Published September 4, 2020
MELROSE — On Sunday, August 30, the Melrose School Committee and the Melrose Education Association (MEA) announced that a tentative agreement has been reached to address the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year. This tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the MEA and approval by the full School Committee before it will be considered final.
Per the tentative agreement, the educator work year began on August 31. The first 10 days will be reserved for professional development, training, curriculum work, orientation, material distribution, completing new special education required documents, classroom set-up, collaboration time, and/or other duties as set forth in the Melrose Public Schools Return to Instruction Professional Development Plan. This year’s professional development plan covers several themes, including health and safety, social-emotional learning, disrupting racism, technology integration, and common planning.
The school year for students will begin on September 16, as outlined in the District’s Comprehensive Return to Instruction Plan (the Plan) and as approved by the School Committee.
Importantly, the tentative agreement includes remote learning expectations to ensure robust, synchronous distance-learning and allows the District to implement the sample schedules outlined in the Plan in all three learning models. As per the Plan, most students will begin the school year remotely until at least October 16, allowing for time to fully and successfully implement the Plan for all students.
“During this unprecedented and challenging time for students, families, and educators, I am grateful to work alongside a team of innovative and creative educators. Our educators have proven that they put the needs of our students at the forefront of every decision. As we reimagine and redesign every aspect of the school day and year, we are committed to focusing our energy on what is possible. I am confident that all of our Melrose students will receive a high quality, personalized education no matter which learning model they have selected as their best fit choice. Our focus on equity and inclusion has never been more critical than it is at this moment. I am beyond excited to have a tentative agreement and cannot wait to welcome our amazing educators on Monday,” said Superintendent Julie Kukenberger.
Lisa Donovan, president of the Melrose Education Association (MEA), added: “The MEA has bargained in good faith with the Melrose School Committee and the District to implement the best possible options for students at this time. We still have a few outstanding items to negotiate, but we will be meeting regularly to continue collaborating with the Melrose School Committee and the District throughout the school year. I want to express the MEA’s gratitude to all of the caregivers and community members who have expressed their support during this very stressful time for everyone. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not thank all of the dedicated Melrose educators who have, as always, gone above and beyond this summer to advocate for the safe return to in-person learning.”
“A successful school system is built on relationships: relationships between and among educators, between those educators and school leadership, and, most importantly, between school leaders and educators, together, with our students and families, all for the benefit of our students’ academic and social-emotional success,” said School Committee Chair Ed O’Connell. “In these challenging times, the health and safety of each and every one of our school community members is our number one priority, in tandem with creating and sustaining the very best possible environment for teaching and learning. This is the mission of the Melrose Public Schools, now and for the foreseeable future, and the agreement reached supports and advances that mission in full.”
Expressing gratitude to the entire Melrose community, Mayor Paul Brodeur added, “We know this is incredibly challenging for everyone involved, especially our students. We want our kids back in school buildings, and we know that safety must be the top priority for our educators and our families. I believe that this agreement moves us all forward in the right direction, in a safe and collaborative way. I’m grateful to all involved. Now is the time for us to work together.”
This tentative agreement:
• Establishes agreed-upon remote learning expectations for robust, synchronous remote-learning;
• Prioritizes the health and safety of students and educators and establishes agreed-upon health metrics for returning to in-person instruction;
• Provides a consistent schedule for students, families and educators across all learning models;
• Establishes expectations and support for professional development;
• Ensures access to technology for all educators;
• Allows buildings to be open for educators to teach remotely from their classrooms or otherwise designated safe, individual spaces;
• Is flexible and responsive to the many demands and changing needs our educators are experiencing at this time;
• Contains agreed-upon building and facilities standards and PPE (safety equipment) provisions; and
• Recognizes that not all issues can be covered in the agreement, and therefore establishes a mechanism and timeline for continued collaboration.