I said all last year we were going to be seeing plenty more of this due to Westford wanting first class teachers while paying less than competitive salaries. Now I have heard of a few teachers who left WPS this summer and didn't make it known why ($) so those teachers are not the ones counted here. I also have heard of half dozen or so teachers at the high school looking for jobs in better paying districts now.
The contract might have been settled but nearly ALL teachers do not feel it was a fair offer and it only increased the salary disparity between WPS and our neighbors.

Mark my words the trickle will turn to an exodus when the $ gap is coupled with administration mistreating employees contract rights (personal days)

The end result will be more inexperienced teachers in a short period of time in Westford and choice candidates look elsewhere for openings

5-6 people out of 600 seems low. Do you have past year's data to back up your claim

Just a few points:
My understanding is many teachers accepted because they were fearful of going into another year with no contract NOT because they felt 'this is fair'. Yes, they accepted it.
There are NOT 600 teachers in WPS there are closer to 400 (Aides do not vote on contract they are not part of same bargaining unit). Yes, 5-6 is low but the point is it is 2-3x that number this past year and I bet there will be another half dozen teachers from WPS who secure last minute jobs at the end of August in better paying towns and leave before the start o September. I also believe (from conversations with teachers in town) they this year MANY more experienced standout teachers will look to test the job markets outside of WPS...You can bury head in the same all you want and say the sky isnt blue and water isnt wet but this was a logical result of the past year.
WPS administrators should be fully ready for employees who used to 'go with the flow' and not read line for line in their contract to have a new outlook thanks to the past year. There was a way things were done (mutual respect) before in Westford and now the result of the past year is that there is likely a new way of doing business. The SC has made its bed and now its time to sleep in it, 'the chickens are coming home to roost'.
Many teachers at WA are very aware of the last day of the year failure to respect/follow contract language with some employees by Admin, Not a good way to mend damaged fences I would say!

Please keep in mind this isnt just the teachers saying they are aware of many more leaving Westford over the towns cheapness and bully tactics at the table, this is now Superintendent Olsen as well!
When all the sudden students have a brand new teacher hired the last week of August from the 2nd (3rd) tier of condidates because the teacher they were set to have found a better paying job elsewhere at the last minute dont be shocked!

A mere 3 years ago, Westford hired 40 new teachers.

From the information I've seen over the past ten years, Westford Academy sends approximately 10% of its graduating seniors to one of the 50 USNWR top-ranked universities or to one of the 50 USNWR top-ranked liberal arts colleges. Another 40% attend UMass / Mass state college / Mass community college. The rest go to other (including less-selective) colleges / into the workforce / into the military. The conclusion I come to is that the very intelligent kids will do well no matter who is teaching a class. Many parents in Westford are willing to pay for extra-curricular classes / online programs so kids can ace the SATs and AP tests and write compelling essays for the more competitive colleges. My guess is that this won't change because the top students are self-motivated and will seek to do well no matter what.
And as for the rest of the students, the public school curriculum is geared towards educating the average student. To quote Franklin above, a "2nd (3rd) tier" candidate (whatever that is) is probably adequate to gain admission to a state college, which is where a vast number of Westford graduates end up.
Of course I understand that choosing to go to a state school or community college could simply be for financial reasons, but that would simply underscore the fact that Westford is not an ultra-wealthy community and should not be compared to towns that have a much higher tax base.

What do I want in a teacher? I want someone who knows a lot about the subject(s) s/he teaches. I want someone who understands the diverse kinds of children in class, the many learning styles they have, and the many pressures they face. I want someone who puts care, thought, and work into lessons, grading, and daily interaction. I want someone who exudes energy, enthusiasm, and genuine love of learning. I want someone who models intellectual curiosity and who teaches not only raw content but ways of approaching the subjects. I want someone who leads and exemplifies leadership, someone who exhibits strength of character. I want someone who looks out for students, who listens to them, and who engages them. I want someone who brings out the best in my children.

I put my children in Westford Public Schools not because of any private or public university they may attend but because I want them to graduate with a desire to continue gaining knowledge, skill, and experience. I want them to leave excited that there's much more to know. And long after they leave WPS, I want them to be able to look back at their teachers and be proud to have been influenced by people of education, integrity, and civic responsibility.

The teachers I want in WPS are not rare. I've met many of them. And having met them and talked with them, I feel strongly they deserve to be paid competitively against their peers in neighboring towns. Their value to Westford goes way beyond the classroom.

