BEVERLY, MASS. (WHDH) - Classes will be canceled in three North Shore communities in Tuesday as ongoing teacher strikes expand with another school district joining the protests.
Beverly, Gloucester, and Marblehead are all demanding significant changes – negotiations, though, hit a standstill over the weekend.
Talks will continue Tuesday as leaders hope to finally put an end to the strike stalemate.
Beverly
In Beverly, negotiations resumed between teachers and the school committee Monday. A mediator is helping to usher proposals back and forth between both parties.
The district said a major sticking point is the paraprofessional’s contract; it says the union rejected an offer of an hourly rate of $38.70, which would equate to approximately $80,000 for a full year salary. District officials said the two sides are more than $14 million apart in compensation for educators and paraprofessionals.
“There’s a lot happening at schools that people don’t know about, and it’s putting students at risk, and it’s sometimes putting teachers at risk,” said Dru Redmond, a Beverly teacher.
The school committee said Monday it has received a tentative proposal, writing, “We sincerely desire to make progress but we need the BTA to provide meaningful counter proposals versus demands and must understand that the wages cannot continue to be held for other monetary items to resolve.”
Many Beverly parents said they hope the strike ends soon, but expressed understanding.
“I mean, we’ll manage, but obviously it would be much better for them to be able to return to the classroom as soon as possible. I think the town has done a really good job of communicating with the parents and explaining the impasse,” said Tim Miller.
Matthew Nutter said he knows of some parents who have had to make arrangements for babysitting due to the strike.
“I’m a work-from-home dad, so it’s a little bit easier for me, but for a bunch of my friends, it’s been very inconvenient for them putting childcare together at the last minute, getting in-laws to watch the kids, all that kind of stuff,” he said.
“I do like education, it’s fun, but still — teachers deserve to get the payment that they need,” said Beverly student Greta Nutter.
Gloucester
Meanwhile, in Gloucester, Mayor Greg Verga thanked veterans for their service from the negotiating table.
“Our priority is to get students back to school as soon as possible,” Verga said. “I’m committed to being at the table until that goal is reached. Due to that I unfortunately cannot attend any Veterans Day events. We are here seriously to negotiate.”
While the district said a major hold up is because the union has failed to respond to the latest proposal regarding wages, the teachers said there are reasons why they haven’t answered.
“Under that proposal, 65 percent of teachers will be making over $90,000 and 41 percent of teachers will be making over $100,000 by the end of the contract,” the school committee chairperson, Kathleen Clancy, said.
Rachel Rex, co-president of the teachers union, said “we have a lot of items in our proposal package that doesn’t cost any money and we feel are of critical importance.”
“At 10 a.m. the Gloucester Teachers Association and the Gloucester Association of Educational Paraprofessionals defied the state court order to end their illegal strike and return to work tomorrow,” Clancy said in a statement Monday. “The unions now face further action from the court. The Gloucester School Committee hoped that the unions would put students first and end this harmful disruption to learning while continuing with the mediation process. However, that is not the case. The School Committee will continue to mediate throughout the day and remains committed to reaching an agreement and getting students back in school tomorrow where they belong. Every day matters.”
One Gloucester teacher said Monday that securing better parental leave is a priority for her.
“That’s something that’s really affecting me. I’m having my second child in January. I have an 18-month-old at home, as well. He is literally a living example of how long the paraprofessionals have gone without a contract,” Abbi Ash said.
Marblehead
In Marblehead, teachers plan to hit the picket lines Tuesday.
“Teachers are working multiple jobs. We have people who are barely able to afford childcare and the students themselves, they’re constantly seeing turnover with teachers,” said Michael Fu, a Marblehead teacher.
Classes have been canceled in preparation for the possible strike.
“I’ll take care of her for a couple of days if that means that they get to make a livable wage,” one Marblehead parent said Monday.
In all three communities, frustrations are growing from both sides.
Teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts. On Thursday, a Superior Court judge ordered striking educators in Beverly and Gloucester to return to their classrooms.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)