'Hard Conversations': Salem School Committee Talks Teacher Contract

SALEM, MA — The Salem School Committee has issued an update statement on the ongoing negotiations with the Salem Teacher Union that reaffirmed the district's commitment to a series of goals to improve salaries and working conditions while allowing that will "necessitate hard conversations about how we use finite resources in the coming years."

The statement comes after the last two negotiating sessions in which the STU rejected a one-year deal designed to provide an immediate 4.25 percent pay increase for most teachers while a longer-term deal can be negotiated, and a disagreement over the need to codify class and shop size limits for career and technical courses into any new agreement.

• Salem Teachers, School Committee Spar Over Shop Class Sizes

The bargaining subcommittee said in the statement that it is committed to "developing a generous paid parental leave package, increasing planning time for educators and offering more competitive wages."

The contract expires at the end of the summer with Salem educators planning a rally outside the next planned bargaining session on July 29 that is set to focus on wages.

"Join us as we rally for fair and equitable compensation prior to the Salem School Committee," the STU posted on its social media page.

The bargaining subcommittee statement said "more extensive work on the salary scale will require thoughtful collaboration with our STU colleagues."

It also said the disagreement over rigid class and shop size limits was because "committee members were concerned that imposing maximum caps could serve to inequitably restrict access for certain students in CTE programs."

"As a school district, we have a value set that CTE programs should be available to any student who wants access to them," the committee said.

The class size limits, therefore, could either force the district to close classes that are at capacity or hire additional staff to cover the additional classes.

"We are happy to note that there was strong agreement between STU and the School Committee members to establish a vocational pay scale that recognizes professional experience and industry credentials in compensation," the bargaining subcommittee said. "This incentivizes and rewards an individual's career-specific knowledge and expertise. Further work in this area will be presented as part of our compensation package at a future date."

The committee said it would continue to negotiate in good faith toward a deal that "best meets the needs of our students, our families, our educators and our community as a whole."

(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.)