Fig City News recently spoke with School Committee member Barry Greenstein, who announced in an Op-Ed last month that he is stepping down from the Committee due to his family moving out of Newton. Originally aimed to be an “exit interview” similar to that with Chris Brezski, touching on many…
Posts published in “Education”
In colonial Newton, the public school mission was clear: protect children against Satan by teaching them to read the Bible. After the Civil War, the school day still began with devotional activities, but there were more demands on the curriculum. The government wanted civics and heroic American history to unite…
This past school year saw extensive, and at times heated, political debate and discussion over Newton Public Schools (NPS) budgetary priorities. How do these numbers and spending categories shape what students and educators do every day? Fig City News interviewed Principal Kim Lysaght of Brown Middle School, who discussed how…
Forty-eight years before women had the right to vote, they were serving on Newton’s School Committee. The Massachusetts constitution limited voting to men but omitted the word “male” as a qualification for elective office. Women noticed. Suffragists began working to get women elected (by men) onto school committees. They thought…
In 1844, the first state school for teachers and its instructor, Unitarian Reverend Cyrus Pierce, moved to West Newton after Lexington “welched on its financial agreement” to house the school. A wealthy supporter of Horace Mann purchased the Fuller house for the school. Teaching schools were an experiment that the…
On April 2nd, the School Committee correctly approved Superintendent Nolin’s recommended Level Service Plus budget proposal – a compromise plan to maintain our schools’ quality amid rising costs. Mayor Fuller’s current allocation of $293 million, however, falls up to $4.5 million short of this bare minimum budget. It is imperative that the…
The next span of Newton school history was marked by the growth of private schools; issues of governance, equity and curriculum; and the beginnings of teachers organizing. By 1763, Newton had two full-time school masters and four one-room, 14 ft x 16 ft schoolhouses for a population of 1,306. The…
Tight school budgets, outdated school buildings, and uncontested School Committee elections: When did these issues begin? Fig City News dug into archives and discovered a history of Newton’s schools dating back to the 17th century rife with issues that vex us to this day: funding, teacher pay, curriculum, governance, school…
We are, yet again, at a crossroads regarding the funding of Newton’s schools. We can choose to take the path identified by Mayor Fuller and continue to sacrifice both academic excellence and equity on the altar of perceived fiscal prudence. Or we can take the path outlined by Superintendent Nolin…
Newton Public Schools Superintendent Anna Nolin and School Committee Chair Chris Brezski will hold a Community Budget Meeting on March 27 [and again on April 3] at 6:30PM at Brown Middle School (125 Meadowbrook Road). NPS said: “The current budget proposal for next year means significant cuts of $3.7 million…
On February 14, President Trump’s Department of Education (ED) sent out a letter stating: “The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.” The letter from the…
The Newton Schools Foundation will host a Trivia Night fundraiser with a cash bar, prizes, snacks and Buff’s Pub wings. It will take place on Friday, March 14, 7-10:30PM at the American Legion Nonantum Post 440 (295 California Street, Nonantum). Tickets are $40 per person ($50 at the door). Register…