Hanover School Committee Approves New Union Contracts, Plans to Add Five Staff Positions
Three-year agreements include wage increases and restructured benefits for support staff, while new curriculum positions aim to support growing number of new hires
HANOVER - August 7 - The Hanover School Committee unanimously approved three new collective bargaining agreements August 7 and announced plans to add five staff positions as the district prepares for the upcoming school year with approximately 40 new educators.
The committee ratified three-year contracts for administrative assistants, cafeteria workers, and paraprofessionals and ABA tutors during its Aug. 7 meeting. The agreements run from fiscal year 2026 through 2028 and include annual wage increases ranging from 3% to 3.25%.
"These roles are vital," said Superintendent Matt Ferron. "They're critically important to all that we do, whether it's the administrative assistant that you meet at the front desk of our buildings, it's the cafeteria workers in all of our buildings that keep our students energized and with full tummies and ready to go."
The agreements represent a combined first-year financial impact of $157,171 above previously budgeted amounts. Administrative assistants and paraprofessionals will cost an additional $66,451, while the cafeteria unit will add $90,720 to the food services revolving account.
All three contracts restructure salary scales by incorporating holiday and vacation pay directly into hourly rates, with payments annualized over a 52-week cycle. The agreements also introduce new "supermax" steps for employees with eight, 12, and 17 years of service, each providing a 4% salary increase to replace the previous longevity system.
"We prioritize equity and consistency across all three bargain units," Ferron said. "We firmly believe these new agreements represent a positive outcome for both our employees and the district as a whole."
The cafeteria workers' contract includes a complete wage scale reset rather than percentage-based increases, reflecting what officials described as needed modernization of pay structures that had become inconsistent over time. The agreement also introduces an annual stipend for first cooks and provides $150 annual reimbursement for non-slip footwear.
For paraprofessionals and ABA tutors, the contract adds three new stipends: an off-campus assignment stipend for staff working with students at locations like Bridgewater State University, a daily coverage stipend for those assigned to substitute for teachers, and a stipend for coordinating the Cedar Cafe program where high school students develop job skills.
All three agreements include a new parental and foster care leave article providing 10 paid days for the birth or adoption of a child.
The district also plans to post five additional positions in the coming days, including a special education teacher at the middle school and a reading teacher shared across multiple buildings for compliance purposes. Three curriculum support positions will be reinstated: reading coach, math coach, and Director of Instructional Support.
"These roles are vital to enhancing the educational outcomes for all students and will primarily concentrate on collaborating with educators to elevate instruction," said Finance Director Mike Oates. "Additionally, they will provide coaching, supervision, and mentorship for new hires within these departments."
The curriculum positions address the district's need to support what Oates and Ferron described as approximately 40 new educators starting in September. The Director of Instructional Support will oversee coaches and reading specialists while working extensively with K-8 teachers.
"With the number of people we have kind of coming on board, think about how much time and energy we put into training everybody," Ferron said. "Our principals and their colleagues in the building are not gonna be able to do all that work."
Funding for the new positions comes from the operating budget, with savings identified in special education expenses and recruitment costs. The district allocated funds for projected increases in special education expenses, but costs have stabilized, enabling redirection of savings toward staffing.
Additional funding became available through tuition prepayments issued in June and a supplemental circuit breaker reimbursement of approximately $175,000 from the state for fiscal year 2024 transportation costs.
The committee also addressed several handbook updates for the upcoming school year. Social probation for alcohol or drug violations will be reduced from a maximum of 10 months to 10 weeks, with Ferron noting the 10-month penalty had never been implemented.
"Rather than 10 months of social probation for an alcohol or drug violation, we'll change that to 10 weeks," Ferron said. "In over a decade, we've never had anybody who's had the 10 months applied to them."
The district removed language requiring students to participate in outside programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, instead having the counseling department handle rehabilitative educational components internally.
Physical education waiver procedures were clarified, with freshmen and sophomores required to take PE in spring terms three and four. Juniors and seniors take PE in fall terms, with fully scheduled students able to waive both terms and student athletes able to opt out of one term.
The committee also added language to curriculum sections of handbooks affirming parents' rights to review curriculum and request accommodations for content conflicting with religious convictions, following a recent Supreme Court case.
Other major items discussed:
• The district continues recruiting for remaining special education and reading positions
• Approximately 50 new faces will join the district when including support staff
• The policy committee will conduct a comprehensive review of social probation policies during the school year
• All new agreements position the district for improved recruitment and retention in challenging-to-fill positions