Hundreds Rally For Beverly Teachers As They Seek New Contract

BEVERLY, MA — Hundreds of students, parents and community members showed up in support of Beverly teachers as they engaged in the latest negotiation session for a new collective bargaining agreement inside Beverly High School on Thursday.

The Beverly Caregivers Supporting Teachers organized the rally that the Massachusetts Teachers Association said drew nearly 200 people wearing red shirts and urging the School Committee to come to an agreement with the Beverly Teachers Association after teachers began the next school year without a contract last week.

"Families and educators are on the frontlines of the problems in our schools," Beverly Teachers Association co-President Andrea Sherman said in a statement to Patch. "We know what's at stake and the urgency needed to address these issues. After years of underfunding and neglect, the mayor committed a significant amount to the school budget for the contract's first year.

"We now need a serious commitment from the School Committee and mayor to properly use our city's resources to ensure paraprofessionals earn a living wage and teachers receive a professional salary. It is on the School Committee to get a deal done quickly and end this crisis."

The BTA said key outstanding issues in the talks remain better pay and benefits for teachers and paraprofessionals, more substitute teachers and special education support staff, and initiatives — such as longer recess for younger students — that "prioritize student needs."

"Our students' learning conditions are central to our contract negotiation," Hannah Elementary School special education teacher Alex Crawford said. "We cannot settle this contract without agreeing to some of the most basic solutions our students need.

"We know what our students need, so we proposed a longer lunch and recess for elementary students. Studies have shown that the free play that comes with recess is crucial to a child's cognitive, social and emotional development. Our elected school leaders must address our concerns for our youngest learners."

The BTA urged the public to call and email local officials to pressure them to get a new deal done.

"The School Committee is responsible for ending this crisis in our schools," the BTA said in a statement Thursday night. "And your support is crucial in advocating for the funding we need."

(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.)