School committee ratifies secretaries' three-year contract with 2.5% raises; Juneteenth added

The Rockland School Committee voted to ratify a three-year contract for district secretaries that provides a 2.5% increase and adds Juneteenth to the district holiday schedule.

Superintendent Dr. Karan thanked district secretaries and noted their central role in school operations. “It’s an opportunity…to say thank you to the secretaries for what they do every day,” he said, adding that secretaries are often the first adult a child or parent sees in the school office.

Contract details and context - Committee members said the agreement covers a three-year span and the negotiated pay changes amount to 2.5% (the transcript described the settlement as “2.5% over the next three years”). - Officials said the agreement included language updates in several places and the addition of Juneteenth as a recognized district holiday. - School staff said the unit had ratified the contract the prior Thursday; the committee then formally moved to approve the ratified agreement.

Committee action The committee approved the secretary contract at the March 24 meeting. Committee members praised the work of secretaries across the district and thanked staff who negotiated and drafted the updated language.

Ending District leaders said the contract recognizes support staff who perform a mix of clerical, safety and family-facing duties in every school office and thanked union and district negotiators for the work that led to ratification.