Teachers, District Reach Tentative Contract Agreement

After a year of sometimes contentious negotiations, Framingham Public Schools and the Framingham Teachers Association have reached an agreement on a new contract. 

Superintendent Stacy Scott announced during Wednesday night's School Committee meeeting that a memorandum of agreement had been finalized earlier in the day, during a mediation session.  

"With the contract settled, we look forward to providing undivided attention to student achievement for our district once again," Scott said, citing the need to focus on addressing rising enrollments, develop facilities and reenergize programs such as Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) and instrumental music. 

Although details weren't released by the Committee, teachers were known to be looking for several specifics in any agreement, including a reduction in class sizes, a more clearly defined work day and fair cost of living adjustments. The agreement is also expected to clarify how a new state-mandated teacher evaluation process will be conducted. 

Scott said teachers will vote on ratification of the agreement in the next two weeks and the School Committee will likely vote to finalize it in early May. 

Reaching an agreement was not an easy road, with much of the negotiation taking place in the public view.

Teachers picketed and rallied in force at two School Committee meetings last year and called on parents to lend their voices in support of their demands.

In March, Framingham Patch was the first to report on an email from the president of the teachers association contemplating a gathering of personal information about board members as part of a "stress campaign." Union leadership later apologized for what it called a misunderstanding about the memo. 

"The collective bargaining process is a complicated one," Scott said, citing the need to balance addressing requests and concerns "within the realities of cost and the best academic interests of our school community."

"We must heal the rifts that that may have been created in the community and come together once again to move the district forward," Scott said. 

Newly-elected School Committee Chair Beverly Hugo said after the meeting the committee was happy to be able to put the negotiations behind them and move forward with the district's business. "It has been a long road," she said.