Cambridge School Committee & Cambridge Public Schools Reach Agreement with Cambridge Education Association

Cambridge School Committee & Cambridge Public Schools Reach Agreement with Cambridge Education Association
Posted on 06/29/2022
Dear CPS Community:

We are pleased to share an update on negotiations about a successor contract for Cambridge Public School employees who are members of Cambridge Education Association (CEA) Unit A (including teachers) and Unit B (including assistant principals, deans and curriculum coordinators). On Wednesday, June 15, the bargaining teams reached a two-year tentative agreement following months of bargaining sessions. The CEA ratified the agreement on Wednesday, June 29. It will go before the School Committee for ratification at a Special Meeting tomorrow at 12noon.

This agreement aligns expectations and compensation, while prioritizing the learning needs of our students. We truly value our employees and their commitment and devotion to our students and their success. Below are some highlights of the agreement.

1. Increased Salaries: This contract covers a two-year period from September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2023. The overall cost of salary increases is $6.6 million. On average, a CPS teacher’s salary is increasing by $6,642, a 7.3 percent increase.

2. Expanded Benefits: Paid Parental Leave: Eligible Unit A and B members will now have access to up to eight weeks of Paid Parental Leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. Based on the average number of staff who take parent leave each year, we estimate the value of this benefit to be approximately $1 million annually.

3. Additional Time for Family Engagement: The agreement provides additional time for Unit A and B members to engage in both family conferences and outreach to individual families about their students through phone calls, in-person meetings, or home visits.

4. Updated Educator Evaluation to Align with State Expectations: The teacher and administrator evaluation process will be updated to align with state expectations (which were updated in 2018). Next year, a working group of educators and district leaders will develop recommendations about additional updates, and CPS will pilot a new process that supports every teacher and administrator to set goals for improving their instructional practices and student learning.

5. Additional Days for Professional Development: Staff will have three additional days for professional learning on district priorities to improve teaching, learning, and student outcomes. There will be no school for students on these days (Election Day, the first weekday in January after winter break, and one additional day). Families can expect an updated 2022-23 calendar as part of back-to-school materials in August.

6. Required Training on Key Topics: The agreement clarifies the expectation that all members of Units A and B will receive mandatory training on anti-bias, anti-racism, and racial equity; de-escalation techniques and collaborative problem solving; and based on their role, physical restraint training.

We are thankful that we were able to reach a tentative agreement and are grateful to all the members of the bargaining teams for their time. We look forward to supporting all of our educators as they do the critical work of educating our students.

Sincerely,

Sumbul Siddiqui
Mayor, City of Cambridge
Chair, Cambridge School Committee

Dr. Victoria L. Greer
Superintendent
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