Photo: Belmont Education Association logo.
After working without a contract for the past two and a half months, representatives from the union representing Belmont’s teachers and the School Committee told the Belmontonian they had reached a tentative multi-year contract.
While attorneys for both sides are hammering out the final wording, a contract will be presented to the union membership and the school committee members “soon,” said John Phelan, superintendent of the Belmont School District.
“We have come to an agreement,” said John Sullivan, president of the Belmont Education Association on Tuesday night.
A joint press release will be issued with the contract’s details including salary and benefits “before Thanksgiving.”
The contract will cover approximately 500 union members, of which 330 are teachers and educators in Belmont’s six public schools and those working in the district. The BEA employee contract is the largest in the town; at $26.2 million in fiscal year 2018, it just under half of the school budget of $53.0 million.
The last three-year contract between teachers and the town ended on Aug. 31, just days before the school year began.
Sources said the delay in forming a contract was due to benefits and added responsibilities being asked of educators rather than salaries.
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