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The Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee posted an agenda for a Monday, January 5 meeting, and it appears that the district is on the cusp of finalizing agreements with three union groups, including the teachers.
According to the agenda, the committee will meet first in executive session to discuss negotiations and executive session minutes, then return to open session to vote on agreements with the Sudbury Educational Association, Educational Support Professional Association of Sudbury, and Sudbury Educational Association of Custodial Employees. The three union groups are referred to as “Units A, B and C.”
Just a few weeks ago, the district was mired in controversy after the surprise reveal of a forecasted $1.6M deficit in the upcoming fiscal year (FY27). That news was a surprise to the Town of Sudbury administration. Town Manager Andy Sheehan had already presented his annual Financial Condition of the Town, which forecasted an overall deficit in FY28, while the Town could get through FY27 within its existing means.
Following the news from SPS, the school committee appointed Sheehan to their Negotiations Subcommittee to participate in ongoing negotiations with union groups. That opened a line of direct communication between the SPS cost center and the Town administration, allowing the two groups to proceed in lockstep. Just a few weeks later, it appears three deals may have been struck.
The committee, according to the agenda, is not voting on an agreement with the school nurses union on Monday. The nurses have described their negotiations as “a contract fight that’s dragged on for more than five years” in a recent letter. However, SPS has not made any public comments on the matter, as is typical during active negotiations.
An agreement with the largest union group, the teachers, will bring much needed clarity to the preliminary FY27 budget. The committee has yet to vote on a budget, and has been given a few extra weeks from the Town to allow the district to make further attempts to close the deficit. Superintendent Brad Crozier has already told the committee that he does not recommend pursuing an override for the FY27 budget, though it remains possible that the committee approves an unbalanced FY27 budget next month.
