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.