Teachers across three North Shore communities in Massachusetts — Beverly, Gloucester, and Marblehead — remain on strike, with negotiations set to resume today in the hopes of resolving the contract disputes which have led to classroom doors staying shut. Families are caught in a waiting game to determine when education will resume, especially with classes already canceled for Veterans Day, as reported by
WCVB
.
In Beverly, the deadlock continues despite attempts by a mediator to bridge gaps between the school committee and the teachers, the school committee stated that union had turned down a proposal for paraprofessionals that would have provided an hourly rate amounting to a yearly salary close to $80,000; schools are left in limbo as officials signal a divide over $14 million in educator and assistant compensation, and students wonder if they’ll return to their classes tomorrow after a Superior Court judge deemed the educators’ strike illegal and Gloucester’s Mayor Greg Verga, seated at the negotiation table, expressed his dedication to restoring educational normalcy as he missed Veterans Day events, “We are here seriously to negotiate” Verga told
WHDH
.
In Gloucester, the standoff seems entrenched in complexities beyond just salaries, as the teacher’s union underscores the importance of non-fiscal issues — “we have a lot of items in our proposal package that doesn’t cost any money and we feel are of critical importance,” Rachel Rex, co-president of the local teachers union, articulated to
WHDH
. While the school committee awaits a counterproposal on wages, teachers push for discussions on overarching concerns such as school safety and prep time.
Marblehead educators rallied this past weekend, showing the community’s spirit in the face of adversity, negotiations continued on Saturday with no gains made and yesterday remained silent, but the hope is to break the stalemate as mediators and committees return to the table this morning, and a joint rally in Gloucester is to manifest solidarity amongst the three districts grappling with this education crisis, both sides in Marblehead are poised to make critical decisions as the future of their classrooms hangs in balance students and families alike remain caught in the crossfire of an educational standoff no one wishes had become a reality.
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