Students in Gloucester, Massachusetts, will be back in class Monday, but contract negotiations continue in Beverly and Marblehead.
The deadline is imminent for teachers and their school committees to reach an agreement that will see students return to school to start the week. If they fail to finally put an end to this strike, a third party will take over talks.
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Since teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts, unions in both of those North Shore communities are facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines.
An Essex Superior Court judge agreed to waive those fines Friday if an agreement could be reached by 6 p.m. Sunday. Otherwise, both districts will begin the Department of Labor's fact-finding process. That's the next step when a state mediator can't help both sides come to an agreement on a contract.
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Teachers say that takes longer, and students could miss an additional four to six days of school.
The Marblehead Education Association bargaining team said Sunday evening that it is continuing to work on reaching an agreement on a new contract with the school committee, noting that the two parties have been exchanging proposals throughout the day.
The MEA said while it is committed to reaching an agreement that can reopen Marblehead Public Schools Monday, a settlement could not be reached by 6 p.m., per the court order issued Thursday.
"The MEA continues to demand that the School Committee end its pursuit of legal charges against individual educators related to the strike," a statement read. "The MEA furthermore stresses the importance of reaching an agreement on return-to-work provisions that ensure no educators will be subject to retaliation for participating in the strike."
In Beverly, the chair of the school committee said for two days they have had "an improved, serious and fair offer on the table" for teachers and paraprofessionals that includes "significant wage increases and paid family leave."
Rachael Abell said she believes that the only way to achieve a solution at this point is through face-to-face discussion between school committee leaders and Beverly Teachers Association co-presidents Julia Brotherton and Andrea Sherman.
Abell later said BTA leadership had accepted their offer at 5 p.m. to meet in person to try to break the impasse and reach an agreement to end the strike, adding that she was encouraged by this step and that the two sides are exchanging new ideas and are in active discussions.
"As a show of further good faith," the school committee agreed to continue negotiations and wait a bit longer to call school for Monday.
"If we do not have a tentative agreement soon, we will unfortunately be forced to call school for tomorrow and will decide then whether to continue with mediation," Abell said. "If significant progress is not made soon, the School Committee intends to abide by the court order, end mediation and begin the state fact-finding process immediately.”
The strikes have kept thousands of students across the three communities north of Boston at home and will force schools to hold classes during vacations and weekends to meet the required 180 days of classroom learning required by state law — a situation that any snow days could make worse.
Gov. Maura Healey Saturday called it "unacceptable" that students have missed over two weeks of school.
"It's hurting our young people, parents and families above all else. Students need to be back in school on Monday," the governor said. "I have spoken to all parties, and I believe they are at a place where they should be able to reach an agreement this weekend, and they should do so. If they don’t reach that agreement, they should ensure that students can return to the classroom on Monday while these negotiations continue."
Healey reiterated that the parties must continue to negotiate throughout the weekend, saying that she and the lieutenant governor have been and will continue to request updates.
"Our young people need to be back in school," she said.
Both sides in both towns have continuously pointed fingers at one another, while families and students are caught in the middle. Parents organized a candlelight vigil in support of teachers in Beverly Sunday evening.
Kimberley Coelho, a member of the Beverly School Committee, spoke out on social media Saturday saying some of her own colleagues seem more focused on breaking the teachers spirits than finding common ground.
In her Facebook post, Coelho called the process "disgusting," saying in part, "What is abundantly clear is some do not want to settle a contract. Instead, feel more concerned about breaking the union’s spirits and dividing our community. I feel the legal advice of our counsel is wrong and only delays reopening schools.”
We have not yet heard of any deal being reached in either town. We are expecting to hear from officials Sunday night.
