LEOMINSTER — Members of the Leominster School Committee will see their annual stipend double beginning in January 2026 after the city council voted Aug. 11 to approve a $4,000 yearly stipend, plus annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) based on the Consumer Price Index.
The change followed an Aug. 8, 2025, letter from Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella amending a prior request to increase the school committee’s annual stipend by $1,000. In the updated request, Mazzarella sought a $2,000 increase, along with a COLA adjustment.
Before deliberations, Legal Affairs Committee Chair Susan Chalifoux Zephir read into the record the Aug. 8, 2025, letter from Mayor Mazzarella, which stated:
“Dear members of the city council, in reference to C-94, Dean J. Mazzarella, mayor, requests an increase of $1,000 for Leominster School Committee members along with an annual cost of living increase based on the consumer price index. This increase would begin at the start of the next term. I respectfully request that the amount be amended from $1,000 to $2,000. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office anytime.”
Leominster School Committee members currently receive $2,000 annually — an amount that has not changed in a decade. School Committee member Eileen Griffin told councilors during a July 28 public hearing that she served for about 20 years without pay and emphasized that “nobody is doing this…for the money,” noting members often attend events and contribute funds back to the school system.
More: Leominster City Council stalls $1K raise for $2K-a-year school committee
During deliberations, councilors opted to go beyond the mayor’s proposal. Councilor David Cormier recommended aligning the school committee stipend structure with Section 16-2 of the city ordinances, which governs the council’s and mayor’s salaries. That section provides for an annual adjustment equal to the prior year’s Consumer Price Index change, capped at 5 percent and with no guaranteed increase in years with low or negative inflation.
“Each subsequent year it’s going to change with the Consumer Price Index of the previous calendar year, with a minimum of no increase and a maximum increase of 5%,” David Cormier said.
No members opposed the amendment, and the measure — setting the stipend at $4,000 starting January 2026 with the aforementioned matching COLA language consistent with Section 16-2 — passed unanimously by roll call, 9–0.
