UPDATE 4/30/19: NASE and NPS made significant progress in Negotiations on Monday night due in large to the dozens of calls and emails received by School Committee members. We’re making progress but we’re not all the way there. Please call and email our local elected officials and ask them to take the first step towards equitable wages and salaries for NPS employees and settle a FAIR CONTRACT NOW!

Downey Meyer, the Chief Spokesperson for the School Committee’s bargaining team, has claimed that he believes “the School Committee can help to secure the resources that are necessary to run an exceptional school system, and that the committee can help to ensure that the work of that system is aligned with the priorities of our community. … I will work to ensure that adequate financial resources are available to meet the educational needs of our children”. Mayor Narkewicz claims to be a “champion” of our public schools and says that he “understands that maintaining excellent public schools to serve the educational needs of all our children is a critical investment for Northampton”.

Yet, since 2011— the year Downey Meyer and our “champion” Mayor Narkewicz were first elected— Northampton’s teachers have seen pay increases averaging just 1.2% per year. Many NPS employees make less than $15-per-hour, and some are paid below the state minimum wage.We are losing new teachers and qualified candidates to higher paying districts, and many of our educators are living paycheck to paycheck. Northampton educators want to know; Is this what securing the resources for an exception school district looks like? Does this reflect the priorities of our community?

At the April 18 City Council meeting, At-Large School Committee member Susan Voss joined NASE members in advocating for additional funding for education in city budget by saying our community “must work together and commit to paying teachers and educational support staff commensurate to other communities and the cost of living in Northampton”.

Please stand with Northampton educators and hold our elected officials accountable to our values. Ask them to make a public commitment, as At-Large School Committee member Susan Voss has, to working together and committing to paying our educators wages commensurate with other communities.

Note: While elected officials cannot commit to specific bargaining proposals, they can speak in general terms and make general commitments to Northampton’s educators. Demand accountability to our values and priorities which they claim to share, and ask that they do everything in their power to settle a FAIR CONTRACT NOW!