Gill-Montague School Committee Ratifies Unit A Contract 6-1

GILL — October 10, 2023 — Gill-Montague School Committee votes 6-1 to ratify Unit A teachers contract, with Unit C talks ongoing. Vice Chair William Toone presided over the October 10 remote meeting in the absence of Chair Jane. Wendy Thompson was the sole abstention on the ratification vote, which also authorized the chair to sign the collective bargaining agreement; Select Board representative Matt Lord participated as a voting member and voted in favor. GMEA President Heidi Schmidt told the committee members are "very relieved" by the agreement, while public commenter Ramona Latronica, the district's elementary librarian, said paraprofessionals with master's degrees and teaching licenses are offered $15 an hour — $97.50 a day before taxes — against a $120-per-day per-diem substitute rate, with at least six para positions currently unfilled at the elementary level alone. Business Administrator Joanne confirmed the district's $286,752 HVAC grant remains approved through June 2027 across five projects, clarifying that a procedural year-to-year reapplication — not a forfeiture — caused a recent funding pause. Gil Elementary was cited as one of 66 schools statewide to receive a state School of Recognition designation, improving its accountability progress rate from 40 percent to 90 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019 figures.