Parents and students are planning a “cheer tunnel” outside Marblehead High School Sunday at 9:20 a.m. to welcome striking teachers back to their 15th day of bargaining.
“Our teachers have worked tirelessly — crafting creative proposals, keeping us informed and standing up for the future of our schools and community. Now it’s our turn to show them some love and remind the School Committee: We’re 100% behind our teachers!” read a statement shared via texts and social media Saturday night.
The Marblehead Education Association and School Committee bargaining team are set to resume negotiating with a state labor mediator Sunday at 10 a.m.
Saturday brought several developments. Gov. Maura Healey said she has been in contact with all parties in the Marblehead and Beverly teachers strikes and is urging them to settle their contracts and get students back in classrooms Monday morning.
“It is unacceptable that students have been out of school for over two weeks. It’s hurting our young people, parents and families above all else,” Healey said in a press release. “The parties must continue to negotiate throughout the weekend. The lieutenant governor and I have been and will continue to request updates throughout the weekend. Our young people need to be back in school.”
Meanwhile, a School Committee member in Beverly is speaking out against her colleagues and siding with teachers.
“What I see happening is disgusting and compels me to speak out publicly for the first time,” Beverly School Committee member Kimberly Coehlo wrote on her Facebook page Saturday. “What is abundantly clear is some do not want to settle a contract. Instead, feel more concerned about breaking the union’s spirits and dividing our community. I feel the legal advice of our counsel is wrong and only delays reopening schools. With all of this nonsense, what kind of school community will remain?”
The Marblehead and Beverly School Committees share an attorney, Liz Valerio. Valerio also represented the Newton School Committee in that district’s 11-day strike last year.
The Current asked School Committee Chair Jenn Schaeffner and Sarah Fox about their Beverly colleague’s statements, but they declined to comment.
At a Saturday night press conference, MEA Co-President Jonathan Heller spoke about Coehlo. “It took a lot of courage for that School Committee member in Beverly to come up with that statement. She has first hand knowledge of the process going on. And make no mistake it’s happening here, too. That firm, their attorney, is dragging out the process to punish the MEA and punish the four of us.”
Heller was referring to himself and the three other teachers that the School Committee has requested a court to investigate, accusing them of “inciting” teachers to strike.
Parents speak out
Two Marblehead parents spoke at Saturday night’s press conference after sitting in as silent representatives during bargaining. They both complained about the School Committee’s lack of responsiveness.
“I was surprised and very concerned to see that the School Committee had made no effort to meet face to face. In order to make a deal you have to get people in the same room together and they just don’t want to do that. The people behind me want to go back to school.”
Crowe continued, “I’m a firm believer in you get what you pay for. You’ve got to pay these teachers. They’re not asking for anything crazy. I urge the School Committee to figure it out. Get in front of these people, have a conversation, sit down and negotiate properly and get our kids back to school.”
Mom Bit Coppola said Marblehead’s low wages will continue to drive away teachers and not attract new ones. One example: the 12th special education teacher at Village this year retired a few days ago.
“If we do not have a strong and robust special ed department our schools are going to crumble and our school budget is going to be depleted faster than we can even imagine,” Coppola said. “The IEPs (individualized education plans) are out of compliance because we don’t have enough bodies to service the students who need to be serviced and that is shameful and unacceptable.”
‘Return to work’
According to the MEA, there was also no movement on the union’s return-to-work proposal that outlines the rules around ending the strike and re-opening the schools. The goal, Heller said, is to make sure the School Committee and administration cannot retaliate against striking teachers. So far, the School Committee has not responded. The union emphasized that teachers will not go back to school without a contract and a return-to-work agreement.
More recess?
The MEA said a proposal to start the school day five minutes earlier to allow more recess later in the day was discussed. The School Committee’s PR firm put out a press release saying that the union rejected the idea, but Coppola, who sat in on negotiations Saturday, said the School Committee was not being truthful.
“The union was working on language for this proposal,” Coppola said. “When the mediator returned, she said the recess topic was no longer a point worth bargaining over and the conversation stopped.”
The union said it lowered its wage proposal again, adjusting its base COLA and applying to the top step on the teachers’ wage table. “It does provide significant savings overall,” Heller said.
The School Committee added three days to its parental leave offer, bringing the total number of paid parental days to 15. Gloucester offered its teachers seven weeks of paid leave.
Stay with the Current as this story develops.
