whether to accept the educator. No educator may be required to accept such an assignment. The unfilled vacancy shall remain posted until filled by a permanent educator. Prior to assigning an educator to teach an additional section the parties shall meet to review building staffing at a building-based JLMC. An educator who is assigned to an additional section shall be paid retroactively from the period when they begin preparation for the course." | Provides educators the option to voluntarily increase course load | TA! |
BSC | BEA | A | "Recognizing that the number of meetings vary from year to year based on the calendar, number of meeting days in a given year, meetings will include: Meeting Type | Elementary | Middle | High |
|---|
Building Meetings | 15 | 13 | 14 | Department Meetings | 0 | 7 | 9 | Curriculum Meeting | 7 | 3 | 3 | Common Planning Time (Educators) | 4 | 4 | 4 | Teacher generated agenda | 3 | 3 | 3 | Early Release for Parent Conferences | 6 7
| 6 | 2 | Half Day for PD | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Adds parent-teacher conference day at the elementary level | TA! |
BSC | BEA | A | "The parties shall form a working group to study and create a new approach to meeting schedules including, but not limited to: Teacher-generated Agenda meetings, Faculty & Staff/Building Meetings, Grade-level Meetings, Curriculum Meetings, Common Planning Time (Educator) Meetings, Department Meetings, PLT/Professional Development meetings, Early release days, and Parent/Guardian-Teacher days (if applicable; see separately proposed ‘Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences Group’). The group shall have equal parts representation from the BEA and School Administration: At least 1 BEA member from the elementary level, 1 BEA member from Chenery, 1 BEA member from BMS, 1 BEA member from BHS, 1 Administrator (or designee) from the elementary level, 1 Administrator (or designee) from Chenery, 1 Administrator from BMS, and 1 Administrator (or designee) from BHS. This group’s charge will be to recommend a model for meetings. The new model must be approved by the Superintendent and the Belmont Education Association before being implemented as a pilot for the 2025-2026 school year. This proposed group shall reassemble by January, 2026 to review the pilot and make any additional recommendations. The final model must be approved by the Superintendent and the Belmont Education Association no later than May 30, 2026 for implementation in subsequent years. No extra-compensatory payment will be made to group members for this work." | Forms a joint committee to develop a new approach to meeting schedules | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | "Article 27.2 - Reduction in Force For purposes of this Article 'disciplines' shall be as follows: (1) Elementary Grades PreK-6 K-4 and Grades 5 and 6 in Middle School; (2) English; (3) Foreign World Languages within the certification; (4) Mathematics; (5) Science within the certification; (6) Social Studies; (7) English Language Learners; (8) Nurses; (9) Technology/Engineering ; (10) Art; (11) Music; (12) Physical Education; (13) Guidance; (14) Psychologist; (15) Reading; (16) Special Education; (17) Speech & Language Pathologist; (18) Library/Media Specialist; (19) Health Education; (20) Theater Arts ; (21) ) School Social Worker." | Corrects DESE licensure/certification levels in cases of reduction in force (RIF) | TA! |
BSC | BEA | D | "ARTICLE THIRTEEN -- PAID HOLIDAYS" | Changes the title of Unit D contractual article | TA! |
BSC | BEA | D | "The district shall create a new Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI_ Hiring and Retention Team, led by the Director of DEIW [Wellness], or Superintendent's designee, who shall chair the Team and has the final authority on recommendations to the Superintendent of any matter addressed by the team." | Changes the title of this position in Unit D contract. | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | " | Combines all sick banks into a single sick bank for sake of efficiency | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | "Article 8.5 Given that teachers at the middle school high school write private school and college recommendations, teachers that write fifteen (15) or more recommendations are entitled to a professional day per year to write said recommendations with the prior scheduling approval of the building principal." | Extends this benefit from BHS educators to BMS educators | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | "ARTICLE NINE - LEAVES 9.1 Parental/Adoption Leave (see Appendix E: BPS Parental Leave Policy) (a) Notice of Pregnancy. The teacher shall notify the Superintendent in writing near the beginning of the seventh month of her pregnancy of her pending leave. Such notice will contain the approximate date on which the teacher intends to commence extended leave under this Article.
