MARBLEHEAD, MASS. (WHDH) - Some students and parents are worried the ongoing teachers strikes on the North Shore could hurt students applying for early acceptance to college.
The strikes continued Wednesday, with no classes or extracurricular activities happening in Gloucester, Marblehead, and Beverly. School is also canceled on Thursday.
“We’re going on five days of being outside. This is the third day students are out of school, and it’s colder out today and people are tired,” said Beverly teacher Allison Nichols.
Teachers in Beverly are pushing for extended leave, more safety resources in schools, and higher pay. Both sides have accused each other of dragging out negotiations.
The Beverly school committee said it was waiting on a response from the teachers union on its latest offer. However, teachers said it was much of the same.
“Management gave us the same exact offer that they had given previously, no changes were made,” said Beverly teacher Lydia Ames. “We are feeling frustrated because days are going by and we feel that management has an offer on the table that could open schools.”
School committees in Gloucester and Marblehead said the proposals from teachers’ unions are not affordable and would create major cuts elsewhere, including layoffs within the schools.
Gloucester’s school committee reported progress with negotiations, including expanded sick leave options for paraprofessionals. But, it said the teachers union hadn’t made a counter offer on the wage proposal on the table.
The Marblehead school committee reported progress too, reaching a tentative agreement about the teacher work year. A new offer added two additional training days and tuition reimbursement for teachers wishing to further their education.
Some parents, although they support the teachers, said they were concerned about how the school closures would affect early college admissions for their high school seniors.
“They have all worked four years to get to this point where they are applying for colleges, and if their transcripts are delayed, it could be catastrophic in terms of early admission and early acceptance, and it could make the difference between getting accepted to a college versus not getting accepted to a college,” said Marblehead parent Melissa Kaplowitch.
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