Abington School Committee approves three-year educator contracts, updates 2025-26 calendar
The committee ratifies agreements for teachers and staff with cost-of-living increases and enhanced parental leave benefits, while shifting parent-teacher conferences back to traditional Thursday-Frid
ABINGTON - July 8 - The Abington School Committee ratified new three-year contracts for educators and staff during a virtual meeting July 8, approving cost-of-living increases and enhanced parental leave benefits for the 2026-2028 fiscal years.
The committee unanimously approved contracts for the Abington Education Association's Unit A and Unit B members, as well as wage increases for hourly employees. Committee member Heidi Hernandez recused herself from voting on the educator contracts.
"I think it's a very fair contract for where we are today," said Superintendent Dr. Felicia Moschella, who thanked the bargaining teams for completing negotiations before the school year ended.
The Unit A agreement provides cost-of-living increases of 2.75% in year one, 2.5% in year two, and 3% in year three. These increases apply to all salary schedules, including coaches and advisors.
A significant change in both Unit A and Unit B contracts involves expanded parental leave benefits. The district will provide one week of paid leave in year one for both birthing and non-birthing parents, with the remainder of time off coming from accumulated sick leave.
In year two, birthing parents receive two weeks of district-paid leave plus 10 weeks of accumulated sick time. Non-birthing parents can take four weeks of their accumulated sick time in year one, seven weeks in year two, and up to 10 weeks in year three.
Committee Chair Chris Coyle praised the collaborative negotiation process, specifically thanking AEA President Taren Whitman and Vice President Steve Moore, along with committee member Melanie Whitney who participated in the bargaining sessions.
"Thank you to the association for working with us to get this done before the school year ended," Coyle said. "It was a lot of hours, so I appreciate it."
The committee also approved wage increases for non-collective bargaining hourly employees at rates of 2.75% in the first year, 3% in the second year, and 3% in the third year.
Dr. Moschella received salary increases aligned with the Unit A contract terms, following the historical practice of matching her compensation adjustments to educator increases. The committee approved her 2.75% increase for fiscal year 2026, a 2.5% increase for fiscal year 2027, and a 3% increase for fiscal year 2028.
In addition to contract approvals, the committee updated the 2025-26 school calendar to move parent-teacher conferences from Wednesday-Thursday back to the traditional Thursday-Friday schedule. The change affects all schools from kindergarten through 12th grade.
"Following the negotiations and the ratification vote that you just took, we have a revised calendar in your packet to move our parent-teacher conferences at each school from K to 12, from Wednesday, Thursday, back to our traditional Thursday, Friday," said Dr. Christopher Basta, who presented the calendar updates.
The calendar revision also adjusts the high school's grade eight family night to align with the middle school's conference evening. The event moves to Nov. 6 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., shifting from the previously scheduled Nov. 5 date.
Early release dates will now fall on Fridays to correspond with the Friday afternoon conference schedule, maintaining the district's traditional format.
Committee members requested a final corrected version of the calendar be distributed within the next few days and posted online as soon as possible. Dr. Moschella confirmed the updated calendar would be shared through the district's communication channels.
The committee expects to hold another virtual meeting in early August to approve contracts for cafeteria, custodial, and maintenance workers. Dr. Moschella indicated those negotiations should conclude by the end of July.
"Date to be determined, but looking at the first week of August sometime before August 8th would be the idea," Coyle said regarding the additional meeting.
The committee's next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, the evening before the new school year begins.