NEW Sunday 7:30 a.m.: The School Committee bargaining team announced at 11 p.m. Saturday that it signed several more tentative agreements including: educator evaluation, training details and verbiate on enrollment of children of employees. The union confirmed this morning, adding that those were tentative agreements made prior to the strike.
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On Saturday at 8 p.m., the Marblehead teachers union announced a tentative agreement with the School Committee’s bargaining team on the formulation of a joint school safety committee.
“It establishes a transparent and methodical process for identifying and addressing issues that put students and staff at risk and holds the committee accountable,” said Marblehead Education Association Co-president Jonathan Heller at a press conference outside Marbehead High School.
“We are starting to make progress in addressing the roots of the crisis in our schools,” he added.
Village School teacher Shelly Burns also stepped forward to speak.
“I am part of the team trained to assist in de-escalating dysregulated students,” Burns said. “As someone who responds to escalated situations, I am so grateful to have the joint committee on school safety. For the first time in a while, I feel like we are being proactive instead of reactive.”
The School Committee’s bargaining team sent a press release shortly after, reading, “This has been an important topic to the union and the subcommittee hopes today’s momentum will continue and we will get to an agreement soon.”
The joint safety committee will be made up of 10 MEA members and 10 members of the administration, Heller said. It will meet twice a year and report to the School Committee in public meetings.
Heller thanked the community for sending in suggestions on how to end the strike. He said his team will review all new ideas.
“We are so appreciative of the support and we agree — schools need to reopen. We are ready to bargain around the clock.”
Items still to be worked out include wages and parental/family/bereavement leave benefits.
A rally supporting the teachers is planned for Sunday at Seaside Park at 12:30 p.m.
