MA Teachers Union Strikes Deal With Nonprofit

The Massachusetts Teachers Association reached an agreement with the non-profit group Stand for Children, which advocates for improved public education in the state.

Stand for Children has been collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to let voters decide if teachers in Massachusetts should face stricter evaluation and give up certain seniority rights. The deal reached between the MTA and Stand for Children hinges on new legislation that would mark compromise between both sides.

Executive Director of Stand for Children Jason Williams…

The bill, which is being proposed by both groups and includes 2 provisions – an alternative to the 31 provisions included in Stand For Children’s ballot initiative – would need to be voted on and passed by the end of the current legislative session in July. The two agreed upon provisions include language about the role of evaluations and seniority in personnel decisions and details about the role of administration in reassigning teachers.  Jason Williams continues…

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Paul Toner says reception of the compromise has been positive with Massachusetts lawmakers.

Toner said that if the compromises made in the deal were approved by the Governor, the state’s teachers would be avoiding more harmful reforms included in the ballot initiative, including encroachments on teacher’s collective bargaining rights.

In the new legislation, changes would not taking place until the 2016-2017 school year.