MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead Education Association criticized what it called School Committee members’ and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer’s lack of active participation in state-mandated mediation on Saturday as the district moved another day closer to an authorized teacher strike starting on Tuesday.
The MEA said in a news conference on the first day following their strike authorization vote on Friday that it presented a proposal that, if accepted, would avert a strike and requested that school sports and other performing arts programs be allowed to continue during the pending work stoppage.
The MEA said all proposals were rejected on Saturday.
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Superintendent John Robidoux said at Friday night’s School Committee meeting that the decision to announce that school is canceled on Tuesday — the first day that teachers are expected to be on the picket lines pending any agreement reached over the weekend — was to give parents and caregivers adequate notice to arrange for care.
He also said that — unlike in Beverly where teachers also voted to go on strike this week — all sports and extracurricular activities will be canceled for as long as the strike continues because the employment of coaches, supervisors and chaperons fall under a collective-bargaining agreement that is, essentially, void during a work stoppage.
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He added that allowing certain extracurricular activities — such as a scheduled Marblehead High football playoff game — and not others could raise questions of equity and put the district in violation of Title IX provisions.
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The Magicians advanced in the playoffs with a 42-6 victory against Norwood on Friday night but now face a forfeit of its next postseason game, and any ensuing games, until the strike is settled.
“We are committed to ensure that our coaches can prepare for fall playoff games and our power-puff game,” MEA co-President Jonathan Heller said. “We want our band to be able to maintain rehearsals for games and community concerts. Missed school days can be made up. But the opportunity to compete for a state championship and special performances cannot.
“It is the School Committee that is unwilling to allow activities to continue. The School Committee can settle a contract this weekend that allows schools to open on Tuesday and all after-school activities to continue as scheduled.”
School Committee Chair Jennifer Schaeffner during Friday night’s open meeting called the pending strike “and illegal strike” and Thursday’s strike-authorization vote “an illegal vote.”
Public sector union strike are against the law in Massachusetts with the MEA potentially subject to escalating fines and other penalties.
The MEA said in a statement Saturday night that the first day of state-mandated mediation was “a waste of time” as part of a “flawed and ineffective process.”
“We have worked for months on reasonable proposals to address the needs of students, educators and the community,” the MEA said. “The current School Committee is incapable of not only fixing the crisis but also recognizing the crisis facing our schools.”
Schaeffner requested and received School Committee authorization to make Tuesday a professional development day — replacing the professional development day previously scheduled for Jan 31. She said any additional days missed due to a work stoppage would have to be made up during vacations, Saturdays or at the end of June.
School Committee member Sarah Fox said in a statement last week that the sides remained about $5 million apart on wage proposals and that the latest MEA proposal would necessitate $9.7 million in new spending over the next for years, which would need to be paid for either through other budget reductions or a property tax override to avert a 15 percent cut in personnel and student services.
Marblehead voters rejected the last two proposed tax overrides that made it to the ballot in 2022 and 2023.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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