North Andover Teaching Assistants Union Presents 21 Contract Proposals in First Public Session

School Committee · Meeting of March 9, 2026

North Andover teaching assistants' union opens contract talks with 21 proposals in a first-of-its-kind public session. The North Andover Teachers Association's Unit C, representing teaching assistants and education support professionals, met Monday with the School Committee subcommittee — including Vice Chair Kelly Cormier and Clerk Alissa Samz — in an open, publicly streamed bargaining session. MTA Field Representative Kevin Tierney presented financial data arguing the town has roughly $5.5 million in excess levy capacity, a triple-A bond rating, and an average $4.5 million per year in surplus local tax receipts, then delivered proposals including a new $4,000 annual toileting stipend, a $6,000 specialized-program stipend, 15 paid vacation days, expanded parental leave from 12 to 16 weeks with the first 12 employer-paid, a 403(b) match of up to $500 per year, and a $50,000 shared annual tuition reimbursement fund.

The union declined to make a wage proposal, instead asking the committee to make the first serious wage offer, with per-pupil spending in North Andover at roughly $19,300 — below the state average of $23,000 and well behind Andover's nearly $24,500.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of March 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.