Burlington Education Association members urge board to return to table to avert disruption to school year

BURLINGTON – The members of the Burlington Education Association today overwhelmingly voted to strike beginning Wednesday if the city’s school board fails to return to the bargaining table and reach a contract settlement.
“Moments ago, my fellow members and I voted to authorize a strike beginning on September 13 if the board fails to come back to the table and stay there until we reach an agreement for a contract covering this school year,” said Fran Brock, a Burlington High School history teacher who serves as BEA president.

“We are done standing by while more than 100 of our colleagues have left the district over the last three years. We are done standing by while the board seeks to DECREASE the amount of time and attention we can devote to individual students,” she said. “We are done standing by while a shrinking percentage of the district’s budgets goes to student instruction. And we are done standing by while this board prefers condescension over collaboration.”