Marblehead Teachers Strike: Union Seeks Return Agreement As Schools Stay Closed

UPDATED 11:25 p.m.

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead Public Schools are closed for an 11th day on Tuesday as the Marblehead Education Association said it was seeking a return-to-work agreement that protects union leaders from retaliation for the illegal strike and the School Committee said the union rejected what it called its "best and final offer."

The sides clashed Monday on to what extent the union was taking part in a state-mandated "fact-finding process" — and whether there were any substantive talks at all. The School Committee said the state mediator canceled talks for the day at about 1 p.m. while the union said its representatives met with the appointed fact-finder for several hours.

Superintendent John Robidoux announced that school was canceled on Tuesday at about 7 p.m.

The MEA said it presented the School Committee with "wage proposals that fit within the town's financial parameters in exchange for a promised response from the School Committee on the return-to-work agreement" after those meetings with the fact-finder.

The union said its new proposals reduce the cost of the four-year contract by over $1.48 million while still achieving the MEA's goals of improving staffing and compensation.

While the union blasted the School Committee for not responding to the return-to-work agreement, it did not indicate whether it was willing to return to classes without a new contract, only saying "the MEA will not agree to a contract unless it guarantees that no Marblehead educator will face retaliation for participating in the strike."

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The School Committee members accused the Massachusetts Teachers Association of fueling the strike in Marblehead, as well as the ongoing work stoppage in Beverly and the recently settled strike in Gloucester.

School Committee members left Sunday's talks amid a barrage of heckling from teachers, parents and community members gathered to support the union's efforts.

"The union seems intent on continuing its illegal strike at the expense of the children of Marblehead," School Committee Bargaining Committee Chairs Jennifer Schaeffner and Sarah Fox said in a statement Monday afternoon. "In addition, the union's tactics are now escalating to include harassment and bullying. The behavior of our striking teachers sets a bad example for our children and is not the image Marblehead should be projecting to the rest of the Commonwealth."

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Schaeffner and Fox added: "We believe we have the best teachers on the North Shore and they are deserving of our respect and our support. But we also have an obligation to our students and to the residents of Marblehead to negotiate contracts that do not commit us to terms we cannot afford and do not force cuts in teaching and staff programs that would hurt our students and diminish the education we provide."

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The School Committee members said earlier in the day that the union's latest proposal would require a property tax override the level of which would devastate the schools if it was voted down in line with recent override attempts. Marblehead voters rejected a $3 million override in a townwide vote in 2022 by a two-to-one margin and a general override to address the town's structural deficit by 400 votes in 2023.

"If the override failed, the cuts would be so great that the operation of the schools would be in jeopardy," Schaeffner and Fox said. "We simply can't afford the Union's proposal or the risk that comes with it."

MEA members at a Sunday night news conference again pressed the School Committee to work with them to campaign for a level of property tax override they said is needed to hire and retain quality teachers.

"We are devastated that the School Committee continues to hold our community and schools hostage and refuses to prioritize our students getting back in school," the MEA said in a statement shortly after talks ended for the night.

(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.)