Parental leaves of absence will be provided to educators to the extent required by, and subject to the provision of, applicable laws, including the Massachusetts Parental Leave Act General Laws Chapter 149, Section 105D ('MPLA'), and the Family and Medical Leave Act, 29USC2601 et seq. ('FMLA'). Whenever possible, such leave under the MPLA and FMLA and any leaves taken under the terms of Section 9.1 this Agreement shall run concurrently." | Removes outdated/inapplicable language and aligns contract with current applicable laws. | TA! |
BEA | BSC | All | "ARTICLE THIRTY-THREE TEACHER PROTECTION AND INDEMNIFICATION... To the extent reasonably practicable, educators shall have access to secure designated space in each of the school buildings to which they are assigned to store personal items such as purses or bags." | Provides assurance of secure storage to all educators | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | [Ensure all stipends are incorporated into the stipend chart, change all incorporations of stipends in the text of the agreement to references in the stipend chart.] | Better organizes the contract | TA! |
BSC | BEA | All | "[Multiple] – Sick Leave A medical certificate, stating the nature of the illness, that the illness prevented reporting for work, and that the employee is capable of resuming the responsibilities of their position may be required after an absence exceeding five (5) consecutive school days (part of all of a school day) or ten (10) intermittent school days (part or all of a school day) due to personal illness." | Increases accountability on educator attendance | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | "Article 7.1 – Sick Leave Bank A sick leave bank has been established, for use by eligible educators teachers covered by this Contract who have exhausted their own sick leave and who have serious illness, has been established. The sick leave bank shall be maintained at a maximum of three (3) days for each bargaining unit member (across all BEA units) entitled to participate in the sick leave bank. The Sick Leave Bank may also cover up to ten (10) days per year to care for a family member with a serious medical condition as defined by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). To be eligible for the sick leave bank to care for a family member, the leave must be approved pursuant to the FMLA and run concurrently with any FMLA or other statutory Leave. All other requirements and conditions of the sick leave bank, including the approval process, apply." | Allows some absences due to parental leave to be covered by the sick bank instead of solely7 from educator accruals | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A | "Article 7.8 – Sick Leave Bank Upon retirement, members of the unit may elect to contribute up to ten (10) one (1) of their unused sick days to the Bank." | Allows retiring educators to donate more accrued-but-unused days to the sick bank in support of their colleagues | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A, C, D | "[Multiple] – Mileage Mileage Allowance: Bargaining unit members who are required to use their automobiles for authorized employment-related travel to professional development opportunities or authorized work-related responsibilities shall be compensated at the IRS rate. Educators who are assigned to more than one work location shall be compensated at the IRS rate for in district travel between worksites. Such mileage reimbursements shall not be available for in-district travel for other reasons, such as meetings or professional development. Educators shall submit for mileage allowance in a form or other means, as directed by the Superintendent or designee. Educators must submit all mileage allowance requests for the time period of July 1 through December 31 by no later than January 10 of the following year; all mileage allowance requests for the time period of January 1 through June 10 must be submitted by June 15 and all mileage allowance requests for the time period of June 16 through June 30 must be submitted by noon on June 30." | Makes all "traveling" educators eligible for mileage cost reimbursement | TA! |
BEA | BSC | A, B | "Article 34.4 – Salary and Salary Payment Teachers shall receive their first paycheck on the Friday Wednesday of the first full week of classes and on every other Friday Wednesday thereafter in a sum equal to 1/26th of their annual salary. Not later than the last workday in June each year, teachers shall receive a lump sum payment of the balance of their annual salary due for the fiscal year, except that teachers who are not returning to Belmont for the following year will not receive their paycheck until the principal certifies that all professional responsibilities have been fulfilled. Salary shall be pro-rated for partial years worked. To the extent an educator works less than a full school year and payment under this salary payment provision results in the educator being overpaid. The Parties agree that the District shall reduce the educator's final paycheck in an amount equal to the overpayment, except as otherwise agreed by the Association President and the Superintendent or their designees. The Parties agree that if the District is unable to recover the full amount of the overpayment from the final paycheck, the District retains their right to pursue repayment via other means."
| Aligns contract with current practice following 2024-2025 arbitration judgement | TA! |
BSC | BEA | A | "Appendix D – Compensation for Professional Growth Guidelines … In-District Course Work Expenses for three in-district courses highly recommended by the district, EMI IDEAS (or equivalent), Understanding Teaching Studying Skillful Teaching I (or equivalent), and Understanding Teaching II (or equivalent), will be covered by the School Department. These expenses include the cost of the program, books, and graduate credit costs for all participants. Admission to such courses will be on a space available basis. Every effort will be made to schedule course availability in a manner that will meet the demand. Should the district elect to change the courses that are highly recommended from those mentioned above, they will continue to cover said costs." | Corrects outdated language | TA! |
BSC | BEA | D | "8.3 – Vacancies, Job Postings, and Job Descriptions: The provisions of Article 8.3 do not apply to Building Substitutes. The Committee and the Association agree to expand the use of Classroom Assistant Pre-K and K through Grade Four (4). The job description would be that which is currently in effect for existing Classroom Assistants, Pre-K and K. By agreeing to this provision, the Committee does not waive any right it may have to create new positions. The parties agree that the principal will determine appropriate placement of either a Classroom Assistant or a Professional Aide all Unit D members based on the job responsibilities to be accomplished. This determination will be made based on existing job descriptions and student needs, including those required by the Individual Education Plan (IEP)." | Aligns contract with current practice | TA! |
BEA | BSC | All | "[Multiple] – General Outside vendors who solicit bargaining unit members shall be mutually approved by the Committee and the Association. The Committee shall not permit outside vendors who have not been mutually approved to solicit on school grounds. The Committee shall make reasonable efforts to prevent outside vendors who have not been mutually approved from soliciting via electronic systems maintained by the Committee. The Parties recognize, however, that school addresses and electronic mail addresses are public records and the Committee is unable to prevent all solicitations by vendors." | Shares decision making authority concerning outside vendors | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | "2.5(h) – Rights and Responsibilities: Reduction in Force Not later than November 1 annually the Association shall be provided with a seniority list of all bargaining unit members including time worked in months and days in a bargaining unit position." | Creates Unit C seniority-tracking process | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | "Article 12 – Holidays : 1. All bargaining unit members 52 week administrative assistants shall receive the following holidays with pay when such holidays fall within their regularly scheduled work year: New Year’s Eve New Year’s Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Presidents’ Day Patriot’s Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Indigenous People’s Day Columbus Day Veteran’s Day Half Day before Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day The Friday following Thanksgiving Day Christmas Eve Christmas Day All 44 and 46 week administrative assistants shall receive the following holidays with pay:
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents’ Day
Patriot’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veteran’s Day
Half Day before Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day
The Friday following Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Clerical aides are not eligible for holidays with pay.
