Arlington, May 24, 2024 — The Arlington School Committee and the Arlington Education Association are pleased to announce the successful negotiation and ratification of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the period of August 25th, 2024, to August 27th, 2027. The Memorandum of Agreement includes benefits and salary increases that are truly historic for Arlington, and includes changes that we are confident will improve belonging, establish an environment conducive to growth, and create a joyful school system for all of our learners. The changes included in this new agreement were made possible by the successful override vote last November, and we want to express our appreciation to all the volunteers, voters, and taxpayers for making this historic agreement possible.
This new contract provides significant pay adjustments for Unit A members, ranging from 9-13.25% over three years, depending on educators’ current years of experience and education. These adjustments will improve Arlington’s ability to hire and retain highly qualified educators, the key to continued excellent public education in our district. These adjustments bring Arlington to the projected median compensation level in comparable Town Manager Twelve communities.
The contract also guarantees an extremely competitive paid parental leave package for Unit A members, including four weeks fully paid by the district and the opportunity for educators to receive up to 8 additional weeks of paid leave using sick time. Parental leave rights in this agreement are extended to all parents, including all new parents and adoptive parents.
The agreement also provides paid summer planning and preparation days for Unit A members who previously were not provided them, including nurses, multilingual learner teachers, and special education teachers and related service providers. This will ensure that our schools are better prepared for each year’s opening by providing staff with time to plan for student needs and communicate with families. Building on this increased access to planning and preparation time, educators will also be stipended at a higher hourly rate for work completed outside of normal working hours.
As a group, APS educators will be incentivized to maintain high attendance standards, as the agreement guarantees that if Unit A as a collective can achieve 95% attendance, they will earn a 3rd personal day for the following year, subject to specific limitations. Furthermore, beginning in the 2025-26 school year, student rosters for core classes will ensure that there is an appropriate balance between students with and without Individualized Education Programs.
In addition to these key changes, the secondary level will adopt a new meeting model that allows teachers to join a committee during their contractual work hours in service to their schools. These committees will include instructional leadership teams and climate and culture committees, and could also include collaborative cross-departmental curriculum committees. This meeting model will also be piloted at the elementary level next year.
School Committee Chair Paul Schlichtman stated, “The district will be well-served by this new contract, which continues the collaborative and collegial relationship with the bargaining units we have developed in the APS. The town will continue to attract and retain high quality educators and provide positive learning experiences for all students.”
AEA President Julianna Keyes said, “Educators in Arlington approached this round of negotiations with a focus on improving working conditions in alignment with the goals of the APS strategic plan. We are thankful to the people of Arlington for passing the override last November that enabled this agreement. We look forward to the improved compensation and benefits going into effect in August, and the operational changes that will benefit all of our students in the coming school years.”
Superintendent Elizabeth Homan noted, “This new agreement is highly supportive of the implementation of the Five-Year Strategic Plan, which calls for building a collaborative and supportive culture for all staff, maintaining mutual accountability and high expectations that support the learning of all students, and expanding opportunities for shared decision-making. This is truly a contract we can be proud of as a system, and I am grateful to the community for making it possible and to the bargaining teams for their hard and collaborative work on this agreement.”
This Memorandum of Agreement was ratified on May 23, 2024 by the AEA Unit A membership and approved by the Arlington School Committee. The bargaining teams for both parties, represented by Leonard Kardon (Chair of the Negotiations Subcommittee) and Julianna Keyes (AEA President), reached this agreement on May 7, 2024.
The Arlington School Committee and the Arlington Education Association look forward to the continued collaboration and success of the Arlington Public Schools. Please join us in celebrating this agreement.
