With the start of a new school week edging closer, Andover teachers remain on strike and face “many unresolved” issues as their battle with the School Committee for a new contract persists.

Sunday marks the third day that the Andover Education Association meets with the School Committee and a state-appointed mediator since 95% of the union voted to authorize an “open-ended strike.”

If an agreement is not met by the end of Sunday, school will continue to be canceled, following an initial day off Friday due to the strike.

Under state law, it is illegal for public employees like teachers to go on strike.

As a result, the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board has ordered Andover educators to immediately return to school. It has also appointed a mediator to work with both sides.

“While we can report that we are making progress, many significant issues remain unresolved,” the Andover Education Association stated in a Saturday update. The union said one of the biggest gaps with the School Committee is paid family and parental leave.

The School Committee, as of Saturday night, raised their offer to 12 weeks of parental leave, eight paid by the district and four from accrued sick time. The union has fought for 12 weeks, eight fully paid by the district but including four more 50% paid by the district, in addition to sick time to supplement.

The School Committee said they accepted the AEA’s proposal Saturday night, allowing for the use of up to 60 paid sick days to care for a seriously ill family member.

“Adequate paid family and parental leave is central to our ability to attract and retain high-quality educators,” the union stated Saturday, “and the AEA’s proposals align with contemporary practices and policies in the private and public sectors.

Educators are also calling for better pay for instructional aides, fair raises for teachers, protections for prep time, longer lunch and recess periods for the youngest learners, and more of a say in curriculum decisions.

The School Committee said they’ve up their wage offers — raising pay for teachers 14% over four years and raising pay for instructional assistants 23.4% over four years.

The strike comes after the union bargained with the School Committee nearly 30 times, without the two sides reaching an agreement.

In a Saturday statement, the School Committee said it “remains committed to negotiating in good faith and looks forward to the AEA’s response to its proposal. In the meantime, we once again call on the AEA to end this illegal strike so we can bring our students back to the classroom.”

Related Articles

Ritter: Tackling causes of chronic absenteeism

Andover teachers go on strike

McKenna: Mass. special education needs to get it right

Hundreds of students are consistently missing school due to bus failures in Marlboro and Framingham, school districts say

Science says teens need more sleep. So why is it so hard to start school later?

Andover’s contract escalation followed similar teacher strikes in Woburn, Haverhill, Malden and Brookline in 2022 and earlier this year, which accrued escalating fines for the unions.

The Woburn Teachers Association’s 5-day strike earlier this year cost the union $85,000 in fines to the state. The union agreed to pay $225,000 to the city in damages over four years, plus $20,000 to local charities.

Grace Zokovitch contributed to this story.