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Section:
Most Recently Amended by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: September 30, 2025
(1) Selection of Municipal Representative.
No less than 21 days before collective bargaining negotiations commence or resume in a regional school district, the superintendent of the district shall send a notice to all chief executive officers of the members of the regional school district, or, if there is no town manager or town administrator in a member, to the chairperson of the select board in that town, indicating the time, place and date of a meeting to be held by the regional school district at which the chief executive officers and chairpersons of select boards shall elect one of their number to represent them pursuant to M.G.L. c. 150E, §1. Said representative shall be referred to as the municipal representative.
(a) The meeting to elect the municipal representative shall be held no later than seven days before commencement of collective bargaining negotiations in the regional school district and shall comply with the open meeting law. In regional school districts where regional agreements provide for weighted voting in accordance with law, such weighted voting shall be employed.
(b) A chief executive officer or chairperson of a select board may designate a representative to attend the meeting and to vote in their place.
(c) If the meeting of the chief executive officers and chairpersons of select boards does not result in the designation of a municipal representative, the superintendent of the regional school district shall notify the Commissioner, who shall select one municipal representative from among the chief executive officers and chairpersons of select boards. Failure of the meeting of chief executive officers and chairpersons of select boards to elect a municipal representative shall not delay or otherwise impede the collective bargaining process.
(d) The chief executive officer or chairperson of the select board chosen to represent members may serve either personally or through a designee, and must serve through a designee if such individual is barred from service under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 268A. In any such case, the town or city council or select board shall designate an alternate.
(2) Role of Municipal Representative.
The municipal representative shall serve as a member of the regional school committee on all matters related to collective bargaining by the regional school district. The municipal representative may serve on the regional school district bargaining team, if any, if selected by the regional school committee to be a member of such a sub-committee.
(3) Vote of Municipal Representative.
The municipal representative shall have one vote in all regional school committee deliberations on collective bargaining matters. In regional school districts which employ weighted voting, the municipal representative's vote shall be added to the vote total of the elected members and shall not cause a reapportioning of voting weight among the elected regional school committee members.
(4) Term of Municipal Representative.
The municipal representative's term as a participant in the regional school committee's collective bargaining shall be the same length as the term of office of an elected member of the regional school committee unless a shorter term is agreed to by the chief executive officers of the member cities and towns at the time of the municipal representative's selection.
Regulatory Authority: 603 CMR 41.00: M.G.L. c. 69, §1B; c. 71, §14B and §16D; c. 150E, §1.
Disclaimer:For an official copy of these regulations, please contact the State House Bookstore, at 617-727-2834 or visit Massachusetts State Bookstore .
Last Updated: October 2, 2025