Marblehead Teachers Strike: MEA Claims 'Major Concession' In Proposal

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead Public Schools are closed for a seventh straight school day on Wednesday as the Marblehead Education Association claims it put forth an offer to the School Committee that includes "major concessions" on wages designed to move the sides toward a deal on a new teacher contract.

Superintendent John Robidoux said at about 6 p.m. that negotiations were ongoing into the night but that school would be canceled for a seventh straight day on Wednesday.

• Marblehead Teachers Strike: 'We Are Optimistic' Despite Schools Remaining Closed

MEA co-President Jonathan Heller said the MEA proposal delivered late in the day lowers the cost-of-living wage demand and "phases in" additional parental leave over the course of a four-year contract. He declined to outline the exact concessions at a news conference on Tuesday night, saying that he wanted to give the School Committee a chance to review the proposal before sharing specifics.

"Once we know that the School Committee has had some time to look over those numbers we can share more information," he said. "We know the community is hurting. There has been no movement — none — on the School Committee's part. This is our bridge to come to a fair contract and get us back in the classroom where we belong with our students."

Heller said the proposal is structured so it would "work within the town's means in year one" with further increases contingent upon a property tax override in successive years. He noted that the Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer has said that an override is necessary to fund both the district's and MEA's contract proposals.

"The School Committee remains ready to reach agreements with each of the five MEA units, but can only support contracts that the Committee and the town can afford," the School Committee said in a statement late Tuesday night. "Our proposals to the MEA have been fair to our community and students and to our employees. We hope tomorrow brings progress toward an agreement."

MEA negotiators said they attempted to deliver the proposal directly to the School Committee and engage members in a conversation but that the School Committee declined a meeting and instead accepted the proposal through a state mediator.

School Committee member Sarah Fox has previously said the district must determine the financial implications of any counterproposal before addressing its merits.

The mediator ended negotiations for the night before 8:30.

The impasse continued on Tuesday as members of the MEA joined members of striking unions in Beverly and Gloucester in calling on Gov. Maura Healey to intervene to help secure new contracts for teachers and end the work stoppages.

The MEA on Tuesday posted a statement on its website refuting a School Committee statement saying that it would "like to make our teachers the highest-paid on the North Shore but that the union's proposal is not "affordable or sustainable."

"The MEA is proposing wages that would allow our district to attract and retain the best educators possible," the MEA posted. "Our opening offer was a serious effort to do that. The School Committee refuses to make a serious offer that would address our substandard salaries."

• Marblehead Teachers Strike: $926 Average Tax Override Will Settle Deal

Heller expressed optimism on Monday night that face-to-face negotiations would create an atmosphere that would reduce acrimony between the sides and better facilitate tentative agreements on issues ranging from wages to paraprofessional status to family leave.

Heller and the MEA have repeatedly pressed the School Committee and Kezer to join with teachers in campaigning for a property tax override that would "fully fund schools."

The MEA said on its social media account on Tuesday that the town "has one of the lowest tax receipts per capita compared to its peer groups.

"It's time to pay our teachers more and fight for an override," the MEA said.

Marblehead voters turned down a $3 million general override for the school department in 2022 by a 2-to-1 margin and a 2023 general tax override for the town was voted down by 400 votes in 2023.

(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.)