Settlement on Claremont

On Wednesday night, the Worcester Public Schools and the Educational Association of Worcester came to a settlement regarding Claremont Academy. The press release is here (and I'll post it after the break, as well). The short version: 25 teachers have, after speaking with incoming principal Ricci Hall, opted to stay; 11 teachers have opted to take positions elsewhere in the system.

And, consequently, the bid list is out.

The Educational Association of Worcester and the Worcester School Committee reached an agreement Wednesday night under which 25 Claremont Academy teachers chose to remain at the school next year while another 11 will have the right to bid on jobs elsewhere in the district.
The agreement was reached after almost 10 hours of mediation to break an impasse in negotiations over the process used to determine staffing at the school.
“Both sides had to bend a little, but the final agreement allows the district to make changes in the school while preserving the principle that major changes in working conditions and personnel practices have to be negotiated with the union,” said EAW President Leonard Zalauskas. “Schools work best for students and teachers when differences are resolved through negotiation, as ultimately happened in this case.”
    “The time is right for change at Claremont Academy,” said School Superintendent Melinda Boone. “After more than 10 years of evaluations and reports, we are morally bound to cause immediate improvements for the students.
    “We offered teachers an opportunity to voluntarily commit to the restructuring of Claremont Academy into a high-performing school for students in grades 7-12 after listening to the concerns brought to the table by the teachers’ union. I value the level of commitment offered by teachers to this new direction leading to high levels of achievement and college and career readiness for all students,” Boone continued.