Holyoke HR chief outlines teachers' contract proposal with 20%+ raises and added leave

Beth Gage, chief of human resources for Holyoke Public Schools and a member of the district's bargaining team, told the school committee the district is offering a compensation and benefits package that would give teachers an average increase of more than 20% over three years while reducing work hours.

The proposal also restructures paid time off, separating the current combined accrual into 10 sick days and 3 personal days for a total of 13 paid days, an increase of three days compared with the district's current combined 10-day policy. "The school committee compensation proposal is highly competitive in the area, including an average increase of more than 20% over 3 years while dramatically reducing work hours," Gage said.

Gage said the proposal would front-load all leave on Sept. 15 each year and raise the maximum sick-day carryover from 120 days to 150 days. She compared the package with neighboring employers, saying Springfield offers 10 total days and that Holyoke's plan would be three days more than Springfield and one to two days more than several surrounding districts.

The district would also maintain a district-funded catastrophic leave bank that can provide up to 90 additional paid days for employees facing severe illness. The proposal creates a four-member committee (two Holyoke Public Schools appointees and two Holyoke Teachers Association appointees) to determine access to that bank.

For the first time, the proposal includes five paid days for FMLA child-bonding that would not be deducted from sick or personal leave, and teachers would remain eligible to use accrued sick and personal days during longer bonding leaves.

Gage described the overall package as "fair and supportive" and said it was designed to balance the needs of teachers, students and other staff while recognizing the district's fiscal constraints. She closed by inviting specific questions to be submitted via the district website and reiterated that negotiations with the Holyoke Teachers Association are ongoing.