ANDOVER, Mass — School will be back in session on Wednesday after the Andover Education Association and the town’s school committee came to a tentative agreement on a new deal, ending the teacher’s strike.
“The Andover School Committee and the Andover Education Association have reached a tentative agreement that boosts contractual increases for teachers by 15.5% and for instructional assistants by 34%, each over four years, bringing an end to the three-day teachers’ strike,” according to a statement from the Andover School Committee.
The AEA announced the agreement on Facebook, announcing that schools would be open for class on Wednesday.
“The AEA is ecstatic to announce that we have come to an agreement and the strike is OVER! All educators and students will return to work tomorrow. We cannot begin thank to the Andover community enough for their support. We cannot wait to see our students in school tomorrow!” the union wrote.
“We are pleased that students can get back into the classroom (Wednesday) morning to continue learning,” said Tracey Spruce, Chair of the Andover School Committee. “With this deal, the administration gained important tools to continue strengthening the instructional practices that we know students need to belong, strive, and thrive.”
Tuesday was the fifth day of the strike after the educators announced Friday they would be striking for benefits such as parental leave, sick time, extended lunches and recess for elementary students and higher wages.
The union had been seeking an 18% raise for most teachers over four years and a 34% raise for instructional assistants.
The school committee said that in addition to the salary increases, the deal also gives 8 weeks of fully paid parental leave and the option to use an additional four weeks of accrued sick time to union member, bringing the total amount of fully paid parental leave to 12 weeks.
The deal also gives union members, the ability to use up to 60 days of accrued, paid sick leave when taking FMLA leave to care for a seriously ill family member and adds increases to elementary teacher planning time, which brings the added benefit of extended recess time for students, according to the school committee.
[ ‘We had no other choice but to do this’: Andover teacher strike stretches into Sunday ]
The average salary for a teacher in Andover now is $94,627---almost $10,000 more than the state average of $86,118, according to the state’s website.
“We heard clearly from the teachers and many in the community that teacher and instructional assistant pay was the priority in this agreement and we responded accordingly,” Spruce said. “At the same time, the final agreement is inconsistent with the principles of the town’s long-range financial plan so, to live within our means, we will need to make meaningful program, service, and staff reductions.”
The Andover teacher strike was the fifth since 2022, even though it is illegal in Massachusetts.
“We would like to thank our parents and students for their patience during these challenging negotiations,” Spruce said. “The last several months, and in particular the last five days, have been difficult for our entire community and we are under no illusion that it will take time to rebuild the bonds that make Andover so unique. We are committed to that healing, and hope that we can work together in good faith to ensure that this is the last time our children’s education is disrupted by a strike.”
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