Salem Public School Teachers Reach 3-Year Contract Deal

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools teachers have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract that promotes diverse hiring practices, school building improvements and increases the pay of paraprofessionals.

The district said the agreement, which lasts through August 2024, includes provisions that are in response to input from parents, students, educators, administrators, School Committee members and community stakeholders and "recognizes and celebrates Salem's diversity and forward-looking leadership."

As part of the new pact, job postings will be in English and Spanish, there will be a recruitment differential for bilingual staff and culturally responsive library materials will be added in every school.

"At one of the community forums we held, I remember parents saying that they went through their entire education without having teachers that looked like them," said Salem Teachers Union President Ann Berman of the diversity outreach. "We are proud to work with Salem Public Schools to make an intentional effort to remedy that problem."

The contract pledges a continued commitment to building and equipment improvements, including the $1,134,000 in the Fiscal 2022 city budget.

"Especially after the year we all went through with COVID, these efforts will ensure we can keep the focus on the education of our children — not the condition of our facilities," said Beth Anne Cornell, a parent of a Carlton Elementary student who will be attending Collins Middle School next year, in a district statement.

Paraprofessional pay will increase to $25,000 a year by the end of the agreement.

"This contract maintains our strong commitment to supporting our students and the hard work of the teachers and staff who work in our schools," Salem Mayor and School Committee Chair Kim Driscoll said, "in particular our paraprofessionals who add another layer of support to the classroom and foster greater inclusion in our schools while providing students with more opportunities for one-on-one support."

The deal includes a commitment to staff schools with mental health support personnel, library improvements, incentives to improve diversity among faculty, development opportunities, a restructured high school schedule, more outdoor and community learning spaces and a commitment to keep classrooms fully supplied.

"This agreement builds on work the district has been doing to engage parent and teacher voices," Superintendent of Schools Steve Zrike said. "With this agreement being settled, we are now positioned to focus on the fall and have the best reopening possible."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)