2. If any holidays listed above should fall on Saturday, or in the case of Christmas Eve, on Sunday, 52 week employees shall be given compensatory time off, by mutual agreement of the employee and the immediate supervisor when such holidays fall within the employee’s regularly scheduled work year. 3. If a holiday falls within an employee’s scheduled vacation time during the employee’s normal work year, that day shall be considered a paid holiday and not a vacation day. 4. If a holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday and school is not in session, then the Monday or Friday may also be taken as a holiday. 4. Any employee who is scheduled to work on Juneteenth or on the day the holiday is observed by Belmont Public Schools will have a paid holiday." | Increases holiday benefits to all unit members, regardless of scheduled work year | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | "Article 17 – Association Representative The employees shall designate one employee from among their number to serve as Association Representative; his or her name shall be furnished to the Committee immediately after designation and the Association shall notify the Committee of any change. Said representative, with permission from the immediate supervisor, which permission shall not be unreasonably withheld, shall be granted reasonable time off with pay to deal with grievances of employees covered by this Contract." | Maintains same language; moves to more appropriate place in the contract | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | "Article 21 – Credit Union Deductions Outside Vendor Selection 1. Upon submission of appropriately signed deduction cards, monthly deductions from salary will be made for the Belmont, Massachusetts Teachers’ Federal Credit Union as designated thereon for those employees who authorize the same in the manner provided below. 2. The Association shall indemnify and save the Committee and/or the town harmless against all claims, demands, suits, or other forms of liability, which may arise by reason of any action taken in making deductions and remitting the same pursuant to this Article. 3. The Committee agrees to provide for payroll deduction of individual premium payments for disability insurance, with premium costs to be paid by the employee. These vendors shall include the MTA and any other vendors as mutually identified by the Town and Association. 4. Outside vendors who solicit bargaining unit members shall be mutually approved by the Committee and the Association. The Committee shall not permit outside vendors who have not been mutually approved to solicit on school grounds. The Committee shall make reasonable efforts to prevent outside vendors who have not been mutually approved from soliciting via electronic systems maintained by the Committee. The Parties recognize, however, that school addresses and electronic mail addresses are public records and the Committee is unable to prevent all solicitations by vendors." | Renames article, move some language to more appropriate place in the contract, and aligns with other unit contracts. | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | [Appendix B – Side Agreements remove and incorporate provisions into main body of the agreement] | Moves previously "pilot" language into appropriate place in the contract | TA! |
BSC | BEA | C | "Article 11 – Job Posting 1. Any vacancy in a position covered by the Contract shall be posted electronically via email message to all Belmont Public Schools staff. Vacancies may also be posted online for at least seven (7) work days. 2. Any employee hereunder may apply for the vacancy within seven (7) work days after it is posted. 3. Positions will be filled on the basis of qualifications with due regard to the seniority of applicants. 4. If an applicant is successful, they shall be given a six month trial and training period in the new position at the applicable rate of pay. If, at any time after two weeks during the six month trial and training period, the Superintendent determines not to permanently appoint the employee to the new position, or the employee decides they do not wish to continue in the position, they shall be returned to the old position and rate. 5. Employees of other departments of the Town of Belmont who enter the bargaining unit will be allowed to carryover their accumulated vacation days (up to a maximum of 50 days, as per Article 7 new paragraph 13 above) and accumulated sick leave. Longevity will not be carried-over and can be earned only as a member of this bargaining unit. [See Article 6]" | Allows accrued longevity to carryover to different units in cases of employee transfer/reassignment | TA! |
BEA | BSC | C | "Appendix C – BPS Parental Leave Policy Article 33 – Parental Leave" | Adds parental leave benefit language into Unit C contract | TA! |
