Students in three Massachusetts communities were not in school Tuesday, schools in those districts will be closed again Wednesday as teacher strikes continue on the North Shore.
Educators in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead have been fighting for new contracts, forcing about 1,000 students out of the classroom Tuesday.
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After a long day of bargaining sessions, there are still no contract agreements in any of the three communities, and school is out Wednesday in all three communities.
In Beverly, the school committee says it provided the teachers union with a three-year offer that includes raises, increased parental leave, and faster step increases. They say they union countered with a four-year contract proposal.
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“It’s really hard, but when we think about the fact that just for my son in particular, who is on an IEP, it’s even more prevalent for us to make sure that they’re getting the time and attention that they truly deserve,” said Beverly parent Slaine Barfield.
Barfield came out to support the striking paraprofessionals who she says not only deserve a raise, but additional support.
“Our teachers are at max capacity with the way things are,” said Barfield, “so unless something changes, children like my son are going to be the ones that pay the price for that.”
Beverly preschool paraprofessional Judy Martin said, “We’re still negotiating that paid parental leave, we’re still negotiating a fair wage for paraprofessionals, we’re still negotiating some of the bigger items, but we feel very confident that we’ll come out of this with a good contract that people will feel great about.”
In Marblehead, the school committee said Monday that the teachers’ union proposal would create a $7.5 million shortfall, requiring a property tax override, that would result in the layoffs of 75 staff members.
Marblehead speech pathologist Kaleigh Balestrieri said, “We should not have to choose between being the educators our students need and the parents our children deserve.”
In Gloucester, there have been no new wage proposals since before the strike began, and the two sides are still roughly $800,000 apart on salaries.
That’s despite the unions in Gloucester and in Beverly facing potential fines for defying court orders to return to the classroom.
“We were informed that the Gloucester Teachers Association will not be putting forward a counter wage proposal," Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga said. "Not only is this counterproductive to the negotiation process, but it severely limits our ability to make any formal progress toward finding a solution.”
“We are asking for basic respect, and yes, fair wages is going to come along with that. School safety is going to come along with that, but the bottom line is just basic respect for the profession," said Alex Legendre, a Gloucester teacher.
In Beverly, bargaining went until midnight and resumed at 10 a.m. The district said, so far, they’ve spent about 39 hours in negotiations since the strike began.
Gloucester and Beverly’s unions are back in Essex Superior Court Tuesday as they now face fines for defying court orders to return to the classroom.
