• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Itemlive

Itemlive

North Shore news powered by The Daily Item

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Police/Fire
  • Government
  • Obituaries
  • Archives
  • E-Edition
  • Help

COVID-19: LOCAL NEWS

To our Readers:

In an effort to keep our community informed during the public-health crisis, we will post local virus-related information free of charge.

If you have any crisis-related stories, please submit them to ([email protected]).

For comprehensive daily news, home delivery and online only subscriptions are available via itemlive.com.


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. 

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

Sponsored Content

How Studying Psychology Can Equip You To Better Help Your Community

Solo Travel Safety Hacks: How to Use eSIM and Tech to Stay Connected and Secure in Australia

Advertisement

Upcoming Events

1st Annual Lynn Food Truck & Craft Beverage Festival presented by Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce

September 27, 2025
Blossom Street, Lynn,01905, US 89 Blossom St, Lynn, MA 01902-4592, United States

2025 GLCC Annual Golf Tournament

August 25, 2025
Gannon Golf Club

A Pirate Adventure!! with the Children’s Department

July 28, 2025
5 N Common St, Lynn, MA, United States, Massachusetts 01902

Adult Book Club: Little Fires Everywhere

July 29, 2025
Lynn Public Library

Footer

About Us

  • About Us
  • Editorial Practices
  • Advertising and Sponsored Content

Reader Services

  • Subscribe
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Activate Subscriber Account
  • Submit an Obituary
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Daily Item Photo Store
  • Submit A Tip
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions

Essex Media Group Publications

  • La Voz
  • Lynnfield Weekly News
  • Marblehead Weekly News
  • Peabody Weekly News
  • 01907 The Magazine
  • 01940 The Magazine
  • 01945 The Magazine
  • North Shore Golf Magazine

© 2025 Essex Media Group