School Matters: We need Quality Education, Fair Pay, and Clear Goals for Every Cambridge Student

 This essay is based largely on discussions in early October 2026 on the Cambridge Public School listserve.

​Are school employees fairly paid, and are Cambridge students receiving a high-quality education? These are both important questions and have recently come into close scrutiny. Fair compensation matters because stable, skilled teachers and paraprofessionals are essential to students’ daily experience. And families deserve clear evidence that staffing and public investment are helping every student learn.

These are shared obligations, not competing goals.

Schools are among the most important public purposes supported by local taxes. In Cambridge, education is the largest single share of the FY27 operating budget: $293.5 million, about 28.5% of the City’s $1.03 billion budget. Statewide, the latest comparable figure I found shows education as the largest municipal spending category as well, at 46.8% in FY2019. “Largest share” is precise; education is not a majority of each tax dollar, and city services are funded by taxes and other revenues. {10}

Fair contracts and a clear account of costs
 
In October 2026, negotiations between the School Committee and the Cambridge Education Association (CEA) were entering their tenth month. The CEA represents teachers, administrators, clerical staff, substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and safety specialists. A central public dispute concerns paraprofessional wages: the union’s revised proposal seeks a starting salary of about $45,000 this school year and $55,000 next year, up from roughly $32,000. The union is also seeking changes to benefits, including health coverage and paid parental leave. {1}
 
The School Committee says its wage proposal would raise the base pay of its lowest-paid paraprofessionals by nearly 60% over two years, and proposes extending paid parental leave from eight weeks to 12. The Committee estimates that the CEA’s full current package would cost $54 million beyond the approved operating budget in its first year and $175 million over three years. Those are the district’s estimates for the union’s broader package, not the cost of the paraprofessional raise alone; the proposals remain under negotiation. {2}
 
A fair discussion should make the numbers legible: the cost of each wage proposal, when it would take effect, which benefits and staffing changes are included, and how the Committee’s offer compares with the union’s request. Fair pay should not be conditioned on test scores. At the same time, the public can ask how proposed staffing levels and investments address classroom needs and strengthen students’ experience.
 
Enrollment belongs in the budget discussion
 
Cambridge Public Schools enrolled 6,960 students in 2025–26. That is 67 fewer than in 2024–25 and 92 fewer than the 7,052 enrolled in 2018–19. Enrollment has not fallen every year, however: the current total is 348 higher than the 6,612 students counted in 2021–22. The accurate picture is a recent dip and a modest decrease from the 2018–19 level, with increases and decreases in between. {3}
​
Enrollment change does not by itself tell us how many staff a school needs. The needs of students, class size, special education and language services, and fixed building costs also matter. But projections by grade and school should be part of an open budget discussion. The district should show how enrollment, student needs, staffing, vacancies and retention inform its plans.
 
Cambridge’s Banneker Charter Public School is a useful local reference point
 
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School offers a nearby comparison. DESE reports 344 students in PK–6 for 2025–26; 86% are Black or African American. CPSD enrolls 6,960 students from PK through grade 12, and 22.5% are Black or African American. Banneker also has higher reported shares of high-needs students (63.4% versus 51.5%) and low-income students (55.2% versus 35.0%). Its shares of students with disabilities and English learners are lower than CPSD’s, however. Those differences matter: race alone does not describe the mix of students or their support needs. {4}
 
Banneker is a small, taxpayer funded public charter school with a narrower grade span, different student composition and a different enrollment process. Its posted handbook describes an application process and public lottery, with priorities for siblings and Cambridge residents. school is still a relevant local data point, especially when the comparison is made grade by grade and within student groups. {5}
 
The table below compares spring 2026 ELA results in the four grades both schools serve. The Black-student comparison is especially relevant given Banneker’s enrollment. In each grade, Banneker’s Black students had a higher share meeting or exceeding MCAS expectations than CPSD’s Black students. The same pattern appears in the schoolwide grade-level results. These are proficiency rates for one year, not evidence that race, charter status or any single practice caused the difference. Banneker’s Black-student samples range from 34 to 44 students per grade, so a few students can move a percentage noticeably. {6}

We see equally important results in math.

While some concern was voiced on the Cambridge Public School Listserve that Banneker is a charter school and should not be compared with our regular public school students. Councillor Patty Nolan noted on Oct 2, 2023 with regard to this discussion that:

“the Benjamin Banneker is a public charter school.  yes, families have to register.  That is true in Cambridge. By law, there is no selection other than applying which means filling out a simple form with your name and address-- by law students may not be selected on any basis other than they are residents - no criteria may be used for selecting a student other than being a resident - which is exactly the same as Cambridge.” She added that the student demographic is different:
 
Black/Af Amer:  CPS 22%   Banneker  86%
Hispanic:  CPS 14%  Banneker 7%
Low Income:  CPS 35%  Banneker 55%
Special needs:  CPS 22% Banneker  13%
Students who live in Cambridge:  CPS:  100%  Banneker 68%*
 
Nolan adds that “Cambridge residents get first dibs on all seats.  if there are not enough Cambridge residenst who enroll, the school by law must allow any student in Mass. to apply (simple form, no other criteria may be used) and if more students then there are seats apply, a lottery is held to select students.”  
 
