Hanover
Parent support for schools increased after Hanover strike
The bitter strike, which could have left a legacy of vindictiveness, sparked a burst of volunteerism instead.
When Hanover teachers went on strike on Sept. 19 there was bitterness on both sides. Salaries and teacher preparation time were the main issues of substance. The Hanover Teachers Association claimed that the School Committee members were dragging their feet in negotiations.
MTA Today quoted HTA President Melanie Drozdowski as saying, “We’re back at ground zero. We feel they’ve made a mockery of the bargaining process. It seems as if they would prefer to hold the students of Hanover hostage rather than settle the contract.”
When the contract was finally settled on Sept. 30, teachers received raises, more prep time and other financial benefits, but the local association paid a price in the form of stiff fines and a fear that relations with town residents might be strained.
Former MTA President Anne Wass, who taught in Hanover during the strike, recalled that the members were very unified throughout the strike, though some were anxious. After it was over, she said, the union ended up working well with the superintendent and with most, though not all, of the school committee members.
Nine months after the strike, The Boston Globe reported that the strike led to a significant increase in parent activism on behalf of public education in the town. More than 500 parents packed an auditorium for a June meeting called by the HTA, with 300 parents signing postcards to their legislators on behalf of school funding and 100 volunteering for committees to analyze budgets and support Hanover’s schools.
