Marblehead Teachers Strike: School Closures 'Deeply Disappointing'

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead Public Schools will be closed for a second straight on Wednesday as the School Committee and Marblehead Education Association continued in state-mandated mediation in an effort to end the teachers' strike.

"We are deeply disappointed that the School Committee directed the superintendent to cancel school this evening at 6 p.m.," MEA co-President Jonathan Heller said in an early evening news conference on Tuesday. "Canceling school signals management's plan to drag out bargaining.

"This is a sign that they are not going to bargain in good faith because they were anticipating that a contract would not be reached tonight. These delays are meant to punish educators by weaponizing court proceedings."

School Committee Chair Jennifer Schaeffner did announce agreements Tuesday night on an increase in the tuition reimbursement pool and the school calendar.

Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer declared earlier in the day that "the blame's not on us" for closed classrooms, teachers on picket lines and the high school football team in danger of being forced to forfeit its playoff game this weekend on the first day of the MEA strike on Tuesday.

"We did not create this situation," Kezer said during a news conference with School Committee members Schaeffner and Sarah Fox late Tuesday morning. "The union created it by taking an illegal strike. So the blame's not on us."

Kezer said the town's current proposal to the MEA would require a property tax override to fund but that if that override does not pass — the town has repeatedly voted down general tax override ballot initiatives over the past two decades, including decisively in both 2022 and 2023 — the necessary service cuts would be "manageable."

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He said under the latest MEA proposal a $7.5 million override would be required and that its potential lack of passage would "decimate the school system."

"The amount of layoffs and restructuring would have a profound impact on the education system," Kezer said. "So what we're trying to do is find that line, that balance, of an override that the voters would be more willing to accept — that's reasonable — but is not such a level that if it fails we don't have an education system."

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Heller this weekend criticized Kezer and School Committee members for not being present during negotiations and for the decision to suspend all extracurricular activities — including the football season — for the duration of the strike.

"The kids need to be in school, but we also need to address issues thrusting or schools into crisis," Heller said.

The MEA has stated wages, staff support, family leave and longer lunch and recess for elementary students as among the key issues creating the school "crisis."

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School Committee members said on Tuesday that they were present or available for all state mediator-scheduled sessions over the weekend with Schaeffner saying that she supports Superintendent John Robidoux's decision to cancel all school activities for "safety" and "equity" reasons during the strike.

Schaeffner said the path to continuing athletic and performance events is "for union members to come back to work and to allow the bargaining members to be relieved of their duties, we would cover their duties with substitutes, and come back to the bargaining table all day and all night until we can come to the contract."

"That would allow activities to go forward," Schaeffner said. "It would allow, most importantly, the education of our students to go forward. Because, let's face it, that is the priority.

"And so far that has been rejected."

Heller called that proposal "a ruse" and said that the union and School Committee should work together to push for a tax override to fund the full length of the contract.

"We believe that this community values its schools and will stand behind the schools and, finally, pass an override," Heller said.

(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.)