Holyoke's teachers union could ratify a new, long-sought contract as soon as Tuesday, following a year of negotiations and struggles between them and the school district.
After much debate, Holyoke Public Schools and the Holyoke Teachers Association say the contract they've tentatively agreed on is a good one.
Following a year without a contract and roadblocks that led to mediation, both the union and school district have been celebrating the milestone.
HTA leader Nick Cream says while there were concessions, the final, rapid rounds of talks on Wednesday yielded results he and HTA's 500 members are largely happy with.
“It came down to the very end of the night, from 186 days from 185 days,” Cream said, describing how talks led to another reduction in contractual work days, in addition to a two-day reduction already in the district's proposal going into Wednesday. “That school year and the school day [are] much more in line with districts around here.”
"[And] modern, human paid parental leave. In the contract, it’s called ‘childbonding leave,' - it’s for new parents, who are now getting seven paid days to bond with their kid,” he continued. “Obviously, we know that’s not enough time, but it’s seven more days than we had before and seven days more than what many districts get around here, so we consider that a win.”
Cream says an HTA request to stop pay rates from being tied to teaching licensure didn't work out.
While not thrilled with the concession, he says he's optimistic about the state's education department's recent work to make licensure more accessible.
