LYNN — After a late-night negotiation session, the Lynn Teachers Union and the school committee reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Wednesday evening, multiple sources confirmed to the Item.
The contract is subject to a vote from the union and the school committee and will have to be approved by both bodies before it is enacted.
The union had been advocating for smaller class sizes, lower caseloads, and higher pay to improve recruitment and retention of teachers. Prior to the new agreement, teachers regularly taught classes with more than 40 students and faced “caseloads that leave educators without the time they need to give students individual attention, and pay that is so low that educators can make $250 to $300 more each week if they leave to teach in a neighboring district,” according to the union.
School officials, including Superintendent of Schools Patrick Tutwiler, did not return multiple requests for comment, and Deputy Superintendent Kimberlee Powers hung up on a Daily Item reporter Wednesday evening.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected]