I know also of a vet teacher at WA (and coach) who opted to retire at the end of last year rather than continue teaching in a district/ building where teachers didnt seem to be valued anymore and contract language was disregarded by administration at a whim because their feelings were hurt...
My guess is the result of last year is many more staff asking their building administrator 'am I being asked or told' to do this? And if employees are being told to do things against contract language bring on the grievances!

Olsen said it is not unusual for people to gauge their value to any organization to not only performance but compensation.

Humphrey believes that as long as the salaries are not competitive with other districts, the atmosphere in the school will remain the same.

"The professionalism of Westford educators will continue, but until the terms of our contract become more competitive with other districts like ours, the climate within our schools will remain tense," he wrote in an email.

"We will look for ways to improve working conditions in our schools, but until we feel we have a fair contract, our efforts will have a limited impact."

This makes me sad because I know some of the teachers who have left for more competitive salaries and they were great teachers. Too bad it had to come to this...

Notice how when the WA VP went to Lexington (same position there $17k more) this summer there didn't even seem to be a conversation of saving the town $100 by leaving that position unfolded and letting WA be run by a Principal and 2 rather than 3 deans

I am not at all surprised by the teacher and administrator exodus from Westford. Their actions are direct result from the shoddy contract passed by the UNDERWHELMING vote of 181 to 129 in June. The superb reputation that once drew these talented professsionals to Westford has been drastically eroded causing the continued flight of highly successful educators into nearby school districts. Wisely, others will certainly leave. Consequently, the school system will be further diminished as less experienced (i.e. cheaper) teachers are hired to fill the gaps.
Encouraging and soothing words from the school committee cannot begin to correct the intangible harms done to the teachers as a whole. Afterall words are just that --
words. Still, I expect that the teachers will remain as professionals. They will do their duty but nothing more. The best we may expect for innovation, collaboration,
and inspiration has been pre-determined . It will be one percent. Westford loses.

Maybe it's time for a change in School leadership here in town?

The town has champagne taste on a beer budget!!! I think that about sums it up!

Hey queue the somber violin music.

I intend to help any effort to defeat an override. I for one am tired of all the sneaky posts with no names and extra tired of all the whining.

I will lead the support for a prop 2 1/2 override then Vinny by rallying my friends who care more about excellent nationally ranked schools than another Market Basket, a few extra bucks is a small price to pay to retain the best LETS DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN

Do we know if the Administrator who left was Stoney Brooks Principal Pete Cohen? We knew he was interviewing all over the place last year trying to get out of Westford and was a finalist in Lexington..,someone said he had one foot out the door but that it was the WA Administrator who found a much better paying job. Andrew can we confirm ?

The attitude of the current School Committee is that if teachers aren't happy in Westford after the town refuses to honor previously negotiated steps then they can leave , and what we are starting to see us exactly that- the better experienced teachers are beginning to flock for the exits and this WILL impact classroom experience of WPS students
Maybe the principals should understand above contract died a painful death last year and Olsen should be ready for more push back

Olson "said teachers most likely to leave have between two to eight years' experience and are willing to lose their seniority to move into a district with a higher pay scale." according to the article in the Lowell Sun. Two to eight years' experience...hardly the better experienced teachers.

Adam Goldberg has been applying for positions since at least 2010, when he applied for the HS principal positions in Ashland and Hopkinton. The WA principal is young, so unless they move into a central office role, the only way for administrators to grow their careers is to go to other districts. This is not different than any other profession. There's only so much room at the top.

As for the teacher attrition, this very same argument with similar numbers was made every single year I was on the school committee from 2005-2008. And that was when we were giving double-digit raises.

Westford does a very poor job at promoting its total compensation package. The University of Westford program is a windfall for teachers who otherwise would need to pay for costly masters degree programs.

The UofW program was needed when the district experienced a growth boom and brought in many new teachers. Now, we face different challenges, including retaining top talent. But, salary growth can't happen without something else changing.

That something needs to be more than tax increases. I once proposed a salary schedule that would have paid $20K more than the current one. Tax increase was just part of it.

