Boston City Council unanimously approves $33.3M Boston Teachers Union contract

BOSTON — May 7, 2025 — Boston City Council unanimously approves $33.3 million Boston Teachers Union contract during National Teacher Appreciation Week. The council voted 12-0 on both docket 0940 and docket 0941, releasing retroactive raises to more than 9,800 BPS employees including 6,344 teachers, 2,054 paraprofessionals, 106 ABA specialists, and 1,338 substitutes. All BTU members will receive a 2.5 percent raise in FY25, with 2 percent increases in FY26 and FY27 and additional flat supplements for teachers each year; the three-year contract runs through August 2027 and will cost the city more than $147 million in its final two years. Ways and Means Chair Brian Worrell, who convened a same-day morning hearing before the full session, noted that the lowest-paid paraprofessionals will see salaries climb from $40,926 to $53,625 — a 30-plus percent jump. The council also passed resolutions recognizing Small Business Month, World Asthma Day, National Teacher Appreciation Week, National Nurses Week, and June as Pride Month, and approved an emergency Citizen Square designation in East Boston honoring 100-year-old World War II veteran Rocco Talis.