DANBURY -- The Danbury Board of Education voted to approve a new three-year union contract for the city's teachers, after talks had been in mediation.
The terms of the new agreement with NEA Danbury, which is not yet finalized as it still needs to be voted on by the City Council, were not disclosed.
After discussing the union contract during a closed door executive session Wednesday night, the school board approved the pact when it reconvened in its public deliberations.
Before the board's vote, Kimberly Thompson, chief talent officer for the Danbury Public Schools and the board's legal counsel, urged school board members to not publicly discuss the proposed contract until after the vote by the Danbury City Council.
"If we can kind of do our best to maintain as much confidentiality around it, we're going to get that over to them to go ahead and vote," Thompson said.
While those talks were underway, union officials and Board of Education representatives declined to disclose the nature of the then-ongoing discussions, citing ground rules that were agreed to before negotiations began.
The not-yet-finalized contract covers Danbury's approximately 1,100 teachers. The new contract, if approved by the council, will begin July 1, 2026, after the current employment agreement expires. That agreement was negotiated in 2022.
While deliberations for the new contract were ongoing, leaders declined to publicly disclose the nature of the talks. Still, NEA Danbury union members made their presence felt at a previous board meeting in September, crowding into the board's meeting room, as leaders urged board members to adopt what they called a fair contract.
"We're not asking for more than what's fair. We're demanding what's right, and after years of proving our commitment, through larger classes, through growing needs, through challenges no other district faces, Danbury educators have earned this," NEA Danbury President Erin Daly said at the time.
"We deserve a fair contract. Because we've chosen to stay in Danbury. Our loyalty shouldn't be taken for granted. It should be respected and rewarded," Daly said.
On Wednesday, Daly confirmed that union members had ratified the contract but did not provide further comment.
Schools Superintendent Kara Casimiro declined to discuss specifics of the contract while praising union leaders for their partnership.
"We have worked in great partnership with NEA this year and feel we have come to some mutually beneficial agreements to help move the teaching profession, our educators, and our school district forward - together," Casimiro said in an email about the contract.
"At this time, I will refrain from commenting on the terms and scope of the contract. Our city partners will review what has been agreed upon by both NEA and Danbury BOE. We are hopeful for a positive outcome -- and at the right time, we are happy to follow up with additional commentary," she added.