Unresolved NTA Contract Overhangs Meeting Agenda.
The School Committee meeting on January 8, consistent with prior meetings for the past few months, began with several public commenters advocating for higher City budget allocations to Newton Public Schools (NPS) in order to settle the outstanding negotiation with the Newton Teachers Association (NTA). Following public comment, new School Committee Chair Chris Brezski (Ward 2) reported that the School Committee’s negotiating team had just concluded a mediation session prior to the School Committee meeting, meeting directly with the NTA team. He noted this was a departure from prior sessions, during which the mediator shuttled between rooms, and that the NTA made certain proposals that the School Committee will consider. Additional mediation sessions are scheduled for January 19 and 26.
The meeting’s regular agenda included a presentation regarding whether Newton should elect to participate in the state’s Inter-District School Choice program, which would allow other Massachusetts school districts to place students in NPS. Questions from School Committee members included whether such students would potentially displace other out-of-district attendees such as METCO students and children of NPS staff, as well as requests for more detail regarding how NPS would receive financial reimbursement from the state for participating in the program. A School Committee vote on the matter is anticipated on April 4, however several Committee members appeared skeptical of approving the program in the current year.
Superintendent Anna Nolin then provided her regular update, which was followed by Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Renee McCall giving a presentation including a preview of the family-accessible curriculum portal, which has been a priority of Superintendent Nolin. Dr. Nolin said that the portal was “one of the number one requests [of parents] across the system: ‘Can you please tell me what my child is learning and when they’re learning [it]?'”. The Teaching and Learning presentation also included an update on the Elementary Literacy curriculum.
The final discussion item in the meeting was a report by the Calendar Working Group, which recommended that the Lunar New Year be added to the NPS holiday calendar showing when schools are closed during the 2024-2025 academic year. A vote to establish the calendar for the next academic year will be scheduled before the end of the current one. The meeting concluded with the School Committee voting to enter a non-public Executive Session to discuss the ongoing NTA contract negotiation.
The meeting video is available on NewTV.
