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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 969 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 733
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Erika Uyterhoeven and Tara T. Hong
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to educator pay.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex1/14/2025Tara T. Hong18th Middlesex1/30/2025Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/3/2025Christopher Richard Flanagan1st Barnstable2/3/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex2/3/2025Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex2/3/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/11/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/19/2025Mike Connolly26th Middlesex2/19/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/28/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex3/6/2025David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester3/11/2025 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 969 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 733
By Representatives Uyterhoeven of Somerville and Hong of Lowell, a petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 733) of Erika Uyterhoeven, Tara T. Hong and others relative to educators’ pay.
Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act relative to educator pay.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition,
2is hereby amended by striking out section 40, and inserting in place thereof the following
3section:-
4 Section 40. (a) It is hereby declared to be the goal of the commonwealth to guarantee that
5all public school educators are paid not less than a living wage as defined by the Massachusetts
6Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator.
7 (b) In a school district as defined in section 2 of chapter 70 of the general laws, or an
8educational collaborative formed under the provisions of section 4E of chapter 40 of the general
9laws, the compensation of each teacher, as defined in chapter 32 of the general laws and pursuant
10to regulation 807 CMR 4.00, except a person in training and except a person employed as a
11temporary substitute, and the compensation of each “education support professional,” shall be at
12a rate of not less than seventy thousand dollars for teachers and a rate of not less than fifty-five 2 of 4
13thousand dollars for education support professionals for school years commencing after July
14first, two thousand and twenty-five. The compensation paid to such teachers and education
15support professionals shall be deemed to be fully earned at the end of the school year, and
16proportionately earned during the school year. Payment of such compensation may be deferred to
17the extent that equal payments may be established for a twelve-month period including amounts
18payable in July and August subsequent to the end of the school year.
19 (c) Beginning in fiscal year two thousand and twenty-six, school districts and educational
20collaboratives, as defined herein, shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth for the cost
21increases incurred by such school districts and educational collaboratives as a result of increasing
22teacher and education support professional compensation pursuant to this section.
23Reimbursements for the cost increases shall be distributed in accordance with this paragraph;
24provided, however, that no funds for said reimbursements shall be deducted from funds
25distributed pursuant to chapter 70 of the general laws or other existing state appropriations. The
26reimbursement amounts to each school district and educational collaborative shall be equal to
27100 per cent of the increase in the year in which the increase occurs; 60 per cent of that amount
28in the first year following; 40 per cent of that amount in the second year following; and 20 per
29cent of that amount in the third year following.
30 (d) For the purposes of this section, the term “education support professional” shall
31include, but not be limited to, a paraeducator, tutor, family liaison, interpreter, translator,
32qualified practitioner, as defined in the school-based Medicaid reimbursement program, clerical
33services worker, custodial and maintenance services worker, food services worker, health and
34student services worker, security services worker, skilled trades worker, technical services
35worker, and transportation services worker employed by a school district; provided, however, 3 of 4
36that the term shall not include a teacher, as defined in chapter 32 of the general laws, or any other
37employee of a school district or educational collaborative whose role requires certification under
38section 38G of this chapter or under chapter 74 of the general laws.
39 (e) Beginning on July first, two thousand and thirty-five, and for each subsequent five-
40year period, the executive office of labor and workforce development shall calculate an adjusted
41minimum compensation rate for teachers and education support professionals by increasing the
42current rate of compensation by the rate of inflation for the previous five-year period. Said
43adjusted rate of compensation shall be calculated to the nearest cent using the consumer price
44index for urban wage earners and clerical workers or a successor index, for the sixty months
45prior to July first of the subsequent five-year period, as calculated by the United States
46department of labor. Each adjusted minimum compensation rate calculated under this section
47shall take effect on the following September first.
48 (f) Effective September first of the five-year period starting on July first, two thousand
49and thirty-five, and effective for each subsequent five-year period thereafter, the compensation
50rates shall be adjusted as laid out in subsection (e) and be eligible for reimbursement under
51subsection (c) of this section.
52 (g) The implementation of this section shall be consistent with the provisions of chapter
53150E of the General Laws, including but not limited to the duty to bargain on wages, hours and
54working conditions, or any agreements entered into in accordance with said chapter 150E of the
55General Laws. Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting a school district or
56educational collaborative from providing teachers or educational support professionals with
57compensation that is higher than the minimum amounts as defined herein. 4 of 4
58 SECTION 2. Said section 40 of said chapter 71, as most recently amended by section 1 of
59this act, is hereby further amended by striking out the words “seventy thousand dollars for
60teachers and a rate of not less than fifty-five thousand dollars for education support professionals
61for school years commencing after July first, two thousand and twenty-five.” and inserting in
62place thereof the following words:- “eighty thousand dollars for teachers and a rate of not less
63than sixty-five thousand dollars for education support professionals for school years
64commencing after July first, two thousand and thirty.”
65 SECTION 3. Section 2 of this act shall take effect on July 1, 2030.