Prelude to an override: http://westfordforum.com/showthread.php/576-Prelude-to-an-override?p=3123#post3123

Many (most?) other similar towns have a univ of Westford like system of PD that counts for advancement. AG took a job in Lexington that was the same position (not principal) for $17k more.
Next time Jim Antonelli sends his staff an email showing where WA ranks nationally and in the state maybe he ought to think about how his teachers feel being paid nowhere near there.... At times he is just as out of touch with his staff as his boss.

Let's ask the 200 people lined up for each of the positions they are looking to fill if they are concerned that their base salary is less than Lexington. Let's get rid of these belly aching teachers. LET'S DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN

Some say that Westford's salaries should match the higher salaries offered in other towns. I did a quick calculation vs. Lexington and found that Westford's school budget would need to be increase by about $4M to equal the spending of Lexington.

I think that's just about what was asked for in 2005 -- $4M for the schools, $3M for the town for a total of $7M. Of course, that override failed. But the teacher's contract passed. And a similar contract passed three years later.

We don't know if the override had passed whether we would have seen significantly higher salaries. The contracts that passed both contained double-digit raises for many cells of the salary schedule.

But maybe we wouldn't have had the contentious negotiations this year. It was necessary for the SC to limit the raises in the new contract, but I don't think they should have withheld steps. They could have paid steps and then started negotiation with a 0% schedule adjustment. Back in 1990s when I was a teacher, a schedule adjustment was not an annual event!

But, back to Lexington v. Westford. Lexington's median household income is about 20% more than Westford's. Defeating the 2005 override helped keep Westford a bit more affordable. Maybe it doesn't make a difference for you, but it makes a difference for someone.

Ok, Dweir I don't agree with everything you say but ican respect most of it especially your view that steps should have been paid and 0%COLA , not only do I think teachers would have understood that (yes, teachers view steps as a given but not cola) I think there wouldn't be the annimosity mistrust and illwill now between the 2 sides. Too bad the Keele Harkness contingent is not as reasonable as you serm

Tom obviously doesn't understand PTS (professional teacher status) and dismissal statutes for PTS teachers, nor does he seem to believe in collective bargaining, labor laws, or contract rights -
Just because there is a guy more desperate for a job doesn't mean they don't care about salary and workers rights,

Uh duhhh I no understand such things. Please leave the system an spare our kids your bitterness.

Reminder guys....talk to concepts, not each other.

Hopefully these links work...

Personnel updates for WPS:
https://dms.westfordma.gov/imageapi.php?docid=Qmx1ZVJpdmU3MjkxNnItU3lzdGVtcyAxNyA1

New Hires:
https://dms.westfordma.gov/imageapi.php?docid=Qmx1ZVJpdmU3MjkxOHItU3lzdGVtcyAxNyA1

I don't think it changes anything drastically but there are a couple of teachers who are I believe are listed as leaving WPS as 'personal' and I know securing a better paying job elsewhere was a part of the reason to leave Westford- most likely they didn't feel as comfortable disclosing this in an exit interview

As Diane points out, the median family income in Lexington is much higher than that in Westford. In addition, median home price is $682K in Lexington vs $406K in Westford. Lexington also has a very high commercial property tax rate: $28.45 vs $15.55 in Westford. Individual tax rates are with in a percantage point of each other. It costs more to live within a short commute to Lexington, or you'd be spending more money ON commuting to stay in a more affordable area. Lexington has much more money to spend, Lexington costs more to live in or near...comparing salaries in these two towns is comparing apples and oranges.

Plus, the position that the former Assistant Principal from WA took in Lexington is that of Associate Principal...which is a promotion to a job with more responsibility, hence justifying the higher salary. Again, comparing apples to oranges.

And Bill Olsen is now in on the spreading of these rumors?

The problem is its not only Lexington Westford is falling behind, Acton, Hudson, Groton (considering benefit split), Bedford etc all pay better, ALL the schools ranked by Boston Magazine in the top 25 pay better, Westford pay has fallen and continues to fall, well behind comfortable districts . Apples to apples

I wasn't actually addressing teacher salaries, as I'm not educated enough in that area to offer an opinion or statistics. I was addressing ONLY the use of an Assistant Principal leaving as potential evidence that Westford underpays school staff. Assistant Principal is not teaching staff, or part of the bargaining unit, and an administrator leaving for a higher ranking position in a higher profile (and wealthier) school district is hardly evidence that Westford didn't pay him enough. Most of us would consider new employment if it advanced our careers, which this has done for him.

Okay, this has gone on long enough. Closing comments.