Union presents broad package of proposals in open North Andover TA bargaining session

The North Andover Teachers Association presented a comprehensive contract proposal package during an open collective-bargaining session with the North Andover School Committee subcommittee, saying the measures are intended to improve pay, safety and retention for Unit C teaching assistants.

The union outlined about 20 proposals and supporting municipal finance data, including increases to paid parental leave, a sick-day exchange incentive, expanded family-sick leave, a $4,000 toileting stipend, a $6,000 specialized-program stipend, annual safety reporting and training, tuition reimbursement and a structured TA-to-teacher pipeline. The union asked the committee to respond with a serious initial wage offer to accelerate settlement negotiations.

Why it matters: Teaching assistants told the committee they provide essential services to students, often in high-need settings, and that current pay and contract language make retention difficult. The union framed its package as financially grounded, pointing to recent increases in Chapter 70 aid and local surplus receipts as evidence of available municipal capacity.

The package’s key items included: - Parental leave: increase from 12 to 16 consecutive workweeks, with the first 12 employer-paid and the remaining four from accrued sick leave; options to extend leave by mutual agreement and to take unpaid leaves up to two years. - Stipends: a $4,000 annual toileting/diapering stipend (split December/June) for employees required to perform daily toileting duties; a $6,000 stipend for staff assigned to substantially separate programs or medically fragile students; employees may receive only one of the two stipends. - Health, safety and reporting: jointly developed staff incident-reporting forms, annual district-union review meetings, annual training on use of reporting forms, documentation and monthly distress reports, and legal counsel for unit members if criminal or civil proceedings arise related to workplace assaults. - Professional growth and pipeline: a proposed $50,000 shared tuition-reimbursement pool, MTEL preparation supports, and career awards that convert approved professional-development credits into salary increases. - Leave and benefits: removal of a 10-day cap on family sick leave, sick-day exchange payments (example formula presented: exchange nine unused sick days for $1,500), paid holidays increase from 12 to 15 and a proposal for 15 paid vacation days spread through the year.

What the union said about finances: The presenters walked through comparative per-pupil spending data (citing North Andover at about $19,300 per pupil vs. a stated state average near $23,000), recent Chapter 70 aid increases (from roughly $9 million to over $13 million in recent years) and local indicators such as an average five-year surplus of roughly $4.5 million and a recent excess levy capacity figure the presenters described as about $5.5 million.

What the committee did: Committee and district representatives acknowledged receipt of the proposals and said they would review them. The committee agreed the next session will include a presentation from the district on town finances. The parties set follow-up bargaining dates.

Next steps: The School Committee is expected to review the union’s proposals and the district’s finance presentation is scheduled for the next bargaining meeting. The union urged the committee to deliver a substantive initial wage offer to shorten negotiating timelines and facilitate serious counterproposals.