BROCKTON - The Brockton Public Schools and the Brockton Education Association (BEA) jointly announce that the two sides have agreed to a successor contract. BEA members ratified the agreement late last week, and it was formally adopted by the School Committee Tuesday evening.
“The process to reach this agreement was collaborative and reflective of a shared commitment by the BEA and the School Committee to provide a high-quality education for Brockton’s children,” Superintendent Priya Tahiliani said. “The end result is a new contract that helps Brockton Public Schools remain fiscally responsible while meaningfully demonstrating the value we place on our educators for their indispensable role in our students’ lives.”
The agreement resulted in a re-envisioned and more streamlined pay structure and additional workdays and preparation time for educators. The agreement focuses on leveraging resources to more effectively align with district priorities. For example, funding for attending conferences and conventions was redirected towards tuition reimbursements for educators while unused sick days were reallocated to fund a parental leave bank.
“I am proud of the hard work and thoughtful conversations that made this agreement possible,” BEA President Kimberly Gibson said. “This agreement reflects the impact Brockton’s educators have on their students and establishes a strong framework not only for fairly compensating educators but for incentivizing them to come to Brockton, stay in Brockton and broaden their skillsets for the benefit of their students.”
The new agreement will remain in effect through August 31, 2029, and calls for three percent annual pay increases in each contract year. For the current contract year, a two percent raise will be applied retroactively to September 1 for educators who were employed by BPS on that date, as well as anyone who retired since that date. Educators will receive an additional one percent pay increase midway through the current school year.
Under the new agreement, the district’s salary schedule will be restructured and simplified, with the intent of helping BPS attract and retain qualified educators. The agreement also affords educators up to 12 weeks of parental leave through a combination of a newly established parental leave bank, educators’ individual accrued sick leave, and Family and Medical Leave Act or Massachusetts Paid Leave Act entitlements.
Highlights of the new agreement include:
• Two additional workdays and tuition reimbursement to support professional development and to continue to bolster student outcomes
• Parental leave funded through a parental leave bank, individual sick time, and FMLA
• Simplified pay scale to promote transparency for members and to increase payroll efficiency
• Incentive benefits that have transitioned to be more consistent, easier to budget, and tied to greater years of service in the district
• Annual three percent raises for educators
With the resolution of this agreement, BPS has settled successor contracts with the unions representing educators, custodians, administrative assistants and technicians.