Into students’ third week of missed classes, the teachers unions in Beverly and Marblehead headed to the State House Tuesday to discuss the strikes with Gov. Maura Healey.
After the meeting, Healey expressed her respect for teachers but emphasized her focus in on the students.
“I have great respect for our teachers. My stepdad was a teacher and head of his local union, and my mom is a school nurse,” Healey said in a statement. “I told the union representatives today that my focus is on the hundreds of students and their families who have not had school for over two weeks. It is unacceptable and all of this is hurting our kids.”
The governor emphasized the importance of completing negotiations.
“The parties need to finish these agreements now,” Healey said. “And I believe the teachers should get back into school while the final details are worked out. Our young people need to be back in school – it’s time to get this done.”
Emotions from a the weeks-long strike flowed into a Beverly city council meeting, as outside the Beverly Teachers Association vowed to continue to fight for a better contract, even though the school committee has announced it is done negotiating.
The school committee is waiting for a court-ordered fact-finding arbitrator to step in. Until then, they’re urging teachers to return to the classroom and are planning to dock their pay.
A spokesperson for the school committee said they’re millions of dollars apart, writing in a statement:
“The BTA continues to inappropriately withhold our students’ education as a bargaining chip to gain financial terms for its members that will necessitate reductions in force and will also impede the district’s ability to provide a curriculum/program that Beverly residents and students are accustomed to and deserve.”
In Marblehead the school committee is accusing the teachers union of harassment after failed negotiations Sunday night.
“We were surrounded by members of the public as we were headed to our car, we had to have a police escort,” said Marblehead School Committee Co-Chair Jenn Schaeffner. “If the teachers want to come back to school, the doors are open. They can come back tomorrow. We ask them to come back and we will continue to negotiate with them.”
