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Teachers, parents urge Holyoke School Committee to fix contracts, licensure and retention
Summary
Dozens of teachers and parents told the Holyoke School Committee on April 27 that stalled contract talks, licensing barriers and insufficient pay are driving educators away and harming students; multiple speakers urged compensation tied to experience and reimbursements for licensure costs.
Dozens of teachers and parents used the public-comment period at the Holyoke School Committee’s April 27 meeting to press the board for faster progress on contract negotiations, better compensation and relief on licensure barriers for bilingual educators.
At the start of public comment, parent Isaka Aczeroth said three of their children attend Holyoke Public Schools’ dual-language program and raised two main concerns: the loss of long-serving teachers and restrictive licensure rules that he said include exams offered only in English. “Los antiguos profesores han dejado el distrito … es frustrante que este nivel de consistencia no está,” Aczeroth said, urging administrators to reconcile hiring and licensing policies with classroom needs.
Several speakers tied teacher departures to stalled talks with the district’s bargaining…
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