On January 19, 2024, after months of unsettled educator contract negotiations with the Newton School Committee, the Newton Teachers Association announced a strike. The sudden shut down of schools presents challenges for students, families, and the community, and parents may struggle with how to explain what’s happening to their children.…
Posts published in “Negotiations”
On January 18, a reported 98% of the membership of the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) voted to go on strike starting on January 19 until a contract is reached with the Newton School Committee. NTA president Mike Zilles made the announcement on the steps of City Hall’s War Memorial Auditorium,…
As a potential strike by the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) looms Friday, parents fed up with stalled contract negotiations rallied outside of City Hall on Wednesday morning, to make their voices heard. “Staff morale is abysmally low,” said Alison Lobron, an organizer with the Newton Parent/Educator Collaborative who spoke at…
On January 18, a group of 22 City Councilors sent an open letter to the Newton Public Schools community ahead of the vote by the membership of the Newton Teachers Association, expected later in the day, on whether or not to strike. The letter calls for “an immediate return to…
On January 17, the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) published a response to the NPS slides and discussion points presented by School Committee Chair Chris Brezski at a question-and-answer session held by NPS with PTO leaders and the public on January 16 (see Fig City News article on that session). Among…
School Committee files Petition for Strike Investigation. Since the start of the new year, rumors regarding an imminent strike by Newton Public Schools (NPS) educators have gained traction, first on social media, then in the Charles River Regional Chamber of Commerce newsletter on January 12, and then over this past…
Mo money, mo problems. As the rapper Notorious B.I.G. sang in 1992, more financial resources do not appear to have resolved the negotiating impasse between the School Committee and the teacher’s union. Following Sunday evening’s pledge by Mayor Fuller of additional funding for Newton Public Schools (NPS), Monday’s events illustrated…
The December 4 School Committee meeting agenda included the Superintendent’s regular report, as well as updates regarding negotiations with the Newton Teachers Association, progress on this year’s NPS systemwide goals, human resources, PTO spending, and NPS budget planning. Kathy Shields (Ward 7, Vice Chair) who sits on the SC Negotiations…
NTA Convocation Boycott Constitutes Illegal Strike, but Silent Meetings Are Permitted. On September 26, the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board (“CERB”) issued a ruling in response to the School Committee’s September 5 petition to the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations regarding recent actions by the Newton Teachers Association. The 45-page ruling…
Additional Post-Hearing Filing Submitted by School Committee on September 12 Despite expectations of both the School Committee and the Newton Teachers Association of a faster state ruling on the School Committee’s September 5th petition for the NTA to cease-and-desist “Work-to-Rule” activities, as of this writing, no determination has been made.…
How many NPS educators will attend Wednesday’s annual Welcome Back convocation for teachers hosted by NPS? It’s a question many raised this week. For background, last week on August 22, the School Committee notified the NPS community that the state had appointed a mediator, per the request of the School…
In an email sent to the Newton School Community, the School Committee announced that the state’s Department of Labor Relations has appointed a mediator for the contract negotiations between the Newton Public Schools (NPS) and the Newton Teachers Association (NTA). The School Committee had asked the state in July to…