What the state results show
 
DESE’s spring 2026 MCAS results put Cambridge above the statewide average overall. Across grades 3–8, 59% of CPSD students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, compared with 40% statewide; in math, the figures were 57% and 41%. But statewide averages do not erase differences within the district: 35% of CPSD high-needs students met or exceeded expectations in ELA, compared with 22% statewide, and the rate for Black CPSD students was 30%, compared with 25% statewide. Cambridge can be above average and still need much stronger outcomes for every group. {11}
 
A high-performing district gives another useful reference point. In Weston, 70% to 80% of students met or exceeded expectations in ELA in each grade from 3 through 8 in 2026; Cambridge’s grade-level results ranged from 56% to 64%. Weston is a benchmark, not a matched comparison: student populations and local circumstances differ. As with Banneker, the fairest comparisons look at the same grades and student groups and treat each result as one data point. {12}
 
Teacher pay in context

DESE’s latest published actual-salary report I found covers 2023–24. It lists average teacher salaries of $107,958 for CPSD and $91,014 statewide. Weston’s average was $127,449; Banneker’s was $76,461. These are averages across teachers with different experience and education levels, not starting salaries. The Banneker figure covers 21.0 teacher FTE, compared with 762.8 for CPSD, so the raw averages should not be read as a like-for-like measure of pay. {13}
 
The last publicly posted CPSD teacher salary schedule, effective September 1, 2025, ranges from $72,214 at BAC Step 1 to $139,976 at DOC Step 10, based on education lane and experience. Successor CEA contracts were still under negotiation in September 2026. The nearly 60% proposed increase discussed above applies to the lowest-paid paraprofessionals, not teachers; their pay scales are separate. {14}
 
Set goals Cambridge can own
 
Banneker results and MCAS are not a complete measure of school quality. Graduation, attendance, student growth, access to special education and English-language supports, school climate, arts and family experience all belong in the picture. But a measure’s limitations are a reason to interpret it carefully, not to discard every comparison. DESE’s 2026 accountability report classified Banneker as meeting or exceeding targets and placed it at the 95th accountability percentile among schools serving similar grades. Cambridge’s district report classified CPSD as making moderate progress toward targets, with a 49% cumulative target measure. These are different kinds of entities and should not be treated as a head-to-head score; they do show that the state tracks more than one indicator. {8}
 
“Most importantly, are the goals we set for ourselves,”  noted one person on the listserve.  That is the right principle. Comparisons with Banneker and other schools can help Cambridge identify questions worth investigating, especially when results are separated by grade and student group. They cannot by themselves prove which policies work or determine what any employee should earn. Cambridge should set clear goals of its own, publish disaggregated results and report whether students are making progress toward them.

And, among those goals the following were suggested,   as the  city with the highest paid    --   not a particular curriculum, not a particular baseline. Just a clear definition of success that we all agree on before the scores come out. He  proposes

1. Proof of change: by 2028, two years in a row above CPS's normal range: ELA 63% (now 59%), math 60% (now 57%), science 55% (now 51%).
2. Equity: by 2029, Black and low-income students at 50% in math (now about 25%), and Black students at 50% in ELA (now 30%).
3. Ambition: by 2029, 70% in ELA and math. Arlington is there today at about half our cost.
4. Fewer kids left at the bottom: by 2028, fewer than 5% of third graders in every group at "not meeting expectations" (the lowest of the MCAS achievement bars) in reading, back to CPS's pre-COVID level (now 11% overall, 28% for Black students).

He adds "At the highest spending per student in Massachusetts, we should feel comfortable asking for better results. (or, if this isn't a top city priority, cut the spending!)"  

CCC supports fair compensation for school employees and expects Cambridge to pursue high-quality education for every student. A stronger public discussion would put the contract proposals, enrollment projections, staffing plan and student-outcome goals on the table together. The question is not whether to respect school employees or demand accountability. Cambridge should do both.

 
Sources
 
1. The Harvard Crimson, “Cambridge City Council Declines to Back Staff Union as Contract Negotiations Enter Tenth Month,” October 1, 2026. Article
2. Cambridge Public Schools, “Contract Negotiations,” September 2026 update. CPSD update
3. Massachusetts DESE enrollment data for Cambridge. 2025–26 | 2018–19 | DART trend
4. Massachusetts DESE 2025–26 enrollment and student-population data. Banneker enrollment | Banneker selected populations | CPSD enrollment | CPSD selected populations
5. Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School, Student/Parent Handbook 2024–25, “Enrollment and Admissions,” pp. 24–25. Handbook
6. Massachusetts DESE 2026 MCAS achievement levels by grade. CPSD | Banneker
7. Massachusetts DESE 2026 MCAS results by student group, grade and subject. CPSD | Banneker
8. Massachusetts DESE 2026 accountability reports. Banneker | CPSD
9. Sebastien, MLK parent, comment shared with CCC for this post.
10. City of Cambridge, FY27 operating budget, “What Your Tax Dollars Support”; Massachusetts, “Overview of the Financial Climate for Municipalities in Massachusetts” (statewide spending data for FY2019). Cambridge budget | Massachusetts report
11. Massachusetts DESE, 2026 MCAS results by student group, grade and subject. Cambridge | State
12. Massachusetts DESE, 2026 MCAS annual comparisons. Cambridge | Weston
13. Massachusetts DESE, Teacher Salaries Report (2023–24). Report
14. Cambridge Public Schools, CEA Units A/B collective bargaining agreement and September 2026 contract-negotiations update. Salary schedule | Negotiations