Weymouth teachers demand fair contract at packed School Committee session

WEYMOUTH -- February 16, 2023, Weymouth teachers pack School Committee meeting to demand fair contract settlement. Dozens of educators in red filled the auditorium at the February 16 meeting, describing burnout, unsafe conditions, and wages they said trail neighboring districts. Committee negotiation chair Tracy Curran cited state DESE data showing Weymouth's average teacher salary for fiscal year 2021 at approximately $95,000, second in the state behind only Cambridge, against a statewide average of roughly $86,000; audience members reacted audibly, with Chair Tom Sullivan calling for order. School adjustment counselor Kathleen Lyon Mahoney told the committee that Marie Weston-Chapman Middle School's 1,195 students are served by only two guidance counselors, roughly 600 students each, more than double the state association's recommended ratio of 250, and requested a third counselor be funded through ESSER III. Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith reported approximately $3.7 million remains of the project's $4.525 million appropriation for the Abigail Adams early education facility, with preliminary estimates putting costs near $4.1 million and a planned transportation building for van drivers pushed from fall 2023 to fall 2024.