'The Strike Was Divisive': Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill

BEVERLY, MA — While acknowledging that the historically long Beverly teachers' strike was "divisive" and asserting that non-wage issues could have been settled while classrooms remained open, Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill said the ultimate contract deal that brought educators back inside schools after 12 days lost last week was a "strong, responsible agreement."

Cahill spoke to the City Council prior to Monday night's tax classification hearing in some of his first public comments since students returned to school on the eve of Thanksgiving, saying that the new contract "positions our educators to be among the highest-paid in our region."

• 'Wave Of Change': Beverly Teachers End Historic Strike After 12 Days

In a statement that was part defensive of the district's negotiation efforts and partly an olive branch to soothe some of the hurt feelings and possible harsh fallout from the longest teacher strike in state history, Cahill sought to assure educators of their value to the city and school leadership, while emphasizing his fiscal responsibility to all Beverly residents.

"The strike was divisive," he said. "The best we can do now is extend each other grace and compassion, recognize the humanity in each other, and together build stronger schools and a healthier community."

Cahill touted his request — and the City Council's approval — of $5.6 million in additional school funding for the current budget year to make the deal possible.

"In August, long before the strike began, the School Committee offered our teachers and paraprofessionals the largest three-year contract in our city's history," Cahill said. "And last summer's historic offer was made possible because the School Committee listened intently to our educators, agreed with them on the need for significant pay increases, and came forward with one voice last June during budget deliberations."

He said the final contract will "cost the city roughly $60,000 more than the contract offer that we made in August."

"This is a strong and responsible agreement that invests heavily in our educators while keeping our city on solid financial footing so that we can continue to provide the essential services on which the people of Beverly depend," Cahill said. "Remaining issues, including paid leave, educator prep time and length of teacher work day and student school day, could and would have been bargained and settled while our children's education continued uninterrupted."

He added that he and the School Committee "care deeply about our children's education" and "respect and value our educators."

"Throughout this past year of negotiations and the teachers' strike we did our best to respond to our educators' concerns and requests," he said, "and to reach agreements, while maintaining and improving both our schools and our whole community.

"The most important thing today is that our children are back in school learning and growing," he concluded. "There is important work ahead. As your mayor, I took an oath of office to serve all the people of Beverly and this oath guides my work every day, just as it did at all times these past months."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)