'Disheartening': Marblehead Teacher Contract Wage Standoff Extended

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead Education Association and School Committee remain dug in on wage proposals this week following another bargaining session that failed to produce any real movement toward a new collective-bargaining agreement two months after the previous CBA expired.

School Committee member Sarah Fox released a statement following the latest session Monday night reiterating the position the Committee shared during a presentation last week that the only way to meet the union's demands for wage increases would be through a $7.6 million tax override.

A $3 million school general tax override failed a townwide vote by a two-to-one margin in 2022 before a townwide general override vote failed by about 400 votes in 2023. Officials chose not to pursue an override in 2024, citing little hope for its passage while indicating the town's structural deficit will likely force another override push in the upcoming years to fund general services.

• 'Seems Insurmountable': Marblehead Teacher Contract Wage Proposal Gap Still Wide

"The financial requests currently being presented by the union are not something Marblehead has the revenue to fund," Fox said in the Sub-committee statement. "The School Committee is
legally required to bring forth a balanced budget. Any additional funding requests above what the town currently is able to fund would need to be covered through reductions (the majority of which would be realized through staff lay-offs), an override, or a combination of both.

"The current proposal by the union would result in an ask at the polls for an override that, if it fails, would trigger the lay-off of more than 15 percent of Marblehead school staff. While the union asserts they are willing to take that chance, the Sub-committee cannot agree to a contract that has the potential to ultimately require layoffs of this magnitude."

The MEA countered on Monday night, saying that more than 70 members attending the session in solidarity was a sign of "educators' commitment to addressing critical issues affecting their classrooms and the community."

"We are here to fight for our students and our colleagues, and we need the School Committee to recognize the seriousness of our situation," said Hanna Partyka, Glover School Kindergarten Teacher. "The time for playing games is over — it's time to step up."

While the Bargaining Sub-committee said it presented new proposals on Monday that included extending the benefit of enrollment of non-resident staff children to all units dependent on space, the MEA said the proposals amounted to little more than "surface bargaining."

"It's disheartening to see the School Committee treat this with such a lack of urgency," said Anna Buono, Marblehead High School English teacher. "We've made significant movement on our proposals, including withdrawing key proposals the School Committee has highlighted as difficult to agree to, yet they seemed more focused on changing the font of their documents than on making substantial offers that would support educator retention and student well-being."

The MEA said it "hopes to see a commitment from the School Committee to come prepared to find solutions to the serious problems in Marblehead Public Schools" at its next bargaining session on Monday.

"The Sub-committee is hopeful the union will continue to work with us through the bargaining process to achieve a resolution that is equitable to union members, reflects the financial realities facing the town and is in the best interest of our students, staff and community," the School Committee said in response.

(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.)