School secretaries and administrators press School Committee for contracts after yearlong stalemate

Two Waltham Public Schools employee groups nearly filled the room at the school committee’s June 17 meeting, calling on the committee to reach fair contract settlements after their members have continued to work without a negotiated contract since July 1, 2025.

Representatives from the Waltham School Secretaries Association and the Waltham School Administrators Association both addressed the committee, joined by parents and community members who spoke in support. 

Derek Vandegrift, president of the administrators association which represents assistant principals and directors across the district, read a formal petition from the group aloud to the committee. According to the administrators’ petition, they are among six employee units without contracts, including secretaries, MIS technicians, building trades workers, food service and custodial staff.

The only district employee union with a currently ratified contract is the teachers’ union, which was finalized after 13 months of negotiations.

“For nearly a year, our members have continued to fulfill their responsibilities without a negotiated contract,” Vandegrift read, noting that administrators regularly work beyond the traditional school day, including evenings, weekends and emergency responses.

The petition urged the committee to reach an agreement that provides “fair and competitive compensation that reflects the scope and complexity” of administrators’ responsibilities, and called for a settlement that would help recruit and retain school leaders in Waltham. 

The secretary association, whose contract also expired July 1, 2025, outlined specific points of contention with the district’s pay-scale practices. Kristine Scheufele, president of the union and a nearly 15-year district employee, described what she called a wage compression crisis in which long-serving secretaries earn the same as or less than recently hired colleagues. 

The pay-scale practice, she argued, has created a gap that punishes loyalty. Under the contract that expired last July, the district retained discretion to place new hires up to four rungs up the salary ladder from day one. Scheufele said that provision has left veterans financially worse off. 

“This creates a shameful and negative seniority gap,” she said, citing one example of a 26-year veteran earning nearly $5,000 less annually than a hire with less than two years of experience. “In Waltham, those years of loyalty are valued at exactly zero dollars,” the president said.

Scheufele also challenged a 2.5% raise proposed by the district in past negotiations, calling it a “mathematical illusion.” For an employee higher up the salary ladder, she said, the gross increase from that raise is effectively consumed by insurance premiums, mandatory contributions and inflation.

“We’re not asking for a windfall,” she said, “we’re asking for a correction.”

Several other secretaries also spoke, including one who spoke on behalf of a colleague who feared retaliation for speaking publicly. 

“In my decade and a half here, I have never witnessed an atmosphere like this,” the president said of the tense climate during negotiations.

Emile Colon, a parent of a Waltham High School student, also addressed the committee in support of the secretaries. He described secretaries as “the front line of the school,” the first voice families hear when they call and often the first person who knows something is wrong with a student. 

“Respect does not buy groceries,” he said. “Appreciation does not cover gas, insurance, childcare or medical costs,” emphasizing the importance of compensation. 

Despite their frustrations, speakers made it clear the dispute is not about a lack of commitment to the district. “Could we find ourselves work for higher salaries? Absolutely,” said secretary association member Karen Lawn. “Why do we stay? Because we are committed to the Waltham public schools. We are committed to our students, and our community, and we love Waltham.”

Per meeting rules, the school committee did not respond publicly to contract-related comments. Negotiations between the district and various employee units are ongoing.