by Reagan Reese
Teachers of a Massachusetts school district are striking for a second day over higher pay, according to Boston 25 News.
Woburn Public School District canceled classes for a second day on Tuesday as teachers continue to strike for a 14.75% raise, an increase in salary for paraprofessionals and smaller class sizes, according to Boston 25 News. Massachusetts‘ teachers are among the highest paid teachers in the country, averaging more than $88,000 for a full time salary, according to World Population Review.
“We did work to get some proposals back and forth,” Barbara Locke, president of the Woburn Teachers Association, told Boston 25 News. “We felt we were making some headway. And they came back with a proposal at about eight o’clock, and then decided to go home. Let me change that: They decided to quit.”
Woburn’s Mayor walks out of City Hall to a crowd of striking teachers.
School has been canceled city wide Monday, after no deal was reached between the teacher’s union & city.
Teachers are planning to strike. @wbz pic.twitter.com/wscS77j53u
— Brandon Truitt (@BrandonTruittTV) January 30, 2023
More than 500 teachers went on strike Monday after the school and teachers union failed to come to an agreement on Sunday, NBC 10 Boston reported. The Commonwealth Employment Relations Board filed an injunction on behalf of the Woburn School Committee on Monday to force the teachers to return to class.
A Massachusetts judge Monday ordered a cease and desist requiring the teachers to return to work on Tuesday, Boston 25 News reported. The school district and city have been in negotiation for 18 months and have met 25 times.
“Their illegal strike is not going to be used as a bargaining chip and they’re not going to use it to hijack negotiations,” Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin told the outlet. “The kids are going to be inconvenienced, the parents are going to be inconvenienced, and for the teachers to say they have no other options, it’s outrageous.”
Woburn Public School District and Woburn Teachers Association did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Reagan Reese is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Teacher” by RODNAE Productions.
Fire the administrators first, then deregulate the system. Give the teachers a contract that holds them responsible for academic outcome. Let them decide how much they need to be paid from the funds currently available. If they fail to improve or simply maintain academic outcomes have them repay any increase in personal pay they gave themselves.