Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S370 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1019 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 370
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Adam Gomez
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to educator pay.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Adam GomezHampdenVanna Howard17th Middlesex2/1/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/1/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/12/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester3/5/2025 1 of 4
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1019 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 370
18	18	By Mr. Gomez, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 370) of Adam Gomez, Vanna
19	19	Howard, Michael D. Brady, James K. Hawkins and others for legislation to require that all public
20	20	school educators are paid not less than a living wage as defined by the Massachusetts Institute of
21	21	Technology Living Wage Calculator. Education.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
25	25	(2025-2026)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act relative to educator pay.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition,
31	31	2is hereby amended by striking out section 40, and inserting in place thereof the following
32	32	3section:-
33	33	4 Section 40. (a) It is hereby declared to be the goal of the commonwealth to guarantee that
34	34	5all public school educators are paid not less than a living wage as defined by the Massachusetts
35	35	6Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator.
36	36	7 (b) In a school district as defined in section 2 of chapter 70 of the general laws, or an
37	37	8educational collaborative formed under the provisions of section 4E of chapter 40 of the general
38	38	9laws, the compensation of each teacher, as defined in chapter 32 of the general laws and pursuant
39	39	10to regulation 807 CMR 4.00, except a person in training and except a person employed as a
40	40	11temporary substitute, and the compensation of each “education support professional,” shall be at 2 of 4
41	41	12a rate of not less than seventy thousand dollars for teachers and a rate of not less than fifty-five
42	42	13thousand dollars for education support professionals for school years commencing after July
43	43	14first, two thousand and twenty-five. The compensation paid to such teachers and education
44	44	15support professionals shall be deemed to be fully earned at the end of the school year, and
45	45	16proportionately earned during the school year. Payment of such compensation may be deferred to
46	46	17the extent that equal payments may be established for a twelve-month period including amounts
47	47	18payable in July and August subsequent to the end of the school year.
48	48	19 (c) Beginning in fiscal year two thousand and twenty-six, school districts and educational
49	49	20collaboratives, as defined herein, shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth for the cost
50	50	21increases incurred by such school districts and educational collaboratives as a result of increasing
51	51	22teacher and education support professional compensation pursuant to this section.
52	52	23Reimbursements for the cost increases shall be distributed in accordance with this paragraph;
53	53	24provided, however, that no funds for said reimbursements shall be deducted from funds
54	54	25distributed pursuant to chapter 70 of the general laws or other existing state appropriations. The
55	55	26reimbursement amounts to each school district and educational collaborative shall be equal to
56	56	27100 per cent of the increase in the year in which the increase occurs; 60 per cent of that amount
57	57	28in the first year following; 40 per cent of that amount in the second year following; and 20 per
58	58	29cent of that amount in the third year following.
59	59	30 (d) For the purposes of this section, the term “education support professional” shall
60	60	31include, but not be limited to, a paraeducator, tutor, family liaison, interpreter, translator,
61	61	32qualified practitioner, as defined in the school-based Medicaid reimbursement program, clerical
62	62	33services worker, custodial and maintenance services worker, food services worker, health and
63	63	34student services worker, security services worker, skilled trades worker, technical services 3 of 4
64	64	35worker, and transportation services worker employed by a school district; provided, however,
65	65	36that the term shall not include a teacher, as defined in chapter 32 of the general laws, or any other
66	66	37employee of a school district or educational collaborative whose role requires certification under
67	67	38section 38G of this chapter or under chapter 74 of the general laws.
68	68	39 (e) Beginning on July first, two thousand and thirty-five, and for each subsequent five-
69	69	40year period, the executive office of labor and workforce development shall calculate an adjusted
70	70	41minimum compensation rate for teachers and education support professionals by increasing the
71	71	42current rate of compensation by the rate of inflation for the previous five-year period. Said
72	72	43adjusted rate of compensation shall be calculated to the nearest cent using the consumer price
73	73	44index for urban wage earners and clerical workers or a successor index, for the sixty months
74	74	45prior to July first of the subsequent five-year period, as calculated by the United States
75	75	46department of labor. Each adjusted minimum compensation rate calculated under this section
76	76	47shall take effect on the following September first.
77	77	48 (f) Effective September first of the five-year period starting on July first, two thousand
78	78	49and thirty-five, and effective for each subsequent five-year period thereafter, the compensation
79	79	50rates shall be adjusted as laid out in subsection (e) and be eligible for reimbursement under
80	80	51subsection (c) of this section.
81	81	52 (g) The implementation of this section shall be consistent with the provisions of chapter
82	82	53150E of the General Laws, including but not limited to the duty to bargain on wages, hours and
83	83	54working conditions, or any agreements entered into in accordance with said chapter 150E of the
84	84	55General Laws. Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting a school district or 4 of 4
85	85	56educational collaborative from providing teachers or educational support professionals with
86	86	57compensation that is higher than the minimum amounts as defined herein.
87	87	58 SECTION 2. Said section 40 of said chapter 71, as most recently amended by section 1 of
88	88	59this act, is hereby further amended by striking out the words “seventy thousand dollars for
89	89	60teachers and a rate of not less than fifty-five thousand dollars for education support professionals
90	90	61for school years commencing after July first, two thousand and twenty-five.” and inserting in
91	91	62place thereof the following words:- “eighty thousand dollars for teachers and a rate of not less
92	92	63than sixty-five thousand dollars for education support professionals for school years
93	93	64commencing after July first, two thousand and thirty.”
94	94	65 SECTION 3. Section 2 of this act shall take effect on July 1, 2030.