School Committees Approve COLA Increases and Modifications to APEA Contracts

Report on the Joint Meeting of Union 26, Amherst, Pelham, and Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committees, February 27, 2026

By Kiera McLaughlin

This meeting was held in the library of the Amherst Regional High School and simulcast over Amherst Media Channel 15, and was recorded.

Present
Regional School Committee: Sarahbess Kenney (Chair, Pelham), Andrew Hart (Amherst), Laura Jane Hunter (Amherst), Anna Heard (Shutesbury), Bridget Hynes (Amherst), Deb Leonard (Amherst), Sarah Marshall (Amherst), William Sherr (Pelham) and Tim Shores (Leverett)

Amherst School Committee: Deborah Leonard (Chair), Andrew Hart,  Bridget Hynes, Sarah Marshall

Pelham School Committee: Margaret Stancer (Chair), Jenny Bradbury, Rachel Figurasmith, Sarabess Kenney, William Sherr

Staff: Jennifer Ortiz (HR Director)

The committees immediate adjourned into executive session where they spent almost four hours discussing strategy for negotiations with the district’s non-union members  (Superintendent and Committee Action), as well as “to conduct collective bargaining sections or contract negotiations with non-union personnel, and to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the Amherst Pelham Educators’ Association (APEA) or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body,,” Sarahbess Kenney explained.  

Following the executive session, the remainder of the meeting–11 minutes in total–was devoted to approving the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for the Superintendent and for Committee Action Employees for the Fiscal Year of 2027. The Amherst-Pelham Educational Association (APEA) 2025-2028 contract was also approved.

A 3% COLA increase for the Superintendent for the coming fiscal year was unanimously approved by the Regional Committee and Union 26. The Union 26 School Committee has the authority over hiring and dismissing the Superintendent.

Similarly, a 3% COLA increase with no further negotiations was approved for the Committee Action Employees. Eight Regional School Committee members voted to approve, with Bridget Hynes abstaining; four Pelham members voted to approve, with Rachel Figurasmith abstaining, and four Amherst members voted to approve, with Hynes abstaining.

Finally, the committees needed to vote to approve Unit A and Unit C of the APEA contract for 2025-2028. Unit A covers the contract between the school committees, Superintendent, and professional staff, while Unit C covers the contract between the school committees, Superintendent, and paraeducators. Unit B the contract between the school committees, Superintendent, and clerical/media staff, was not voted on.

Director of Human Resources Jennifer Ortiz explained that the 2025-2028 APEA contract included a 3% wage increase for all three years for all three units. Paraeducators in all three units will have an increase of sick time from 12 days per year to 15 days, as well as an additional ten days for parental leave which does not apply to sick time. The language in each contract was rewritten to have the same wording for management rights in all units. 

“We’ve also agreed to create committees through the joint labor management process to look at the stipends and the contracts. The stipends have been added to Units A across all units as well, and to look at those to negotiate increases for the stipends that are in the contracts,” Ortiz said.

Additionally, there will be a committee formed based on the joint labor management process to review the evaluations of professional staff in Unit A.

With no further discussion after Ortiz’s short presentation, the Regional Committee approved the modifications to Unit A with eight votes and Laura Jane Hunter abstaining. The Amherst School Committee approved the modifications with four affirmative votes and Hunter abstaining. The Pelham School Committee passed the motion with four approvals and Margaret Stancer abstaining.

Finally, updates to Unit C were unanimously approved by all committees.