MARBLEHEAD, MASS. (WHDH) – The teachers strike on the North Shore has expanded, with Marblehead educators joining those in Gloucester and Beverly rallying for better wages.
Classrooms in all the districts are closed Tuesday, meaning up to 10,000 students will be at home, their summer vacations pushed back and shortened.
The three unions are united in one fight, pushing for what they describe as fair contracts and safer schools.
Marblehead
Marblehead union members claim their pay is lower than nearly every other North Shore district, which they say is a big reason why 20 percent of teachers left Marblehead schools last year alone.
Teachers have been working without a new contract since August. The district said it has made a fair offer that keeps all teachers employed and keeps class sizes intact.
All after school activities in both Marblehead and Gloucester are cancelled Tuesday.
Gloucester
In order to meet teachers’ salary demands, the mayor of Gloucester said the city would either have to raise taxes by roughly $400 or make significant cuts to other city agencies.
Two dozen teachers would also likely be laid off.
“The potential budget cuts would likely fall on our police, fire, and public works departments, because those are the only city departmentswith budgets large enough to close the gap,” Mayor Greg Verga said.
By continuing their strike, the teachers are defying a court order to return to their classrooms.
“Doesn’t that say volumes about where the state of education is in Massachusetts?” asked Gloucester teacher Eric Leigh.
Beverly
In Beverly, the school committee said the two sides have been at the negotiating table for 39 hours.
The city said progress has been made and talks will continue in good faith.
Without knowing when their kids can go back to class, parent reaction in Beverly has been mixed.
“It sounds like every effort has been made to pay them on par with or better than surrounding communities,” said Tim Miller, a Beverly…