Swampscott Superintendent: Suspension Not Related To Negotiations

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott Public Schools Superintendent Pamela Angelakis denied accusations from the teacher's union that its president was suspended from her position as a speech and language pathologist at the Stanley Elementary School because of her role in contract negotiations. The Swampscott Education Association started leveling the accusations against administrators last week, culminating in a rally Wednesday night that included teachers from outside the district. Angelakis declined to comment on the specifics of SEA President Nancy Hanlon's suspension, citing district policy for handling personnel matters.

"It is truly unfortunate that the SEA would seek to exploit a serious matter in a clear, yet misguided attempt to gain negotiating leverage," Angelakis said. "To be perfectly clear, any decision that is made regarding personnel or any issue that affects students and staff is made completely independent of contract negotiations or any other outside factors. I would hope that anyone looking at the situation objectively would understand that."

Teachers from Swampscott and other public school districts represented by the Massachusetts Teachers Association — including Salem, Dedham, Revere, Andover, and Haverhill — held a rally Wednesday night. The rally was originally planned to coincide with the Swampscott School Committee meeting, but that meeting was canceled. "The SEA contends that Hanlon is being targeted for her work as a union leader during difficult contract negotiations," Scott McLennan, an MTA spokesman, said.

Since negotiations began in April, the union has rejected every proposal from the school system because it did not include the 3 percent raise. The school district says more than half of its teachers already earn between $75,000 and $100,000 per year, and another third earn between $50,000 and $75,000. One-in-five Swampscott teachers earn more than $100,000 per year.

"Contract negotiations are not easy on either side. We can all agree on that. But, as negotiations progress, even if not at the speed at which we would prefer, the day-to-day operation of the school district must always take precedence," Angelakis said. "Teaching and learning continue, as do other functions with which district leadership is charged, including administering personnel matters."

Last month, the union started a work-to-rule action to protest the ongoing contract negotiations. Both sides have sent out fliers critical of the other, and the two sides cannot even agree on how much an across-the-board, three percent cost-of-living increase the Swampscott Education Association is asking for would cost taxpayers.

Swampscott Public schools said the 3 percent raise would cost the district $3.1 million over the three-year contract in the flier it released earlier this month; in its response to that flier a week later, the union said the cost was closer to $2 million.

"We look forward to getting back to the bargaining table with the SEA," Angelakis said. "In the meantime, we are confident teachers will continue to their job well, as we have come to expect and appreciate. All stakeholders have the right to expect that district leadership will do the same and can be assured that we will."

Dave Copeland covers Swampscott and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).