'Unsustainable': Salem Class Sizes, Teacher Prep Time Focus Of Negotiations

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools class sizes and lack of preparation time was a focus of the latest bargaining session between the School Committee and Salem Teachers Union on Tuesday with one STU negotiator calling the current situation "unsustainable."

The STU is calling for more prep time and smaller class sizes as part of the next collective bargaining agreement.

"The bottom line is we can't get the needed work done to give students what they need in the time we're given," STU negotiator Saltonstall teacher Kathryn DiPietro said in a message released on social media. "Students suffer with such large class sizes when teachers cannot individualize instruction.

"Educators in Salem have too much on our plates and it's unsustainable. We lose teachers because of it. We deserve a work-life balance."

The Salem School Committee issued a response on Wednesday saying that the information provided to it on prep time and class sizes "gave School Committee members important context as we consider how to best support educators and students."

The School Committee did report a tentative agreement on notification to staff and administration on proposed curriculum changes and a commitment to provide teachers with adequate school supplies for the classroom

The School Committee also pledged to meet the STU's demands for better and more competitive pay for substitute teachers, the hiring of building-based substitutes and additional efforts to recruit and retain bilingual support staff.

The next negotiation session is set for May 13.

(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.)