Tentative Agreement Reached Between Medford School Committee and Medford Teachers Association For New Collective Bargaining Agreement

MEDFORD - The Medford School Committee (MSC) has reached a tentative agreement with the Medford Teachers Association (MTA) for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement beginning on July 1, 2025. 

Members of the MTA voted to ratify the contract proposal on Tuesday, April 8. A vote of approval from the MSC is expected to take place during the April 14 Regular Meeting of the Medford School Committee.

The agreement came as a result of collaborative negotiations between the MSC and the MTA over a three-month period. The new contract demonstrates a shared vision for the present and future of Medford Public Schools (MPS), rooted in student support and achievement. The community provided a clear message, with the successful passage of Questions 7 and 8 in November 2024, that transforming education for Medford students is a priority.

“Our number one objective throughout these negotiations was how we can make a direct, positive impact on student learning and achievement,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Suzanne B. Galusi.“This contract, once voted on by the MSC, increases the amount of time on learning across the district, expands academic opportunities for students, allows us to make a deeper investment in high-quality professional development and reflects our unwavering commitment to our teachers and staff. Thank you to our bargaining team (led by Vice Chair Jenny Graham and Secretary Paul Ruseau, in partnership with Dr. Peter J. Cushing, Joan Bowen, Jeanine Camuso and Nick Tucci) for their countless hours of work and communication during these negotiations.  

“Additionally, I’d also like to express my sincere gratitude to the MTA and their bargaining team for their dedication, dialogue and thoughtfulness displayed throughout this negotiation process," said Dr. Galusi. "Our work is really just beginning, and I’m grateful to the members of the MTA who will work with us to make this new opportunity for Medford youth a success.”

Among many notable changes, both parties agreed to lengthen the school day. All school schedules will see an increase of 15 minutes a day beginning with the 2025-26 school year to increase time on learning and create districtwide alignment. Read below for the new start and end times, which have been adjusted to account for the additional 15 minutes while balancing district wide operational needs. Additionally, six early release days have been eliminated from the academic calendar while two full professional development days for staff members have been added.

High School Changes

The new schedule format expands course selection opportunities for all high school students and establishes further educational alignment for both students and staff in the district’s robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. The school day will move from six periods to seven, increasing access to programming like world language, the arts, enhanced academic support and other electives. At the high school level, the additional 15 minutes will be added at the end of the school day.

Middle School Changes

For middle school students, the additional 15 minutes and new daily schedule outline will also widen course selection opportunities and provide increased opportunities for academic support.

It also introduces students to “Challenge” courses rotating each quarter. These “Challenge” courses will be academically-adjacent class offerings (e.g., personal finance, creative writing, and more) at each grade level, allowing students and staff to uniquely engage in content and improve learning outcomes.

To accommodate the additional 15 minutes, 10 minutes will be added to the beginning of the school day, and 5 minutes will be added to the end of the school day. 

Elementary School Changes

The additional 15 minutes in elementary school schedules will be dedicated to increased instructional time with students’ classroom teachers. It also creates built-in passing time to allow Specialist teachers (Art, PE, Nexus, etc) to appropriately set up their classrooms before welcoming students into their learning spaces throughout the school day. To accommodate the additional 15 minutes, 5 minutes will be added to the start of the school day, and 10 minutes will be added to the end of the school day.

With collaboration from central leadership, building principals, teachers, and other school staff members, work will begin to design and implement the new schedule at all levels. Families with students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or other specialized learning programs will meet with their Evaluation Team Leaders to adjust service delivery grids and individualized education plans due to the new school schedules. 

This work is expected to last until the end of the school year and may be finalized during the summer. 

Additional Highlights of the Tentatively Agreed Contract Related to Wage Increases Include:

• Highest compensation increase ever for members of the MTA
• Increased compensation for stipended positions, including athletic coaches and after-school clubs for the first time in over 20 years
  • Updates to stipends supports the addition of extracurricular activities for Elementary and Middle School students
• Establishment of a sick bank
• Parental leave
  • 4 weeks paid Parental leave
  • Up to 8 weeks use of accrued sick time

Other Highlights of the Contract Include:

• Two additional Professional Development days for staff
  • Students will not attend school these days
• Reduction of 12 Early Release Days to 6
  • Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Day before December Break, and last two days of school will be Early Release Days for all grade levels
• Updated language surrounding student grading at Secondary Level
  • “Middle and high school teachers will be required to keep the District student information system of student grades up to date at least every ten (10) school days and reflect an accurate picture of a student's academic standing.”
• Reduction in class sizes
  • Varies by level
  • Includes reduction in elementary classrooms Grades K-5
• Days which secondary teachers designate as their days they stay after school to help students, those days will be made publicly available for students and caregivers to view on the district website 

The full agreement can be found on the district’s website (mps02155.org) following a vote of approval from the MSC.