About SEA

The mission of the SEA is to negotiate and enforce a contract that ensures fair wages and benefits, good working conditions, and a safe environment, and maintains the dignity and integrity of teachers.  We are members of both the state and national organizations - MTA and NEA.

Massachusetts Teachers AssociationThe Massachusetts Teachers Association is a union, dedicated to improving the workplace and the quality of life for all education employees and to protecting their hard-won rights. Equally important, we are an association of highly qualified professionals, committed to establishing and maintaining optimal conditions for student learning from preschool through graduate school.


National Education Association

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.

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The SEA Executive Board's goal is to increase member activity through communication/listening so that SEA membership develops and shares power to obtain and ensure the working conditions necessary to guarantee a quality public education for all students in Springfield. 

The Legislative Board is responsible for voting to adopt or amend general policy recommended by the Executive Board, implementing general policy, and approving or amending the Executive Board's recommended budget. The Legislative Board meets monthly.

The Negotiations Team bargains with the School Committee (through its representatives) all changes in the contract. 

Executive Board

The SEA Executive Board's goal is to increase member activity through communication/listening so that SEA membership develops and shares power to obtain and ensure the working conditions necessary to guarantee a quality public education for all students in Springfield.

The members of the Executive Board are the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, ten members-at-large, and one retired members at large. They are elected every two years by the membership. The Executive Board members attend two board meetings a month, as well as the monthly Legislative Board meeting. The Executive Board Members often are involved with different subcommittees and special projects throughout the year.

As defined by the SEA's Bylaws, the job of the Executive Board is to develop policies of the Association with input from membership and recommend those policies to the Legislative Board for adoption. They also work with the budget. The Board's job is to approve or amend and recommend an annual budget to the Legislative Board. They can also approve or amend line item adjustments to the adopted budget.

Legislative Board

The Legislative Board is responsible for voting to adopt or amend general policy recommended by the Executive Board, implementing general policy, and approving or amending the Executive Board's recommended budget. The Legislative Board meets monthly.

The members of the Legislative Board are elected for a one year term at each school. Each school is entitled to elect one Association Representative for every fifteen members of the faculty. Association Representatives are the members' main source of communication as they pick up materials at the SEA office and distribute them to members via school mailboxes. The Association Representatives also act as the liaison between the Association and members and are instrumental in the initial steps of the grievance process.

Negotiations (Bargaining) Team

The Negotiations Team bargains with the School Committee, through its representatives, all changes in the Contract. The team solicits proposals for Contract changes from the membership. Upon reaching tentative agreement on all matters under negotiation, the team prepares and submits its report and recommendations to the membership prior to a ratification meeting.

The Negotiating Team consists of the President and eleven members, representing a cross section of the membership, appointed by the President, and approved by the Executive Board. The Team elects its own Chairperson and Secretary.

Committees

  • Political Action Committee

    The COPE Committee functions as the liaison between Association members, School Committee, City Council, and state representatives and senators. They lobby for educational issues and keep members informed about important political decisions being made in education.

  • Finance Committee

    The Finance Committee is chaired by the Vice President. The committee meets to create and then recommend the yearly budget. This recommendation is voted upon by the Executive and Legislative Boards for approval.

    Contact bdunn@seateachers.com 

  • Grievance Committee

    The Grievance Committee works to defend and protect the working rights of the bargaining unit members. The committee develops Association positions on all matters pertaining to the rights of Association members especially academic freedom, professional and personal leaves, administrative discipline and dismissal, and grievance procedures and complies data for the support of these positions in negotiations. The SEA has a full-time Professional Relations staff person who is also the grievance chairperson. The grievance chairperson oversees all grievances.

  • Scholarship Commitee

    The Scholarship Committee reviews applications for the Meline Kasparian, Peter Dupuis, and Joan Cormack Scholarships, and determines the recipients based on a scoring system. Reviewers are not informed of the identities of the individual applicants until scoring is finalized.

  • Superintendent's Committee

    The Superintendent's Committee is a committee of five teachers appointed by the President, representing a cross section of membership, who meet with the Superintendent once a month. The purpose of this committee is to discuss matters of educational policy, curriculum, and improvements of educational climate in the Springfield Public Schools.

  • Wellness Committee


  • Retirees Committee

    The SEA Retirees Committee meets once a month to promote and strengthen our mission of demonstrating what our  unions (SEA, MTA, NEA) are doing for teachers. Our team has created Tools 4 Teaching, a recycling store for teachers. We accept classroom resources from retiring teachers, organize them, and distribute them at no cost, to current teachers. During this process, retirees listen, empathize, and validate through action, the importance of the union/teacher connection at all levels of our profession.