About 400 teachers, students and community members rallied at Seaside Park Tuesday afternoon, expressing support for higher wages and benefits for educators, and urging interim Superintendent John Robidoux and the School Committee to allow students to participate in athletics and other events during the strike.
The union and School Committee bargaining subcommittee were expected to negotiate with a state mediator for a third day on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
“We have amazing teachers,” Marblehead High School junior Will Cruikshank told the crowd at the rally. “They work tirelessly and deserve what they’re asking for — competitive salaries, reasonable family leave and safe school environments.”
Cruikshank runs on the MHS cross country team, which just won the Division 2A state championship. All-states are this Saturday.
“We have an historic cross country team. Three of the seniors are three of the fastest students to ever run for Marblehead,” Cruikshank said. “We’ve been practicing six days a week; running, in some cases, 60 miles a week in preparation for this moment. We have one last race, and we beg the superintendent, assistant superintendent and School Committee to let us run.”
He continued: “This is our moment as a team and as a town. We need to find a way to secure fair contracts and make our public schools the very best they can be. Let’s do this, Marblehead.”
MHS football also has a big game this weekend and, if the Magicians forfeit, they are done for the season (except for the Thanksgiving Day game).
“Our coaches are more than willing” to lead practices and games, said Mike Giardi, MHS teacher and assistant football coach. “We are willing to show up. These are once-in-a-lifetime events.”
MHS band and choruses are also in upcoming competitions.
Two Marblehead dads filed a complaint in Lawrence Superior Court today seeking an emergency injunction that would allow MHS students to participate in games, concerts and events during the strike.
School Committee press conference
The School Committee bargaining subcommittee held its first press conference Tuesday with School Committee members Jenn Schaeffner and Sarah Fox and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer speaking and answering questions.
“Our children’s teachers decided to turn their backs on their classrooms this morning,” Schaeffner said.
She accused the Marblehead teachers of “conspiring” with Beverly and Gloucester educators who are also striking. The three unions are members of the state’s Massachusetts Teachers Association.
Schaeffner reiterated that “the teachers’ 34% increase is not affordable nor is it warranted by the market. It would create a $7.5 million shortfall in our existing budget that would require an override that voters in Marblehead have overwhelmingly and repeatedly rejected over the last two decades. A failed override would result in layoffs of approximately 75 staff and elimination of crucial programs.”
Schaeffner went on to describe the School Committee’s latest offer covering the next four years.
“Our four-year offer would increase the average teacher salary to approximately $100,000 and the top scale salary to $108,954 for 184 working days,” she said. “Our proposals for the other bargaining units also are designed to make us competitive in the market.”
“The School Committee has responded to the teachers’ request for increased paid leave, adding a new benefit of 12 days of paid parental leave followed by the use of 20 paid sick leave days for a total of 32 paid leave days. The School Committee provides teachers with 15 sick days a year and can carry over unused sick leave from year to year, capped at 180 days.
“We provide a sick leave bank for teachers and have offered to create one for employees in the other units so all employees have access to additional paid sick days when needed,” Schaffner said.
Kezer said while the town is expecting the state to certify about $8 million in free cash (money left over from last year’s budget), it wasn’t wise to use that money to pay teachers.
“If we use free cash to fund these obligations — free cash is a one-time revenue source — it might get us through one year, but we’ll have a bigger structural deficit moving forward,” he said.
Asked if the School Committee would reconsider handing the empty Coffin and Eveleth schools to the town for sale, if an agreement could be made to use some of the money to fund the schools, Schaeffner said it would be discussed in the future. So far, the School Committee has voted to hold onto the schools in case they are needed in the future.
The Eveleth was recently assessed at $2.65 million, with more than $2 million coming from the land value. Coffin is valued at $3.2 million, with $1.5 million of that coming from the land.
The topic of empty school buildings was on the agenda of a School Committee facilities subcommittee meeting on Tuesday morning. Fox canceled the meeting without notice, leaving many students waiting for more than 20 minutes on Zoom.
“They stood us up like they do to the teachers,” said MHS football player Drew Goldman, who added that most of the team had logged on. “We wanted to ask questions and find out what was happening. The School Committee was very unprofessional.”
At around 10:10 a.m., School Committee member Sarah Fox texted the Current saying, “As we are in an emergency situation due to the illegal strike, we are committing all of our time to all necessary to prioritize getting students back in school.”
Stay with the Current for the latest on this developing story.
