I write as a decade-plus veteran of teaching both in the profession and in the city of Newton. I’ve spent my entire career at North North HS, following training through the Newton Teacher Residency and stints as a substitute at Bigelow and Newton South HS.
Along with my fellow educators, parents, and the broader Newton community, I call on Mayor Fuller to release access to the city’s robust surplus funding in order to help facilitate an agreement between the School Committee and the Newton Teachers Association. I also call on the mayor to display the leadership worthy of her office by coming to the negotiating table.
Like all of my colleagues, I want to be back in school. This strike was a last resort after 16 months of the city’s distressing lack of urgency. The mayor likes to tout the strength of our schools, yet claims a need for austerity despite a budget surplus, all the while blaming educators for standing up for ourselves. However the strike gets resolved, that’s a recipe for failed leadership.
Max Roberts
Natick