Braintree Teachers Union Votes No Confidence In School Committee

BRAINTREE, MA — The union representing teachers at Braintree Public Schools took a vote of no confidence in the School Committee just days before high schools students are scheduled to return to full-time, in-person learning.

On Tuesday, members of the Braintree Educators Association supported the motion following a Feb. 22 meeting, where the School Committee approved bringing high school students back to the classroom full-time March 15. The plan will also see middle school students return to the classroom April 1 and was supported by both Mayor Charles Kokoros and Braintree Health Director Mary Beth McGrath. In a letter sent to the School Committee, union officials argued the School Committee made decisions hastefully and "left educators scrambling to make sense of a directive that gave no time for appropriate planning."

But School Committee Chair Tom Devin said teachers were never left in the dark. He said arguing the School Committee made a hasteful decision is "nonsense."

Devin said the original plan was to reopen Braintree High School for in-person learning Jan. 4. That changed because of a spike in coronavirus cases at the end of 2020 into 2021, but the plan now is no different from the one the School Committee wanted to enact earlier.

"We're taking that schedule everyone knew," Devin said. "Them saying this is the first time they're seeing it is an outright lie."

Union officials though argued those negotiations weren't in good faith.

According to the union, school and union officials came to an agreement Feb. 1 to increase synchronous learning for all students. But three weeks later, the school committee voted to begin bargaining with the Braintree Teachers Association for a full return to in-person learning.

"Making such an announcement a mere three weeks before such plans are to be implemented displays the School Committee’s total disregard for the ongoing collaboration and the professional expertise of the Central Office and the BEA," union officials said in a statement. "The School Committee dates have created yet another crisis for the community. Other than being politically expedient, these dates are arbitrary at best. The reality is that there is no plan to safely return students to full in-person learning by those dates and ensure that academic, health and safety needs can all be met."

Union officials also cited classroom space, ventilation concerns and other safety issues in the letter.

Devin said he's listened to the association's concerns with an open mind, and he hopes an agreement can be made. He also said strides have been made with safety by adding pooled testing to the school district.

Devin also lauded the patience Braintree parents have shown in waiting for schools to reopen full-time.

"I think the town of Braintree has shown a heroic effort in being patient," Devin said. "They have shown such remarkable resilience, and I've heard the stories of mothers having to leave their jobs to teach kids at home. I owe them. I have to do the best I can."