Classes will be cancelled again Monday in Gloucester, Beverly and Marblehead, Massachusetts, as negotiations continue between those school committees and teachers unions.
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There were talks of progress over the weekend but not enough as the mediation Saturday and Sunday failed to produce contracts in any of the three North Shore communities where teachers are on strike.
Classes will be cancelled again Monday for roughly 10,000 students in Gloucester, Beverly and Marblehead, Massachusetts, as negotiations continue between those school committees and teachers unions.
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In Marblehead, members of both sides were still meeting Sunday night without any significant agreements between the bargaining parties, according to a press release from the school committee, which said the illegal strike is expected to continue unfortunately.
Marblehead families were notified at 6 p.m. Sunday that schools would be closed to start the week, giving them time to plan for child care and make necessary arrangements, the school committee said, adding that families would be immediately notified if an agreement is reached.
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"We are at the end of a troubling week with our teachers still on strike and our children still out of their classrooms. In spite of 60+ hours of negotiations before a state-appointed mediator, we have not reached a contract agreement with the Marblehead Education Association," the school committee said in its message to district families.
In the letter, the school committee said they believe their offer is fair and reflects the realities of the town's "financial limits," noting that it would raise the average salary of their teachers around 18% to just under $100,000 and the top salary close to $109,000 -- where two-thirds of teachers would be.
"We want to make clear that we know we have the best teachers on the North Shore, and they are deserving of our respect and our support. But we also have an obligation to the people of Marblehead to negotiate a contract that does not commit us to terms we cannot afford," the school committee said. "We would like to make our teachers the highest paid on the North Shore, but the union’s 34% proposed increase is not affordable or sustainable. It would create a $7 million hole in the Town’s budget, and would necessitate a property tax override that would add more than $900 to the average tax bill. Failure to approve an override would cause the loss of 75 staff members resulting in severe cuts in student services."
The union and the school committee remain at odds, placing the ball in the other's court.
“I’m floored by the lack of anything by the school committee once again,” Marblehead music teacher Eileen D’Amour said.
"We miss our students. We miss doing our jobs. We miss our families and our regular lives,” said Dana Trudeau, a fifth grade math and science teacher in Marblehead.
The school committee said Sunday that negotiations are a two-way street and that they are awaiting a serious response from the teachers union about their presented proposals.
"We are hopeful the state’s mediator can bring us closer together so your children can get back in the classroom and you can get back to your normal schedules," they concluded. "When teachers strike, the burden goes far beyond our schools’ walls. The emotional toll of bargaining for fair, affordable and sustainable contracts is great. We wish it was simple. We know it never is. We hope we can agree to terms soon, and we plan to stay at the table for as long as it takes."
Gloucester's superintendent also cancelled school Monday, saying the days are being added to the end of the school year, similar to snow days. With Monday's cancellation, the district's last day is currently set for June 26. The school committee there has said progress was made this weekend, specifically with negotiations involving paraprofessionals.
And in Beverly, the president of the school committee said negotiations had unfortunately ended for the evening, and they had to cancel school again Monday as they begin a third week of "disruption." Negotiations were expected to resume at 10:30 a.m. Monday.
"The School Committee provided the [Beverly Teachers Association] with comprehensive counter proposals for both our educators and paraprofessionals that addressed areas still unresolved. Throughout the day, we continued to put forth strong offers that provided additional district-paid parental leave, more access to paid family medical leave, language related to preparation time, an expanded paraprofessional to educator pipeline, and opportunities for educators to obtain graduate credits and advance up the salary scale at a faster rate. All of these were areas of concern shared by the BTA negotiators," Rachael Abell said in a statement, adding that the school committee sincerely hopes the teachers association is seriously reviewing their latest offer.
"We are disappointed by refusals by the BTA leadership to negotiate or alter their demands on issues like salaries and to change baseline agreements like the length of the contract in a way that moves the goal posts and sets us further back," Abell continued.
Members of the school committee had said they were happy with the counterproposal Sunday but that they remained far apart on compensation. The mayor says they've offered about $24.45 million in new money over three years, including a roughly 27% salary increase for teachers and a 43% wage increase for paraprofessionals.
"Management that won't bargain with us has no interest in opening schools," said Andrea Sherman, co-president of the BTA. "We are asking for longer lunch and recess for our youngest learners, we are asking for a living wage for our paraprofessionals and we are asking that we are allowed to use our sick time to care for dying family members."
One Beverly teacher told NBC10 Boston Sunday morning that it's really disheartening that schools have been closed for as long as they have been.
"That that falls squarely on the school committee and the mayor’s lack of leadership and commitment to getting this deal done," she said. "We could have had this done in the summer before school even started this school year so we’re frustrated but we are resolved and committed and we will not go back to the classroom until we have the contract that works for ourselves and our students.”
According to Abell, the school committee is beginning to have "challenging conversations" about how and where to make up the six school days that students there have missed.
"We remain committed to bringing our students and educators back as soon as possible and continue to offer the opportunity for educators to return to their classrooms and resume bargaining after school hours until we can reach an agreement," Abell said.
Sticking points in negotiations have revolved around class sizes, wages, longer lunch and recess for students, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement, and the ability for workers to use sick days to take care of sick loved ones.
Teacher strikes in Massachusetts are illegal, and several districts are facing growing fines, including in Beverly, where there will be a court hearing on the matter at 2 p.m. Monday.
