NEW at 2:45 p.m. The Marblehead Education Association reports that teachers and the School Committee are having “financial data” discussions during face-to-face meetings today. The MEA said it is awaiting written responses from the School Committee to its latest wage offers and return-to-work proposal. The School Committee has not commented.
The MEA said it asked the mediator to share the teachers’ “significant compromise on wages and other items” with Gov. Maura Healey.
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The School Committee has agreed to meet with the striking teachers “without representation in the hopes of progress being made,” according to the Marblehead Education Association. “This is a potential opening for significant movement in the right direction.”
Earlier Sunday morning, a crowd of about 75 parents and students formed a cheer tunnel and greeted striking educators arriving at Marblehead High School for another day of bargaining. Several police officers stood at the front door of the school.
“The decision regarding the building was made exclusively by the police chief and superintendent. This was not a School Committee decision; the bargaining subcommittee was informed after the decision was implemented,” School Committee Chair Jenn Schaeffner told the Current.
Interim Superintendent John Robidoux added, “The union has the right to have silent reps and there was no directive to disallow.”
‘Should we move?’
“We’re here to support our teachers,” said Maggie O’Reilly, standing along the cheer line with her family and friends. “I’m disappointed in the School Committee. The teachers deserve a fair contract.”
Sarah Cline, who has a student at Glover, added, “Our teachers are amazing. We would do anything for them.”
Two Marblehead High School graduates, Kenny and Teaghan Kay, came to cheer on the teachers. They both attend college in California, but said they’ll never forget their third-grade Glover School teacher.
“Sally Shevory brought our class together,” Teaghan said. “She called her students the ‘Shev-dogs.’”
The Kays’ sister, Annie, is a therapeutic tutor at the Brown School. “It is so awesome to see people come out to support us,” she said.
Melissa Clucas has a child at the Brown School. “Honestly, the fact that this is still going is appalling. The School Committee is not being transparent. Who do they work for?”
Allison Churchill added, “Two or three people on this committee are holding us all hostage. We moved to Marblehead for the schools. People are asking, ‘Should we move?’”
6 p.m. deadline
The School Committee and union have until 6 p.m. to settle a contract or an Essex Superior Court judge will restart fines against the teachers and move bargaining to a new, expedited phase called “fact-finding” run by a neutral party.
On Saturday, the union said it made another concession on teacher salaries. The School Committee raised its offer of paid parental leave to 15 days. (Gloucester teachers just received seven weeks of paid parental leave.)
There is still no agreement on salaries or leave benefits.
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, MEA Co-president Jonathan 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.
Parents speak out
Two Marblehead parents spoke at a Saturday night 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.”
Later, Coppola also blasted the School Committee’s Saturday night press release, saying it was inaccurate. 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.”
Several other parents who were in the bargaining room agreed that the School Committee’s press release was not truthful.
