Belmont Education Association

Kudos to BEA Members Jen, Joyce, and Nicole!
Thank you to Jen, Joyce, and Nicole for speaking at tonight’s Belmont School Committee meeting and bringing attention to the unhealthy teaching and learning conditions caused by excessive heat in our schools.
Educators and students deserve safe, healthy learning environments. The ongoing failure of the Belmont Public Schools administration and the Belmont School Committee to adequately address these conditions—or to meaningfully collaborate with educators on solutions—is deeply concerning.
When classrooms become excessively hot, it impacts student learning, educator effectiveness, and the health and safety of everyone in our buildings. We appreciate Jen and Joyce for using their voices to advocate for the conditions our students and educators need and deserve.
Solidarity means speaking up when conditions are not acceptable. Thank you for your leadership and advocacy.

Last week’s heat and humidity created challenging learning conditions for students and educators. While the superintendent’s offices remained comfortable, classrooms across our schools became increasingly difficult environments for teaching, learning, and focusing.
This is about more than comfort. Excessive heat impacts student learning, staff working conditions, and the health and well-being of everyone in our schools.
Our students and educators deserve safe, healthy learning environments. It’s time for the Belmont School Committee to work together on real solutions.

6/5/26 - Burbank was 81.3 degrees at 8am, and 88.2 at 3pm. We still have 2 weeks left. The BSC needs to step in and take more measures to provide a healthy learning and working environment.

School temperatures are hitting 84°+. Here are temps as of 10:45 this morning at Burbank despite the BSC’s comment that we have cooling systems in place. Students are trying to learn and educators are trying to teach in classrooms where extreme heat is impacting focus, safety, and learning conditions. What is the Belmont School Committee going to do about it?”

Belmont’s student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1 — the highest among neighboring districts.
📍 Arlington: 12.2
📍 Cambridge: 9.1
📍 Lexington: 10.5
📍 Waltham: 10.3
📍 Watertown: 10.2
That says something. Our students are not getting the same level of support, and Belmont educators are being asked to do more with less every year.
We’ve tentatively agreed to a class size working group, but the Belmont School Committee refused to allow the group to publicly report its findings at a School Committee meeting. Why? What are they trying to hide?
Our students deserve better. It’s time for a fair contract that prioritizes student support, manageable class sizes, and the learning conditions every child deserves. ✊📚

Adding 15 minutes to the school day = a 3.6% increase in educator work time.
But the Belmont School Committee’s salary proposal is only:
📍 2.3%
📍 2.3%
📍 2.5%
Once you factor in the longer day, that’s only about a 1.2% average annual increase in real compensation.
More time at work means more teaching, planning, responsibilities, and time away from family. In every other district, a longer school day comes with proportional compensation. Belmont educators deserve the same respect. ✊📚.

For 30+ years, the Belmont School Committee has pushed an austerity narrative—saying there’s “no money” while asking educators to give more.
The result? Some of the highest student-to-teacher ratios and among the lowest per-pupil spending in the region.
Meanwhile, there’s about $1 million in salary savings this year from attrition alone—and we’re less than $500K apart across all four units.
The resources are there. It’s time to settle a fair contract for Belmont educators and invest in our students. ✊📚

Happy Educator Appreciation Week! 🍎
Elementary educators deserve the time to do their jobs well and right now, there simply isn’t enough of it.
Increasing daily preparation time to 45 minutes means more time to plan engaging lessons, collaborate with colleagues, communicate with families, and meet the diverse needs of every student. It’s not extra it’s essential.
When educators have the time they need, students get the support they deserve. Let’s make 45 minutes of daily prep time the standard our elementary schools need. ✊📚

Happy Educator Appreciation Week! ❤️
This week, we celebrate educators and their care and dedication to students every single day. Today, we’re lifting up our Education Support Professionals—the people who keep our schools running and make sure every student is seen, supported, and able to succeed.
ESPs are the backbone of our public schools. A real commitment to them means a fair salary increase and a guaranteed half-hour of preparation time each day—so they can collaborate, plan, and deliver the highest quality support for our students.
When we invest in ESPs, we invest in every child. ❤️

From Belmont ➡️ Kendall Square ➡️ Boston Common
Educators across Massachusetts came together on May Day to stand in solidarity.
We’re facing real challenges: underfunded schools, rising health care costs, and growing pressure on our communities. But together, we have power.
Educators Over Billionaires.
When one local fights, we all fight. When one local wins, we all win.✊