BEVERLY, Mass. — Students and teachers alike returned to the classroom on Wednesday after officials announced the striking teachers and school committee have reached a “tentative” agreement on a contract.
In a statement released Tuesday night, Beverly School Committee Chair Rachael Abell said, “We are beyond relieved and thankful to share that the Beverly School Committee and the Beverly Teachers Association have reached a tentative agreement that will allow our students to return to school on Wednesday, November 27.”
According to a school committee spokesperson, the agreement in place includes “both strong compensation and necessary improvements” to support educators in the district.
“It was a challenging transition for sure but I’m very glad that they reached a resolution,” said Beverly parent Lily Serge.
The union said the new contract ensures paraprofessionals are on track to earn a living wage, teacher salaries will catch up to what’s needed to attract and retain the best educators, and the agreement will allow for six weeks of paid parental leave.
The Beverly teachers have been on strike for 19 days and faced hefty fines from a North Shore judge. The Boston Globe is reporting as of Monday afternoon, the Essex superior court has levied $560,000 in fines against the Beverly Teachers Association.
This comes a day after the Beverly teachers union said they were bankrupt from the fines.
“We deeply regret that their education was negatively impacted by the union’s strike,” Abell said. “It is time for all of us to move on and refocus on what is most important: The children of Beverly.”
Students will now have to make up that time as the law requires them to be in school for 180 days.
It’s still unclear when they will do that as the school district said Tuesday night that a plan is in the works, but they were focused on students getting back to school Wednesday morning.
Parent Leah Marshall commented, “people plan ski trips and I think that that’s tough. I just don’t want to do it on the weekends. We have plans every weekend so that would be tough.”
A teacher strike of this length can put certain strains on the community but parents believe everyone can come together again to move forward.
“I think the most important part of being an active, caring citizen during this time is just being a good listener, knowing how to stay in your lane, and just cheering people on that they will rectify and get out of the deal what they needed to,” said Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk.
“Obviously there’s been some unproductive conversations that have happened but I think there’s been a lot of steps in the right direction and I think ultimately its shown what a strong community Beverly is,” commented Lily Serge.
Parents had to scramble to find childcare when the strike started.
Some parents said the YMCA really stepped up to help them and they’re grateful for that.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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