SPRINGFIELD EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

What SPRINGFIELD EDUCATION ASSOCIATION does

The Springfield Education Association (SEA) is the exclusive collective bargaining representative for educators in Springfield Public Schools (SPS), including teachers in traditional district schools and the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) schools. As a nonprofit professional association affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and the National Education Association (NEA), SEA negotiates and enforces contracts covering wages, benefits, working conditions, sick leave, health and safety, and educator rights for Bargaining Unit A members. The organization is governed by an elected Executive Board led by President Riley Hernandez, Vice President Brenda Dunn, Treasurer Lee Burgess, and Secretary Lisa Cataldo, with school-based Association Representatives serving as liaisons in each building.

SEA's core service portfolio centers on collective bargaining representation and contract enforcement, anchored by the recently ratified 2025-2028 agreements covering District and SEZP educators. Beyond bargaining, SEA operates supporting programs including the SEEDS teacher evaluation system redesigned to support teacher development, a sick leave bank allowing up to 30 days of shared leave for eligible members, professional development funding for courses and conferences, and three named scholarship programs (Meline Kasparian, Peter Dupuis, and Joan Cormack). Additional services include the Tools 4 Teaching recycling program operated by the SEA Retirees Committee, the DIRE (Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity) committee with subcommittees on curriculum and educator recruitment, and member benefits accessed through MTA and NEA partnerships. SEA operates from a single office at 450 Cottage Street in Springfield, Massachusetts.

SEA's revenue model is built on mandatory membership dues paid by Springfield Public Schools educators, with $295.00 annually retained by SEA and the remainder allocated to MTA ($573.00) and NEA ($219.00) for a $1,087.00 total annual obligation for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, automatically deducted from member paychecks. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its digital presence consists of a public website (seateachers.com), a Constant Contact newsletter, and a Facebook page for the Tools 4 Teaching program. Outreach is delivered through a school-based representative network, in-person member meetings, and partnerships with organizations including the Equity Literacy Institute, the Center for Leadership and Educational Equity, the Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugees Advocacy Coalition, and Worx Printing.

Name

SPRINGFIELD EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Legal name

Springfield Education Association

Website

https://seateachers.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Springfield Education Association is a nonprofit teachers' union serving as the exclusive collective bargaining representative for Springfield Public Schools educators, negotiating contracts, providing grievance representation, professional development funding, and member benefits through MTA and NEA affiliations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Springfield Education Association (SEA) is a professional teachers' union that serves as the exclusive collective bargaining representative for educators in Springfield Public Schools (SPS) and Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) schools. It negotiates and enforces collective bargaining agreements covering salary scales, stipends, working conditions, sick leave, evaluation processes, and educator rights. The organization also provides professional development funding, grievance representation, sick leave banking, scholarship programs, member benefits through MTA and NEA affiliations, and a classroom resources recycling program (Tools 4 Teaching).

Product overview

The Springfield Education Association operates as a teachers' union representing educators in Springfield Public Schools. The organization provides a portfolio of membership services centered around collective bargaining representation, professional development funding, and member benefits. The core offerings include negotiated collective bargaining agreements covering salary scales, stipends, and working conditions; the SEEDS teacher evaluation system; professional development funds for courses and workshops; sick leave banking; and member benefits through MTA and NEA partnerships. Additional services include DIRE (Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity) initiatives, Tools 4 Teaching resource recycling, scholarship programs, and SEA Swag merchandise through a union printer co-op.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tools 4 Teaching: A recycling store for teachers operated by the SEA Retirees Committee. Accepts classroom resources from retiring teachers and distributes them at no cost to current teachers.
• Tools 4 Teaching

Products and services

• Union Membership Services Core membership service providing representation, advocacy, legal support, collective bargaining, professional development funds, and member benefits for educators in Springfield Public Schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully negotiated 3% to 3.5% annual salary increases for 2024-2028 contract period
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level teachers union affiliation providing statewide advocacy, professional development resources, member benefits programs, and collective action support. SEA members pay $573.00 in annual MTA dues.
• National Education Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational teachers union affiliation providing national-level advocacy, research, professional development resources, member benefits programs including discounts, and political action. SEA members pay $219.00 in annual NEA dues.
• Equity Literacy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoaching the District DIRE (Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity) team, reviewing curriculum through racial equity lens, and reviewing school committee policies for bias. Paul Gorski providing virtual workshops for SEA members on equity topics.
• Center for Leadership and Educational Equity (CLEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProviding professional development for administrators and coaching for school-based DIRE teams in pilot schools. Supporting equity initiatives across Springfield Public Schools.
• Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugees Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-ethnic coalition with 140+ organizational members providing resources on immigrant rights, Know Your Rights presentations, and policy advocacy. Supporting SEA members on immigration-related concerns.
• Worx PrintingminorOthersLocal worker-owned union printing co-op based in Worcester providing SEA merchandise and swag through their shop. Third-party vendor for branded materials.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA): AFT-affiliated exclusive bargaining agent for LAUSD teachers. Comparable urban district bargaining structure, equity and social-justice programming parallel to SEA's DIRE, and similar multi-tier dues structure.
• Boston Teachers Union: MTA-affiliated exclusive bargaining agent for Boston Public Schools teachers. Closest functional peer: same state affiliate, same urban MA context, same collective bargaining scope, similar member-benefit structure.
• United Federation of Teachers (UFT): AFT-affiliated exclusive bargaining agent for NYC public school educators. Comparable exclusive-bargaining structure, large urban district, similar grievance and PD services—only difference is scale and national affiliation.
• Chicago Teachers Union (CTU): AFT-affiliated urban teacher union with active bargaining, social-justice committee work, and equity initiatives structurally analogous to SEA's DIRE work. Comparable contract-negotiation and member-service model at larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): National-level affiliate of SEA (via MTA); provides research, federal advocacy, member discounts, and political action. The widest-scale incumbent in the teacher-union space.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): Parallel national teachers' union to NEA; comparable scope, function, and member-services portfolio. Most U.S. urban teacher unions (UFT, CTU, UTLA) are AFT-affiliated, making it a strategic parallel incumbent to SEA's NEA/MTA lineage.
• Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA): SEA's direct state-level parent affiliate; provides statewide bargaining support, PD resources, advocacy, and member benefits to all MTA-affiliated locals including SEA. Broader scope than SEA but functionally its umbrella organization.
• AFT Massachusetts: State-level AFT affiliate in Massachusetts representing AFT-affiliated teacher and public-sector locals in the state. Parallel state-umbrella role to MTA, with overlapping scope but different locals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tools4teachingma
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/springfield-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SPRINGFIELD EDUCATION ASSOCIATION