THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 21, 2022 Page 15 STRIKE | FROM PAGE 11 and disheartened that the leadership of the Malden Education Association is willing to inconvenience families and disrupt the education of more than 6,000 students in order to advance its collective bargaining positions, especially as we are not currently at an impasse,” Christenson said. “Contrary to reports that the School Committee has not responded to proposals, the Negotiations Subcommittee has been and will continue to negotiate in good faith until we reach agreement on a contract that is fair to our employees, is in line with the economic realities facing the City and meets the needs of our students and families.” Malden Public Schools Supt. Ligia Noriega-Murphy said in a statement released on Tuesday that the decision impacts students the most. “This maneuver by leaders of the Malden Education Association may be intended to send a message to school district leaders, but ultimately, it is our students and families who suffer the consequences of these tactics,” Noriega-Murphy said Saturday. “In order to alleviate parents' anxiety, we have sent a letter to families explaining that we will notify them over the weekend if it appears likely that the MEA will move forward with a strike. At this point, schools are scheduled to open as usual on Monday, but in the event of a last-minute strike, we would be left with no choice but to cancel school for students and ask parents to make other arrangements for their children.” Weldai, Christenson, Spadafora and Gesualdo, who noted that they couldn’t release specific details of the agreement, said it’s still in process between its members. “While I’m unable to discuss the agreement in detail, I believe the deal we have established with our local teachers union shows that we value our educators in Malden,” Spadafora said Tuesday. “You can’t put a dollar amount on the worth of our teachers, directors or educational support professionals but you can provide them with a safe and supportive work environment where they feel valued. We want to provide fair and reasonable living wages to all of our employees so I implore the educators, caregivers and our community to continue to fight for federal funding equal to the communities surrounding Malden. Our #1 priority is the students we serve and they deserve (and demand) a quality education. Now that we have come to a tentative agreement, our focus for the future is communication and collaboration.” School Committee member Joseph Gray said he’s thankful for the patience and perseverance on all sides of the negotiating table to come to a tentative agreement that gets Malden children back in the schools and learning. “Our talented teachers and our outstanding School Committee came together to move forward,” Gray said Tuesday ~ Help Wanted ~ Horizon Holding, LLC, Malden – F/T Prjct/Constrn Manag Specialist, min BS Civ. Eng, Constrn & Bldg Eng or rel field or foreign equiv & 36m prjct/constrn manag exp w/ devlp prjct strat. & finan mods, Create yrly constrn activity & bdgt for prjcts, Mnge constrn sched. & activity & cost of constrn & proj budgets. CV to: horizon.holding.llc@gmail.com Your Hometown News Delivered! EVERETT ADVOCATE MALDEN ADVOCATE REVERE ADVOCATE SAUGUS ADVOCATE One year subscription to The Advocate of your choice: $200 per paper in-town per year or $150 per paper out-of-town per year. Name_________________________________________ Address_______________________________________ City_______________ State_______ Zip ____________ CC# _______________________________ Exp. _____ Sec. code____ Advocate (City):___________________ Clip & Mail Coupon with Credit Card, Check or Money Order to: Advocate Newspapers Inc. PO Box 490407, Everett, MA 02149
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