We have reached a tentative agreement! Your testimony, lobbying, and written advocacy this year have supported your bargaining team at the table, securing wage increases and improvements to your benefits and working conditions. While we didn’t win everything that we wanted at the bargaining table this year, this contract both improves sections while also adding brand new sections to the contract that support improved working conditions without giving up anything at the bargaining table. You can read the At the Table update here and learn more at our all-member meeting Thursday at 7 pm (more details about ratification in the spotlight below).
These kinds of wins are made not just by the bargaining team. It takes your continued advocacy to ensure we secure the funding needed for our contract proposals and other budget priorities. This year, the County Executive funded the 3% Cost of Living Adjustment but left out over 100 essential staffing positions from the Board of Education’s budget request. You know that fully funding and fully staffing your schools both supports reducing your workload and ensures your students have the best opportunities to belong, grow, and succeed. The County Council members are making their final amendments to the FY26 budget on June 9, so there is still time for you to submit written testimony about the importance of funding additional related service providers, school counselors, special educators, TAs, and more. Click here to share your story, and here for advice on writing your testimony.
As we work to continue to build our union’s power for the next round of negotiations and for the 2026 elections, we need to consider how we wisely use our money to build the infrastructure we need to win. This is why our union is considering the purchase of a new large union office and meeting space. We are lucky to have the financial resources to even consider such a purchase. Watch the video above to understand more about the reasons we are considering this purchase and check out this slide deck to see our current space as well as the potential new space. Rest assured this is a fiscally-sound decision, we can buy and renovate this building which is essentially right across the street from the Board of Education and still maintain a very healthy reserve in savings and most importantly we will NOT need to raise dues in order to accommodate the increased operating costs of a new larger building. The proposed FY26 budget that the building reps will vote on tomorrow night shows that we can make this purchase and still stay within our means. The RA will have a virtual SPECIAL SESSION on June 11 at 7 pm to determine how to move forward with this decision.
Reminder for Building Reps: Our regularly scheduled Rep Assembly is tomorrow, Wednesday, June 4 from 5:00-7:00pm at Severna Park Middle. We’ll be voting on our FY26 union budget, city of Annapolis election endorsements, giving scholarships to graduating seniors, hearing about ratification of our tentative agreement, and get building updates. Please RSVP here.
Keep reading for other important updates and opportunities:
- THURSDAY: All-Member Ratification Meeting
- THIS WEEKEND: Teach Truth
- SPOTLIGHT: Retiree Celebration
- TAAAC Opportunities & Committee Updates
- MSEA Opportunities & Action Items
