In its customary post-election leadership caucus, the School Committee members-elect met on Monday, November 17, in a public but unrecorded session and unanimously elected Alicia Piedalue (Ward 7) the following year’s Committee Chair and Jason Bhardwaj (Ward 3) Vice Chair. Those voting were the members-elect, including Mayor-elect Marc Laredo, who will hold a voting position on the School Committee. The new leaders will be formally elected in January.
No other members-elect were nominated, nor nominated themselves, for either position. Ms. Piedalue and Tamika Olszewski (Ward 4) were the only current members attending the caucus; the remaining seven members are newly elected and will be sworn into office on January 1, 2026, with the exception of Victor Lee who was sworn in Monday due to his filling the vacant Ward 8 seat. The vote is therefore technically non-binding until 2026, however it is conducted now to facilitate the Committee’s year-ahead planning.
In brief statements to the caucus following her election, Ms. Piedalue noted that the role of Chair for the incoming committee “will be different” than prior Chairs, and would focus on “optimizing [member] skills” due to the members-elect holding similar policy goals. She listed those goals as supporting Superintendent Anna Nolin’s vision, funding facilities, and “rebuilding trust.”
The caucus discussion occurred at a rectangular table, with Mayor-elect Laredo and Superintendent Nolin seated at opposite heads. Following the votes, the members-elect asked several administrative questions regarding communications and trainings leading up to their swearings-in. Mr. Laredo, drawing on his 20 years of municipal office experience, including 8 years on the School Committee (2002-2010), and Dr. Nolin – who noted she is the School Committee’s “only employee” – both led in providing direction to the newer members-elect.
NPS appeal of 2024 Kindergarten Aide arbitration is denied
As reported on Sunday on the Newton Teacher’s Association website, a judge has denied the district’s appeal of an arbitrator’s ruling in 2024 for NPS to restore teacher’s aides in every Kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten aides in every classroom were agreed to by the district when full-day Kindergarten was implemented for the 2019-2020 school year, however half of the positions were cut in the NPS budget passed in May 2023 (for the 2023-2024 school year), and Kindergarten aide staffing has remained at that level ever since.
The cost of restoring aides for a full academic year was estimated at $800,000 during the spring 2025 budget debates, and it is not included as an expense in this year’s NPS budget. However, the possibility of full aide restoration was widely discussed during those budget deliberations, with Superintendent Nolin and many School Committee members expressing support for that action.
Following the November 12 decision by Middlesex Superior Court, NTA President Michael Zilles publicly commented at the November 17th regular School Committee meeting (after the leadership caucus). He noted the court ruling was “unequivocal” and implored the School Committee to “please do not delay this decision [to re-hire aides] any longer,” citing the issue as important to “restoring the trust” within the district.
Ed Note: The original publication of this article stated all seven of the newly elected School Committee members will be sworn into office on January 1, 2026. This article has been corrected to state Victor Lee was sworn in on the Monday meeting date.
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