The former Fall River School Committee convened a special meeting on Jan. 2, 2025, and voted to enter executive session under Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 30A, section 21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining for several employee groups.

Committee attorney Mister Saad told the committee, “There are no tentative agreements with any of the unions that we're going into executive session on today.” Saad read the statutory basis for the closed session and outlined the committee’s process for reviewing any tentative agreement: the committee reviews terms, relays acceptable terms back to the union, the union may hold a ratification vote, and if the union ratifies the agreement it returns to the committee for a formal vote.

The executive-session topics listed on the public record covered bargaining strategy for professional school employees represented by the Forward Educators Association (including coaches, Title I teachers, nurses, therapists and specialists); administrators represented by the Forward Administrators Association; and several categories of hourly and support staff represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), including cafeteria, maintenance, custodial, and safety/security employees. The committee chair stated that open-session discussion could have a detrimental effect on bargaining positions, which was the rationale for the closed session.

A committee member said they had seen a social-media post suggesting a tentative agreement existed and asked for clarification before the executive session. Saad answered that no tentative agreements were in place for the units listed and explained the committee’s role in reviewing and approving any final agreement returned to the committee after union ratification.

The motion to go into executive session was made and seconded; the committee then recessed for the closed session. On reconvening, the clerk called the roll and each member recorded a “yes” vote to enter executive session during the public portion where the motion was recorded. The roll-call names recorded in the public minutes were Mister Aguiao, Mister Bailey, Mister Dias, Mister Corey, Miss Larrabee, Miss Pereira and Mary Coogan.

No citizen input was recorded for this meeting, and no tentative agreement or final contract was announced in open session. The committee did not take any final public action on contracts during the Jan. 2 meeting.

The committee indicated it would handle any tentative agreements according to the sequence Saad described — committee review, union ratification, then a committee vote if ratified — before any public approval or implementation steps.