For years, Billerica Public School (BPS) educators made well below the regional average, making it hard for the district to attract and retain the experienced and talented educators BPS students deserve.
In September, after 13 bargaining sessions with the district, the Billerica Federation of Teachers, Local 1677 secured new contracts for the more than 700 teachers and paraprofessionals working in Billerica’s nine public schools.
“All we asked for was equity. Billerica teachers and paraprofessionals deserve a contract that incorporates the same level of fairness and respect that their colleagues in neighboring communities receive and I’m proud to say, we achieved that,” said BFT President Dave Adams.
Highlights from the contract between the district and BFT teachers include:
- Steady wage increases over the course of the contract (2.75% for the first and second years, 2.9% in the third year, and 3% in the fourth year);
- Providing stronger just cause and layoff protections for members without Professional Teacher Status;
Supporting teachers working with high-needs students by establishing caseload protections for special education and related service providers; and - Establishing new protections around academic freedom of teachers.
Prior to this agreement, 93 percent of BPS paraprofessionals did not make a living wage. Under this new contract, Billerica paraprofessionals are finally given the respect and wages they deserve.
“This new contract means we don’t need to choose between the job we love and being able to take care of ourselves and our families,” said Donna Bijeol, a paraprofessional at Parker Elementary School. “Billerica paras are dedicated to our community and our union, and our fellow educators, who stood up for us during these tense negotiations.”
Highlights from the contract between the district and BFT’s paraprofessionals:
- Restructuring the three compensation lanes into one that eliminates the bottom steps in years 1 and 2 of the contract;
- Establishing an intensive stipend for paraprofessionals;
- Steady wage increases over the course of the contract (2.75% in the first year and 2% each subsequent year), providing paras with a living wage; and
- Syncing the workdays of BPS paras with the workdays of the teachers they work with; and
Increasing pay structure for long-term subbing.
The district will now provide new teachers and paraprofessionals with new hire orientation sessions, including union orientation, on a monthly basis. In addition, both teachers and paraprofessionals will benefit from the creation of a new multilingual and interpretation pool.
The hard-fought wins of Billerica’s new contracts were built on a foundation of member and community engagement throughout the year. BFT members joined every bargaining session as silent reps, including over 100 members at each of the final four sessions, and over 150 at the final two sessions. A day of district-wide walk-ins and two parent-engagement actions at back to school nights helped to connect with Billerica’s parents and build unified support across the community. Hundreds of lawn signs appeared across town proudly declaring “Billerica stands with its educators. Fair pay. Fair contract. NOW!”
The families in Billerica know that their kids thrive in school when they have strong and supportive teachers and paras. That’s why they came out in droves to support the BFT in their latest contract negotiations with the district. Over 1,100 parents signed letters to the BPS Superintendent in support of the BFT and their ongoing negotiations.
“The months we spent negotiating a new contract showed just how powerful we can be when we come out for one another, using our solidarity as our greatest strength each step along the way,” said Celine Swinford, a first teacher at Ditson Elementary School. “Teachers cannot do their jobs without our paraprofessionals. This campaign was a success because teachers had the backs of our paras in their long-overdue fight for a living wage, and paras had the teachers’ backs as we defended our prep time. With this new contract, our educators are getting the recognition and support they need and our students are getting the invested, high-quality educators they deserve.”