Page 8 RevereTV Spotlight T hanksgiving is next week and coming up fast! Tune in to the RTV Community Channel for some festive reruns of cooking shows with Thanksgiving inspired recipes. Victoria Fabbo has recorded very recent episodes THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2024 UNION CONTRACT | FROM Page 1 It addresses critical issues such of her program, “Fabulous Foods,” but RTV is also playing one of her fi rst appearances on “What’s Cooking, Revere?” where she makes butternut squash soup, laRevereTV | SEE Page 16 He’s Back...and Better Than Ever! John A. Fitzpatrick (Fitzy) Sales & Lease Consultant Direct: 617.410.1030 Main: 617.381.9000 Cell: 617.279.9962 McGovern Automotive Group 100 Broadway, Rte. 99, Everett as competitive wages to attract and retain educators, paid parental leave, and safe and healthy schools. We believe this contract helps us fi nd proactive solutions to the serious problems facing our schools, and we are excited to refocus our energy on what matters most: educating Revere’s students.” The negotiation team included: Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr.; Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dianne Kelly; Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Danielle Mokaba; School Committee Chair Jacqueline Monterroso; School Committee Member Anthony Caggiano; Revere Teachers Association Co-President Jane Chapin; as well as Revere Teachers Association members, Jennifer Jones, Christopher Kingston, Gary Palmieri, Karen Suttle, and Michelle D’Alessandro. After over 120 days without a contract, Revere Educators and School Committee strike a deal! (Note: This information is based on a November 18, 2024, press release from Revere Teachers Association [RTA] Copresidents Jane Chapin and Michelle Ervin.) Hundreds of educators Jordan Goudreau 978-852-4923 or Archangel Advisors Nick Brunzell 305-710-4130 J.Archangel@Outlook.com throughout Revere were engaging in morning standouts and afternoon walkouts since October as they continued their fi ght for a fair contract ahead of negotiations Monday night. Before negotiations started educators converged on City Hall to rally with parents and community members and share personal stories about the issues facing the Revere Public Schools. Following the rally the union and district negotiating teams met at Revere High School for what turned into a marathon bargaining session lasting 7.5 hours. After strenuous backand-forth discussions and creative thinking on both sides, the parties were able to reach a tentative agreement just after midnight. Educators and district representatives made agreements on several key issues, including: • Competitive wage increases to attract and retain the best educators for our students and to make it possible for educators to live and work in Revere • Humane parental and family leave policies that allow paid days without the use of sick time so that Revere educators may care for their children just as they care for the children of Revere each day • Safe and healthy public schools that offer adequate classroom support and workplace dignity and respect language, a standardized incident reporting form and the establishment of a health and safety committee to include RTA members to work together to address ongoing safety issues in the schools 2 27 • A study of increasing lunch and recess to provide students adequate time to eat lunch and release energy — supporting students’ ability to focus on learning when back in the classroom • Multilingual and dual licensure incentives to enhance and support educators from diverse backgrounds The RTA issued the following statement: • For the past 9 months, the RTA has brought forward reasonable contract proposals to address the serious problems in our schools. We have been advocating for issues like paid parental leave, healthy and safe schools, longer lunch and recess for students and competitive wages to attract and retain educators since last spring. These are issues we know are important to both our members and to the community. Like many gateway communities, Revere is currently experiencing a retention crisis and we hope this contract will make meaningful strides at making us competitive. Since June we have seen close to 80 teachers leave the district. The impact of this high level of turnover is largely felt by students, and staff who are asked to fi ll in the gaps. We believe this contract helps us fi nd proactive solutions to attract the best, most qualifi ed teachers to Revere, and ensure that they have the resources and support they need to be able to stay in our community long term. Although these negotiations have been trying at times, we appreciate the willingness by the School Committee, administration, and the Mayor to work with us to reach a deal. We also are astounded and amazed by the outpouring of community support and are so grateful for the parents and students who stood with us and made their voices heard throughout this process. This agreement represents a meaningful shift in the right direction for our schools. After 13 bargaining sessions, rallies, marches, and numerous collective actions, we fi nally feel heard by this School Committee and are excited to focus on the most important job: educating our kids.
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