LYNN — The Lynn Teachers Union and Lynn School Committee’s tentative agreement, reached during the bargaining session Wednesday, includes a 13.5 percent raise for teachers and therapists and a 33 percent raise for paraprofessionals, among other additional benefits.
To be more specific, the new contracts include a general wage increase of 33 percent for all paraprofessionals, including a 22.5 percent retroactive increase for 2021-2022, and a general wage increase of 13.5 percent for teachers and therapists with an 18.5 percent increase to top-end pay.
The contracts cover the period from Sept. 1, 2021-Aug. 31, 2025, including 1 year of retroactive coverage. These 4-year contracts for Lynn teachers, paraprofessionals, and therapists will increase pay, address class sizes and caseloads, and incentivize hiring and retention of diverse and bilingual staff.
Compensation will be guaranteed for Professional Development days, along with five additional Professional Development days for paraprofessionals. The teachers with oversized classes and therapists with oversized caseloads will be entitled for appropriate compensations.
“For the first time, Lynn will take real steps towards the smaller class sizes and lower caseloads our members need to do their jobs properly and give every student the personal attention they deserve,” said President of the Lynn Teachers Union Sheila O’Neil.
She said that with these contracts in place, Lynn will make major strides towards improving the recruitment and retention of skilled educators and stopping the flight of teachers to higher-paying districts.
Bilingual professionals will be able to receive annual stipends for their skills, and the para-teacher and assistant-therapist pipelines will be created along with introducing hiring incentives to increase educator and staff diversity.
The agreements also confirmed shared commitments to the creation of outdoor learning spaces and the construction of new school buildings, and to updating the teacher assignment process with the goal of improving continuity of student experience.
O’Neil thanked all the Lynn teachers, paras, and therapists who stood up and demanded a contract that addressed the needs of the students and the schools, as well as the members of the School Committee for their work to reach these contracts.
Mayor Jared Nicholson, who chairs Lynn’s School Committee also thanked the School Committee members, the LPS administrators who led the negotiating team, and the educators for their work to come to the mutually beneficial agreement.
“That will continue to support the amazing work of our educators in the classroom as well as our long-term vision of positive change for the district,” said Nicholson.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler said that considerable efforts by all to reach this agreement were made “with the student-centered values of the district front of mind at all times.”
The superintendent expressed confidence that the agreement that was reached reflects those student-centered values, and said that he was looking forward to the opportunities that would come and for the work to be done “in serving our students.”
“I can think of no better example than reaching the milestone of this contract,” said Tutwiler.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached [email protected].
