Beverly, Gloucester cancel school as teacher strike continues
MARBLEHEAD - Striking teachers in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead, and school committees have not yet reached an agreement, and Beverly and Gloucester have both closed school for Wednesday.
Massachusetts teacher strikes
Nearly 10,000 students in the three districts are waiting with their families for an end to the strikes, which started last Friday in Beverly and Gloucester and Monday in Marblehead.
"Yesterday there was a lot of back and forth. It felt really good," Beverly preschool paraprofessional Judy Martin told WBZ-TV Tuesday. "We're really confident. We just want a fair contract for everybody who works in this school system."
What do striking teachers want?
The teachers' unions want better pay for paraprofessionals and safer schools.
A judge ordered Gloucester and Beverly teachers to return to the classroom Tuesday. Their unions are now heading to court and could face fines because teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts.
"We want your kids in school but we also want to be able to be able to support them in the best way that we can and we don't feel like we're doing that," Martin said.
What do students want?
Dozens of students rallied with their teachers and coaches in Marblehead on Tuesday. The strike not only keeps kids out of the classrooms, but off the playing fields, threatening weekend playoff games and cheer competitions - something many seniors, especially, don't want to miss.
"It would just be devastating if we couldn't play. All of the hard work we put in through the off-season. That would just be terrible," said one student,
"So, we are supposed to have regionals this Saturday, but if we don't get a fair contract then we can't compete, and we didn't know the last one would be our last competition," said another student.
Contracts expired August 31
School leaders say the unions are colluding to draw out the negotiations. All three contracts expired on August 31.
In Marblehead, educators will held a rally Tuesday afternoon calling for the district to reverse its decision to cancel school sports and events until the strike is over.
"We want to solve this. We want to be in our classrooms today. We don't want to be here," said Marblehead Veterans Middle School Teacher Jae Guttadauro.
