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Swampscott school board, teachers union reach tentative deal
By Gayla Cawley | May 20, 2020
SWAMPSCOTT — The Swampscott Education Association and the School Committee have reached a tentative three-year agreement following months of tension-filled contract negotiations, according to the teachers’ union.
The School Committee was scheduled to vote on whether to ratify the proposed teachers’ contract at their May 13 meeting, but opted to delay the vote until next Wednesday, May 27.
The decision to delay the vote when the School Committee appeared to be “moments away” from ratifying the agreement has caused some “anxiety” among union members, according to a Facebook post from the Swampscott Education Association (SEA).
“The School Committee’s decision to delay the vote caused much anxiety and disappointment amongst our members,” reads the post from the teachers’ union. “We fully expect the Swampscott School Committee to stand by the tentative agreement they made with the SEA and ratify it on May 27.
“We need to move on to the essential work of successfully closing our current school year and planning for what school will look like in the fall.”
Details of the tentative agreement were not disclosed, but the SEA said its members have agreed to a three-year settlement with lower raises “that would not have been accepted outside of our current situation.”
The teachers’ union had been seeking 3 percent raises for each year of the agreement throughout negotiations, but said in its statement this week that financial compromises were made in the interest of focusing on more important issues related to the pandemic.
“There was a great deal sacrificed on both sides in order to come to an immediate solution under current circumstances,” the SEA said. “This settlement continues to leave us well behind our colleagues in comparable districts financially. We were willing to accept the offer in order to move on to higher priorities, such as online learning and the health and safety of our students and families.”
School Committee chairwoman Gargi Cooper said the vote was delayed to ensure that everyone involved in the contract negotiations, including Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald, has been updated on the details of the tentative agreement before a potential ratification.
“As town and school budgets are impacted by the COVID crisis, the school committee also needed time to review updated budget projections,” said Cooper. “I am appreciative of the work that our bargaining team has done and am also impressed by the mutual spirit of the SEA in working together to reach an agreement.”
Cooper said the School Committee will vote on the tentative agreement at their next meeting, and declined to disclose its terms until the contract has been ratified.
If the teachers’ contract is ratified later this month, the two sides will have reached an agreement after nearly a year of tension-filled talks that have resulted in a number of failed bargaining sessions.
Talks stalled in November, with both sides accusing the other of exhibiting unprofessionalism during one particular session. Negotiations resumed for a brief period in January, and then again in early April through virtual sessions.
The SEA said both sides reached the tentative agreement on April 30, which was ratified by union members on May 8.
Superintendent Pamela Angelakis declined comment on the proposal.