Cambridge School Contract Talks Continue As Union Calls For Urgency

CAMBRIDGE, MA — The Cambridge Education Association is urging the School Committee to move more quickly in negotiations over new contracts, arguing that higher wages for paraprofessionals and other proposed changes are needed to improve working conditions for educators and learning conditions for students.

The union issued the call this week as contract negotiations continue between the two sides. Among the CEA's top priorities is a significant increase in paraprofessional pay, which it says is necessary to recruit and retain staff in one of the state's most expensive communities.

According to the union, it is proposing that the current paraprofessional salary range of approximately $32,000 to $56,000 be increased this year to a starting salary of $55,000 and a top salary of $84,000. The CEA said full-time paraprofessionals should be able to earn enough to live in or near Cambridge without needing second or third jobs.

The union also criticized the School Committee's current wage proposal, saying it would not raise starting salaries for paraprofessionals to $50,000 until September 2028 and would increase the maximum salary to $64,000. The CEA also said the proposal would require paraprofessionals to obtain a new certification to remain employed.

The district has disputed the union's characterization of its offer. Superintendent David Murphy said the School Committee's proposal would increase base compensation for the district's lowest-paid paraprofessionals by nearly 60 percent over two years, creating what he described as one of the most competitive paraprofessional salary schedules in Massachusetts. The proposal also includes expanded tuition reimbursement, increased classroom stipends, additional paid parental leave and other benefits.

Murphy also said the union's full package of proposals would require an estimated $54 million, or 18 percent, increase to the district's operating budget during the first year of a new contract. Cambridge Public Schools said the proposals would add approximately $175 million in costs over three years and include roughly 100 additional teachers and 100 additional paraprofessionals.

The CEA, however, argues the city can afford its proposals. The union pointed to Cambridge's reserve accounts, available taxing capacity and what it described as a history of tax revenues exceeding projections.

In addition to wages, the union said several non-economic issues remain unresolved. Those include establishing protocols if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrive at schools, expanding discrimination protections for employees, preserving current health insurance coverage for reproductive and gender-affirming care, increasing educator autonomy and allowing educators to contribute to evaluations of administrators, including the superintendent.

The CEA also renewed its call for greater transparency during negotiations. The union said it has proposed opening bargaining sessions to public observation so residents can see how decisions affecting the school system are made, but said the superintendent and School Committee have repeatedly declined the idea.

According to Cambridge Public Schools, the two sides have participated in more than 17 formal bargaining sessions over the past seven months. The district said negotiations initially covered multiple bargaining units simultaneously before it proposed negotiating with each union separately in an effort to reach agreements more efficiently.

The district also said the CEA has submitted 228 contract proposals and that the School Committee has agreed to or offered substantive counterproposals on approximately 135 of them. Murphy said he issued a public update on negotiations earlier this month to improve transparency and address what he described as misinformation surrounding the bargaining process.

The ongoing negotiations follow months of public advocacy from educators over paraprofessional wages and staffing levels. In June, dozens of union members rallied outside a School Committee meeting before delivering more than 1,000 postcards urging officials to increase paraprofessional pay. The CEA represents approximately 1,500 employees across five bargaining units within Cambridge Public Schools.

Both the union and district have said they hope to reach agreements before the start of this upcoming school year.

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