It’s time to respect educators – and the contract we negotiated.
Educators do their best work when the systems around them are reliable, collaborative and grounded in mutual respect. That’s why we bargain in good faith – to create agreements we can all count on. Yet, for years the Cambridge Public Schools district has failed to honor this basic commitment.
The district changed the start time at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 2020, disregarding the established bargaining process and violating the clear terms of our contract. Years later, after more than a year of negotiations, educators and the district reached a new agreement outlining the terms and conditions of our work through August 2026. A key provision of this contract reaffirmed the official CRLS student start and end times: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Last school year, Cambridge educators approached district leadership to begin discussions on restoring the agreed-upon CRLS start time for the 2024–2025 school year. Despite the contract’s clear and unambiguous language, district administrators stated explicitly they would not engage in planning to bring the start time into compliance. In doing so, they disregarded the terms of the agreement and unilaterally violated the negotiated schedule. This not only constitutes a breach of contract, but undermines the trust and good faith that educators invested in the bargaining process. By refusing to uphold their commitment, district leaders break the contract we fought hard to secure – and violate the trust of those who serve this community every day.
This is not just disappointing. It’s a deliberate violation of a binding agreement. Instead of engaging in transparent, evidence-based conversations, district leadership is spending public resources to defend this breach in contract via the long and expensive process of legal arbitration – a wasteful and avoidable escalation.
The district’s failure to abide by the school start time in the current agreed-upon contract has had a financial impact on many educators, who have lost the ability to maintain second jobs they rely on to make ends meet; others now face higher costs for child and family care. The difference of one half hour doesn’t sound like much, but when combined with extended school hours and worsening traffic, it makes it increasingly difficult for educators to pick up their own children on time or make shifts at second jobs.
We want a partner in the district, not an adversary. Educators are ready to collaborate. We care deeply about our students and want to help shape thoughtful, data-based policies that work for everyone. We cannot do that while the district disregards our legal agreements.
Interim superintendent Dave Murphy and the School Committee still have a choice. They can honor the contract and show they value partnership with educators – or continue down a path of conflict, delay and distrust.
The path forward is simple: respect the contract. Respect educators. The Cambridge Educators Association urges the district to collaborate and work toward a resolution before forcing our community into arbitration.
Devan Hannigan and Allison Wade
Allison Wade is a school counselor and social worker who has worked in at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School for 18 years. Devan Hannigan is a school psychologist who has worked in Cambridge Public Schools for 19 years.
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There are many before-school clubs and athletics. Do you want your fellow educators to start those programs even earlier, or cancel them?
What does the evidence show about the effects of making teenagers wake up for an 8 am start time? I believe teens need the most sleep of any age group besides infants and toddlers.
It seems like a school counselor and school psychologist should know that
“Studies comparing high schools with start times as little as 30 minutes earlier versus those with later start times demonstrate such adverse consequences as shorter sleep duration, increased sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, behavior problems, and absenteeism”
I assume they in fact do know this, and wish they would acknowledge it in this letter.