The Marblehead School Committee and Marblehead Education Association began contract negotiations in executive session at the committee’s most recent meeting. The parties are expected to meet again in the coming months as they were both unable to finish presenting their proposals.
“The MEA presented the union’s set of proposals but as there was an agreed-upon end time for the negotiation session, the union was not able to explain all of its proposals and the session ended before the School Committee’s bargaining team could present any of its proposals,” Committee Chair Sarah Fox said in a statement. “The School Committee looks forward to reviewing the MEA’s proposals and to presenting its proposals.”
Fox added that the committee was hoping to have “more sessions and more information” before Town Meeting on May 6, however the MEA is only available on two prior dates: April 2 and May 1.
Prior to the negotiations, the MEA started a petition calling for the reinstatement of three Glover School educators from paid administrative leave after they were involved in a student-restraint crisis at the school. The petition, which has now garnered more than 1,300 signatures, is also calling for the committee to fully fund the district’s schools.
Since the incident, MEA members have been wearing red to school in solidarity with each other. At multiple School Committee meetings, dozens of educators have packed the library with signs reading “WE STAND TOGETHER.”
The MEA is also advocating for community members to attend the committee’s budget hearing on Thursday, when MEA members will “wear red and stand together in support of all our students,” according to a Facebook post made by the union.
“Budgets are moral documents, and it is time to invest in our children and see where Marblehead stands when it comes to public education,” the post reads.
In her statement, Fox said the committee is enthusiastic about working with the MEA in the future.
“We look forward to moving through this process efficiently to provide the best contract to meet the needs of our staff, students, and community,” Fox said.
