Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Classes resumed in Beverly and Marblehead Wednesday after a pair of teachers strikes that lasted more than two weeks.
The Beverly Teachers Association and the Marblehead Education Association reached tentative agreements with their respective school committees Tuesday night. A similar teachers strike in Gloucester ended Friday.
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"Both the School Committee and the Association recognize the stress and hardship caused to our students and families during the school closures and we are committed to ensuring that the reopening of our schools will be a positive experience for our students and school community," the Marblehead School Committee said in a statement.
"We are beyond relieved and thankful to share that the Beverly School Committee and the Beverly Teachers Association have reached a tentative agreement that will allow our students to return to school on Wednesday, November 27," Beverly School Committee Chair Rachael Abell said in a statement. "We deeply regret that their education was negatively impacted by the union’s strike."
The Beverly and Marblehead teachers unions and school committees had faced mounting pressure from Gov. Maura Healey to end the strikes.
The new three-year contract in Beverly includes pay raises for teachers and paraprofessionals, six weeks of paid parental leave, and extra support for dysregulated students and the staff working with them.
In Marblehead, the new four-year contract includes better pay for educators, twelve weeks of paid parental leave, and the creation of a Joint Safety Committee.
"The Massachusetts Teachers Association congratulates the Beverly Teachers Association and Marblehead Education Association on securing fair contracts that address the pressing issues bearing down on educators and public schools in Massachusetts," the MTA said in a statement. "The BTA and MEA – along with the Union of Gloucester Educators – deserve the deep thanks of educators across the state and across the country for refusing to settle for anything less than what was needed to properly support students and educators."
