By Adam Swift
The school committee unanimously approved a new three-year contract for the district’s educators, clerical, and paraprofessional staff last week.
The vote came after the Chelsea Teachers’ Union (CTU) and the school committee came to a tentative agreement on the contract on Dec. 11. The agreement was then ratified by the members of the CTU.
The agreement includes competitive wage increases for all educators, including the largest wage increase for paraprofessionals that the district has ever seen. Paraprofessionals currently receiving $17.96 an hour will see a 62 percent pay increase over the course of the three-year contract, up to $29.05 per hour. Clerks will see a 31 percent increase over the life of the contract – going from $27.99 to $36.61 per hour.
It also includes the first district-paid parental leave benefit (three weeks the first year of the contract and then six weeks in subsequent years), as well as up to 12 weeks paid leave for members to care for ill family members and up to 35 days from the sick bank.
“We began in February of this year … we went through a series of meetings throughout the year and finally, on Dec. 11, we had a tentative agreement,” said Christine Lee, the district’s human resources director. “It was a lot of collaboration, a lot of work. Thank you to the (school committee Chair) Ana Hernandez and (Superintendent of Schools) Dr. (Almi) Abeyta for leading this very important contract; it was quite a long road but we are very happy to be here today.”
Lee said the guiding principles during negotiations were to work in the best interest of the students, deepen the culture of care for students and adults who work in the system, reduce turnover, and continue to increase salaries in a fiscally responsible way.