Schools reach tentative deal with administrators union in Amherst, Pelham

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 04-12-2023 7:20 PM

AMHERST — A union representing administrators in the Amherst and Pelham public schools and the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract that will extend through the 2024-2025 school year.

A joint press release issued Friday by the school committee and the Amherst-Pelham Administrators Association, states that a deal is pending ratification later this month by the union membership and the school committee. The union includes assistant principals, the athletic director and food services supervisor and student services administrators for areas such as special education, multilingual education and curriculum, instruction and assessment.

“We have enormous appreciation for the work of our administrators who play invaluable and sometimes overlooked roles in the support and education of our students, and we are grateful for the collaborative effort with APAA that made this agreement possible,” Regional School Committee Chairman Ben Herrington said in a statement.

The agreement comes as negotiations are continuing between the school committee and the Amherst-Pelham Education Association, representing teachers, paraeducators and clerical staff.

“The Administrators Union hopes that this agreement can support the School Committee in reaching an agreement with other organizations that may help all parties feel hope for the future,” said APAA President Allison Estes. Estes, the assistant principal at Wildwood Elementary School, will become that school’s principal in July.

Peter Demling, an Amherst representative to the Regional School Committee, said the tentative vote on approving the agreement will be at its April 25 meeting. The full contract will be made public at that time.

Meanwhile, the school committee and teachers union return to in-person talks at the middle school on Tuesday. Late last month, a straw poll was taken at a union membership meeting in which members voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest offer of a 2.75% cost-of-living pay increase over the course of three years, and asked that negotiations continue.

The APEA bargaining team acknowledged some of the recent gains in the bargaining process.

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