Taunton School Committee Publicly Ratifies Seven Union Contracts and Non-Union Raises

TAUNTON — May 20, 2026 — Taunton School Committee publicly ratifies seven union contracts and a contested non-union pay raise at May 20 meeting. Following advice from district attorney Colby Brunt to prevent potential open meeting law exposure, the committee voted on a series of roll calls to formally approve collective bargaining agreements for the Taunton Educators Association, Taunton Administrators Association, TESSA, two Local 1144 units, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and the Taunton Therapy Assistants Association — all covering fiscal years 2026 through 2028, with most providing a 3 percent raise in year one, an additional 1 percent on the 91st day, and 3 percent increases in the following two years. A blanket 3 percent annual raise for more than 50 non-union positions passed 4-2, with Chair Donna Schaus and member Carrie Mullen voting no, arguing that lumping workers from assistant superintendents to part-time crossing guides into a single vote denied lower-wage employees the consideration they deserved. Year-to-date legal fees with the district's law firm reached $83,000, $18,000 over the special education legal services budget, with March and April invoices still outstanding and an additional $30,000 projected through fiscal year end. The committee also approved Taunton's participation in the 2026 Harvard Public Education Leadership Project Summer Institute, fully funded at $39,000 by DESE, with travel costs to be covered by a Title IIA grant.