As a parent invested in the NPS’ success, it gives me no pleasure to OPPOSE the Operating Override. An overwhelming number of parents[1] feels NPS is NOT headed in the right direction. Newton first needs to acknowledge the problem and develop a plan to fix it, before seeking override funds.
Despite 30% growth in per pupil expenditure over the last five years, NPS has failed to meet expectations or live up to its reputation. From canceling 8th grade Honors Math, to combining AP/Hons with ACP in high school, to eliminating funding for “academic” clubs, to significantly delayed post-Covid reopening, NPS has deliberately put academic excellence on backburner.
A November 2022 survey[1] commissioned by NPS quantifies the extent of parents’ disappointment. 69% of NPS parents/guardians (n=1,562) do NOT believe the district is heading in the right direction. Further, only 35% of parents believe the district is fiscally responsible. This sentiment is not surprising. Many NPS parents have voted with their feet, and 964 students left NPS for private schools[2] over the last 5 years. NPS now holds the distinction as the school district with the largest percentage of students in private school, after Brookline (districts with at least 5,000 students[3]). It is quite apparent parents have lost confidence in how schools are managed and how finances are handled.
The Mayor has proposed 49% of the operating override be spent on “academic excellence.” Despite the $4.5 million additional budget, NPS will not hire additional FTEs or bring back academic excellence programs that it cut. Based on the reasons expressed above and lack of commitment toward improvement of the district, I will not support the operating override. Sadly, I will actively campaign AGAINST it. (Ironically, I volunteered during the last override campaign.)
The administration should take concrete steps to acknowledge, listen, analyze and act to improve NPS before revisiting the override. Specific steps to consider are:
- Include specific focus on academic excellence as a characteristic for the new superintendent. Please note, the current criteria[4] does not include academic excellence despite parents asking for such in the survey and focus groups.
- Openly engage parents by forming a Blue Ribbon Commission to identify areas of improvement and develop an action plan to correct it. The BRC should also develop a common definition of Academic Excellence and associated metrics.
- Document additions or elimination of various programs across all schools on an annual basis.
Please join me in voting against the Operating Override. We should revisit an override vote only after NPS is on a path to meet its academic excellence goals for all students without limiting opportunity for any.
- Newton Public Schools Survey for Superintendent Search
- NPS Enrollment Analysis Report December 2021 and Preliminary Enrollment Report – School Year 2022-23
- Mass DOE 2021-22 School Attending Children Report
- Desired Superintendent Characteristics
