Melrose Teachers, School Committee Reach Deal After Threat Of Strike

MELROSE, MA — Negotiations on Saturday produced a tentative agreement for a new contract for Melrose Public Schools teachers, officials said, avoiding a strike that would have begun on Tuesday.

The Melrose School Committee and the Melrose Education Association announced their agreement around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The announcement followed just over 24 hours after the Melrose Education Association said its members had voted to authorize a strike if a new contract agreement couldn’t be reached over the weekend.

READ: Melrose Educators Vote To Authorize Strike

“On behalf of the Melrose School Committee, I believe that this contract shows our dedication to both the interests of the community and the commitment of our hard-working teachers,” School Committee Chair Margaret Driscoll said in a statement. “We look forward to the MEA’s continued partnership in support of students, as we continue the tradition of excellent education provided to all students in Melrose.”

The agreement Saturday came in the form of a memorandum of agreement. It will still need to be approved by the full School Committee and the membership of the Melrose Education Association.

Education Association President Lisa Donovan told Patch Saturday night that the union is planning to hold its ratification vote on Monday.

The agreement is set to run retroactively from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025, according to Saturday’s announcement.

Parties said the deal “will provide cost of living and market adjustments totaling 10% over the contract’s term, as well as increased preparation and planning time for teachers across the district.”

A new contract will cap a period of negotiations that have continued in the months since Melrose’s previous contract with its teachers expired last year.

Teachers had been pushing for higher pay and increased preparation time, among other provisions.

Teacher negotiations, likewise, proceeded alongside negotiations around a new contract for Melrose paraprofessionals before parties reached an agreement on a paraprofessionals contract last month.

Tense teacher contract negotiations inched closer to a strike this past week after previous protests and periods of frustration.

Driscoll confirmed on Monday that the School Committee had requested state mediation to help settle negotiations. The Melrose Education Association then delivered a vote of no confidence in the School Committee and Melrose Mayor Paul Brodeur on Tuesday before authorizing a strike on Friday.

The strike vote triggered an outpouring of support from educators unions across Massachusetts, with a wide array of unions backing the Melrose Education Association’s efforts.

Donovan thanked supporters on Saturday.

“We are especially proud of the Melrose educators who so eloquently and passionately fought for the schools that our Melrose community deserves,” Donovan continued.

Negotiators met on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

The Melrose Education Association shared a photo hours later just before 9:15 p.m. showing Donovan signing an agreement.

Statement will be given soon.
Thank you💙 pic.twitter.com/FCWEA6e1lD
— MEAMelroseMA (@MEAMelroseMA) January 15, 2023

Brodeur described this weekend’s agreement as one that will make a “significant investment” in Melrose’s students, educators and school district.

Schools Superintendent Julie Kukenberger said was grateful for the deal.

“This contract not only provides our dedicated teachers with the compensation they deserve, it also provides them with more preparation time to support thoughtful and engaging lessons designed for our students in personalized and individualized ways,” Kukenberger said.

“Thank you to the Mayor, School Committee, and MEA negotiation teams for reaching this agreement,” she later continued.

The Melrose Education Association is now planning a "victory rally” at Melrose’s Memorial Knoll Park at 1 p.m. on Sunday, according to a social media update Saturday night.