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Fall River administrators, department heads press school committee for equitable pay and contract talks
Summary
Several Fall River Public Schools administrators, department heads and longtime staff urged the school committee to settle the Fall River Administrators Association contract and to address workload, lost lunches and pay disparities during a packed citizens’ input session.
Several Fall River Public Schools administrators, department heads and veteran staff used the committee’s citizen input period on Feb. 10 to urge the school committee to settle a pending contract for the Fall River Administrators Association (FRAA) and to correct what they described as persistent pay and workload inequities.
Speakers described long workdays, frequent unpaid overtime and duties that erode time for core tasks such as student meetings, credit reviews and planning. “Our position is that our current compensation at Level 2A is not commensurate with our workload, value, days and hours,” Kate McGraw, ELA department head at the Henry Lord Community School, told the committee.
Why it matters: Department heads, guidance counselors, adjustment counselors and other supervisory administrators said they now earn less per diem than most teachers after recent teacher contract settlements and worry that continued disparity will make it harder to recruit or retain people with supervisory responsibilities.
Department heads and counselors described duties beyond classroom supervision: daily attendance calls, hall and lunch duty, coverage for absent colleagues, MCAS proctoring, IEP and 504 compliance, and new initiatives that add to the work without additional pay. “I can count on one hand the number of times I have had an uninterrupted lunch in my 25 years,” veteran Fall River staff member Maria Matos said, adding that 33% of members of one bargaining unit had resigned or retired since 2022.
Several speakers asked the committee to consult building principals and central office before finalizing any contract language so the committee understands the full scope of supervisory workloads and the number of staff they support. McGraw asked the committee to “find out the number of teachers we provide direct support to and the number of students whose instruction we influence” before deciding pay levels.
Superintendent Tracy Curley and committee members acknowledged the comments during the meeting. Committee members repeatedly encouraged the unions and the administration to use existing contract mechanisms — including quarterly meetings — to surface issues and to return to the negotiating table. “We have to take a hard look at it,” said one committee member, noting limited district funds and the need to balance increases across employee groups.
What was requested and next steps: Speakers asked the school committee to settle the FRAA contract without delay and to align administrators’ compensation more closely with comparable supervisory roles (vice principals, deans). Several committee members urged the superintendent and HR to provide a clearer accounting of workloads and schedules and to bring proposals back during the budget and bargaining cycles. The superintendent said she would brief the committee and that quarterly meetings are available for dialogue.
Ending: The comments closed a citizen-input session that also included students and parents discussing programs and choice. The committee did not take a formal vote on any contract changes at the Feb. 10 meeting; union negotiations and any formal committee action remain pending.
