In a recent Boston Globe op-ed, former Newton School Committee member, Matt Hills, dismissed the impact of the prolonged contract negotiations and strike claiming the final result was practically so close to the school committee’s initial proposal to render it meaningless (or in his words “much ado about nothing”). A week…
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Newton will contribute $43.5 million to its pension plan in fiscal year 2024, $37 million of which (7.4% of budget) to fund our $300 million pension deficit by FY2032. Pension contributions will grow 6.6% per year, far outpacing growth in revenues. Without adjustment, the budget share going to pension contributions…
My partner and I are recent transplants to Auburndale. We love it here, and we’re glad her son was at Williams Elementary and is now at Brown Middle School. The teachers and support staff at both schools have been fantastic, and he’s thrived in all the ways a parent can…
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,…
I am disappointed that the Public Facilities Committee swiftly voted to approve a road diet of Washington St. without further consideration for feedback from residents who will be most impacted. In 2018 the Newtonville Area Council conducted a thorough survey asking residents for input on desired improvements to Washington St.…
The schools in Newton have always been the shining gem of our community. Education was highly valued, and, therefore, funded. And now, they are running on fumes. School personnel are what make education in Newton phenomenal. Despite the crumbling buildings, the out of date texts, and lack of technology, our schools…
Any proposal for changes to Washington Street between Lowell Ave. and West Newton must account for its varied uses and future development: It functions as a residential street, a business district and an east-west thoroughfare; construction at the Armory and Dunstan East will add 335 more households and 8,000 sq ft…
I fully support our teachers and appreciate all they do and yes, they should get paid more. I was taught by wonderful Newton teachers. Reading the news, though, you would think that Mayor Ruthanne Fuller is on par with the worst fascists of the century. Protest signs have her likeness…
Mike Zilles, head of the Newton Teachers Association, spearheaded no-confidence votes on Newton’s elected mayor and elected school committee. This followed a no-confidence vote on our last superintendent, David Fleishman, because the NTA disagreed with plans to return to in-classroom education. Now the NTA is illegally striking, shutting students out of…
I think that there is impartial evidence that Mayor Fuller and the NPS School Committee have not been negotiating in good faith. Superior Court Judge Barry-Smith decided today to LOWER the daily fine to the NTA to a consistent $50,000, instead of increasing it to $400,000, and he came to…