School Committee Ratifies Paraprofessional Contract, Accepts Record E-LEAF Grants

EAST LONGMEADOW -- June 29, 2026, East Longmeadow School Committee ratifies paraprofessional contract and accepts record E-LEAF grant award. The committee voted 4-0 at a brief June 29 session to approve the 2026-2029 paraprofessional collective bargaining agreement, which the unit had already ratified the prior week. In a separate 4-0 vote, members accepted E-LEAF mini grants totaling more than $60,000, and possibly as high as $65,000, which Superintendent Gordon Smith called the highest single-cycle award in the foundation's history, up from a typical annual total of roughly $50,000 and driven largely by technology-related grant requests. Acceptance of the grants allows the district to open purchasing accounts before the new school year.