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Fall River administrators, educators urge school committee to finish contract talks before school year ends
Summary
Multiple Fall River school administrators, paraprofessionals and union leaders used the public-comment period to press the school committee to settle long-running labor negotiations, highlighting heavy workloads, staff shortages and a request that bargaining finish by the end of the school year.
Several staff members and union leaders told the Fall River School Committee on March 10 that contract talks with district bargaining units have dragged on too long and are affecting students and staff.
During the meeting’s public-comment period, Denise Meager, speaking for the Fall River Administrators Association, said bargaining has been underway for more than a year and urged the committee to allow district negotiators to finalize a “fair contract for our members by the end of the school year.” She described administrators’ workload as extensive and said the group seeks pay parity with other bargaining units.
Libby Phelan, a 18‑year district employee, told the committee administrators work long hours and “sacrifice our weekends” and asked committee members to support a “fair wage increase.” Keith Michonne, president of the Fall River Educators Association, also spoke: he said bargaining has been difficult and argued the district should not prioritize a wish list over settling labor contracts. Michonne referenced a recent budget presentation that showed $500,000 unassigned and a $1.2 million wish list and said labor contracts should come first.
Committee members and the superintendent acknowledged the speakers and said district negotiators are collecting comparative salary data to use at the table. During the subcommittee reports and a later exchange, a bargaining team representative said the district has requested and received much of the comparison information and expects to complete it by the end of the week, with presentation to the negotiating table to follow.
The public comments reflected broad concern across roles in the district, including paraprofessionals, community facilitators and counselors, who described long hours, safety concerns and difficulty retaining staff. Several speakers urged the committee to prioritize negotiations before allocating discretionary funds to new positions or programs.
The school committee did not take a formal vote on contracts during the March 10 meeting. Committee members asked administration and bargaining representatives to provide requested salary-comparison data to committee members as soon as it is finalized.
Ending: Committee members said they will await the comparative data and continue to receive public comment at future meetings; several members urged both sides to use the information to move negotiations toward a settlement.
