Canton School Dept. reaches deal with educators union
By GuestBy Darcie Fisher
The Canton School Committee has voted unanimously to approve a new three-year contract between Canton Public Schools (CPS) and the Canton Educators Association (CEA). The contract, which begins this September and expires in 2028, was ratified by the CEA last week.
The negotiating process began in December with a tentative agreement reached in mid-June. This six-month process was one Superintendent Derek Folan categorized as “extremely collaborative.”
“I’m thrilled that our educators will enter the school year with a ratified contract,” said School Committee Chair Kimberly McCourt. “It’s a significant accomplishment when both sides feel heard, appreciated, valued and respected. Reaching an agreement by the end of the school year demonstrates excellent teamwork and commitment from everyone involved. It shows that both negotiation teams worked together effectively, staying focused on the shared goal and managing to overcome any challenges along the way. That kind of mutual respect and dedication is key to building strong, lasting partnerships.”
“CEA is proud of the work we’ve done with the district to secure a three-year contract that addresses the needs of both educators and students,” said CEA President Lauren Mahan. “Prior to beginning bargaining, CEA outlined and shared our priorities — a better student experience, fully staffed, safer schools and conditions that meet educators’ needs. Our negotiation team entered each bargaining session with a focus on making specific, significant progress in each of these areas. We are happy to say we did just that.”
The new contract features raises for bargaining units A and E in all three years of the contract. In the first year, the contract calls for a 2.5 percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase, while there is a 3.25 percent COLA increase in years two and three.
In FY27, the Unit A top step (most experienced educators) will receive an additional 1.5 percent increase. Also in FY27, the contract introduces a Step 15 for Unit E and adds $500 to Step 10. In FY28, Step 15 receives a $1,000 increase, and Step 10 receives a $500 increase in addition to the COLA. Additionally, school aides will now start at $20 per hour at Step 1.
Unit A includes all teachers, speech pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, librarians, and elementary assistant principals. Unit E is made up of educational assistants, the athletic trainer, applied behavior analysts (ABA) tutors, speech language pathologist assistants, certified occupational therapist assistants and school aides.
“We did a great deal of market analysis and used 13 comparable districts to ensure we were in the top tier of salaries among those districts,” said Folan. “We are at a high and competitive level to attract the best teachers to Canton. We wanted a strong benefit package and conditions of employment, while ensuring our financial package was sustainable and fiscally responsible.”
This new agreement restructures the Unit A salary grid from 16 to 14 steps over the duration of the three-year contract. Steps are based on previous qualifying professional experience.
“This allows staff to get to the highest step in a quicker manner, which is great for our teachers and overall retention of staff,” said Folan. “When you drop steps, you elevate your first step salary, which makes us a more attractive district to work in. That hits the recruitment goal.”
Both the School Committee and CEA were excited to add contract language to start a mentor program for Unit E members, providing support and tutelage from veteran Unit E members.
Parental leave was another important issue addressed in the new contract. While FY26 provides no change from the current four paid weeks of leave, educators will receive five weeks of paid parental leave in FY27 and six weeks in FY28. Folan said the parental leave package is a “great benefit to our educators and shows great care for our educators’ families.”
The new contract also increases the amount of money allocated for course reimbursement for those seeking a degree. While there is no change in the first year of the contract, years two and three provide increases of $25,000 per year, bringing the overall district total to $175,000 in year three.
Finally, both sides agreed to create a Joint Labor Management Committee with the goal of developing contract language around class size and caseloads, and there was significant language added pertaining to safety in schools.
Folan said he was thrilled to open the year with a new three-year contract in place.
“We are so happy for our educators and our school community,” Folan said. “There was great efficiency, dialogue and collaboration, with a shared goal of getting it done in June. We tried our best to align our proposals with the CEA’s priority areas. And the strength of our relationships and core values came through.”
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