Marblehead Teachers Strike: 'Ultimatum Offer' Rejected, Schools Closed Monday

UPDATED 9:45 p.m.

MARBLEHEAD, MA — School was called off for a 10th day on Monday after the Marblehead Education Association rejected what it said was the School Committee's "ultimatum offer" on Sunday.

The MEA said in a statement that it made a counter-proposal to the "ultimatum" offer that it said would "reduce overall costs" but that "we are holding on wages."

"The School Committee once again refused to respond to our Return to Work agreement," the statement said. "We will work late into the night (on Sunday) and early into the morning, and we need the School Committee to do the same."

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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.

The MEA said the state mediator ended negotiations for the night at about 9 p.m.

"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," it said in a statement shortly after talks ended for the night.

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 School Committee on Saturday said its proposal included "a cost-free path" that allows "for a full morning recess" for elementary school students and increased the paid parental leave proposal to 15 days paid entirely by the employer with the balance of the leave to come from the employee's accrued time.

"This offer was not accepted," the School Committee said on Saturday.

A 6 p.m. court-ordered deadline passed with no deal to end the two-week-old Marblehead teachers' strike as the MEA said its members were still holding out hope that terms on a new contract could be reached and schools can open on Monday.

"The MEA is committed to reaching an agreement that can reopen Marblehead Public Schools tomorrow," the MEA said in a statement issued shortly after the deadline earlier Sunday night.

"The MEA continues to demand that the School Committee end its pursuit of legal charges against individual educators related to the strike," the MEA said. "The MEA furthermore stresses the importance of reaching an agreement on return-to-work provisions that ensure no educators will be subject to retaliation for participating in the strike."

A judge on Thursday issued the deadline that included the resumption of harsh fines for the union for the "illegal strike" and state "fact-finding" to follow that could further delay schools reopening until after the Thanksgiving break.

(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.)