Salem Teachers To Rally As Contract Talks Sputter Around Wages

SALEM, MA — Members of the Salem Teachers Union are planning to hold a rally at Collins Middle School on Monday night as talks with the School Committee on a new collective bargaining agreement sputter on the issue of wages.

While the School Committee said in a statement that the most recent negotiating session on Wednesday included an agreement on what it called "the need to improve (special education) systems to ensure consistent and familiar paraprofessional support for students and to provide appropriate staffing levels for our most vulnerable kids," the STU said on Friday that "paras and support staff are treated like second-class citizens" and that the Salem pay scale is resulting in a turnover rate that is well above the regional average.

• 'Hard Conversations': Salem School Committee Talks Teacher Contract

"I don't want to leave the district, but the reality is I could go to a nearby district and be paid more," said Barbara McLernon, a Salem Paraprofessional. "I've seen time and time again when paras or teachers leave, the students experience it as loss. It should not be unreasonable to want to
afford to live in the same city where I teach and where I've dedicated my career, but that's completely untenable for almost all PSRPs.

"I know that my fellow PSRP colleagues and I are providing high-quality support that's not just valuable, it's essential to make sure students don't slip through the cracks and classes can run efficiently. Yet, paras and support staff are treated like second-class citizens."

The rally is set for 6:30 p.m. at Collins Middle School.

"One job should be enough, and Salem educators should be paid enough to live here in Salem," said Ann Berman, President of the Salem Teachers Union. "Our students deserve the consistency that comes with great educators staying here throughout their careers. But because of the low pay and lack of adequate benefits we're experiencing, Salem has the highest teacher turnover levels on the North Shore, and it is hurting our students' education.

"We're asking the School Committee to support a contract with competitive wages, especially for our lowest-paid paras and school staff who are struggling to make ends meet. Our entire membership is unified on this priority."

The next bargaining session is set for Monday afternoon with a School Committee meeting to follow at 7 p.m.

STU members said they intend to speak during the public comment portion of Monday's School Committee meeting.

The teachers' contract expires at the end of the summer.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)