Teacher strike goes into third week for 2 North Shore communities

Despite continuous ongoing negotiations from either side, Beverly and Marblehead educators will continue their strike as it goes into its third week.

Negotiations were underway in Beverly today, as presidents of the BTA met with the superintendent and Beverly School Committee chair Rachel Abell. with both sides hoping to get a deal done before 6pm to avoid a fact-finding court hearing. However, according to Abell, educators and employees “will not return to work while mediation is ongoing.”

In a statement made by Abell following todays negotiation efforts, neither side was able to agree on proposals. The Beverly School Committee has committed to their previous proposal and is staying firm to it.

“In our most recent offer, this year, the average salary for educators would be in excess of $88,000 and by the end of the contract, it would be in excess of $100,000. With more than 60 percent of staff currently at our highest step, and more than 70 percent by the end of the contract, we believe our offer reflects how much we value our educators. Our proposal offers staff with a Master’s degree at the highest step no less than $90,000, which grows to a range of $100,257 to $124,281 by the end of the contract, without the need for a Proposition 2 ½ override.”

The offer also states that paraprofessionals salary would range $25.32 to $38.54, and by the end of the contract could grow to of $29.14 to $42.77 per hour. This also includes six weeks of district-paid parental leave and six weeks of paid family sick leave to help with the illness of a family member. This also includes accrued sick time or borrow from a proposed parental leave bank.

A fact-finding court hearing will undergo at a yet to be determined date for Beverly.

Marblehead Education Association also met with their School Committee to discuss proposals, but were not able to reach an agreement by 6pm.

Both Schools will be closed tomorrow, November 25.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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