BOSTON — A judge has promised to waive mounting fines against striking teachers in three Massachusetts communities by Friday if they agree to return to the classroom on Monday.
Classrooms in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead — three communities north of Boston — remained closed again Friday, marking the end of the second full week that teachers have taken to the picket lines.
The strikes have kept thousands of students in the three communities at home and will force schools to hold classes on holidays and weekends to meet the 180 days of classroom learning required by state law — a situation that any snow days could make worse.
An Essex County Superior Court judge also said that if there is no agreement by 6 p.m. Sunday, a third party will take over talks between striking teachers and local officials.
Teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts.
Teachers in Beverly said Thursday they have reduced their pay proposals but accused city officials of stalling negotiations. Union representatives said they were prepared to continue talks around the clock if necessary.
“The inaction of the school committee is the reason the schools are closed. We’re really trying to negotiate here. We all want to go back to school,” Andrea Sherman, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association, said Thursday evening.
Rachael Abell, chair of the Beverly School Committee, pointed out the unions’ extensive negotiations and said they had rejected an offer to add nearly $2 million to teachers and paraprofessionals’ salaries.
“The union spent very little time reviewing and then essentially stuck to their initial demands, which go well beyond what is affordable to the city,” she said after Thursday’s negotiations.
The Beverly Teachers Association has said it is pushing for smaller class sizes in the 4,500-student district, 12 weeks of paid parental leave and a “living wage” for paraprofessionals or teacher assistants with a starting salary of $20,000.
In Gloucester, the union has asked for at least eight weeks of fully paid parental leave in the 2,800-student district. It also wants significant pay increases for paraprofessionals, safer conditions for students and more preparation time for elementary school teachers.
On November 12, judges fined unions in Beverly and Gloucester $50,000, which they said would increase by $10,000 for each day the teachers continued to strike. The unions voted to authorize a strike on November 7 and schools have remained closed.
Governor Maura Healey has said her focus is getting students back into the classroom.
“I urge both sides to reach an agreement as soon as possible for the well-being of our children, families, teachers and staff,” Healey said Tuesday.