Dear Colleagues,
On Monday, December 18, at 4:15, the NTA will hold a press advisory in front of the education center to announce the results of its vote last week. That same day, your negotiations team will be in a mediation session with the school committee until 6:15. Finally, the school committee meeting starts at 6:30.
This gives you the opportunity to:
Attend the press conference
Be a silent observer during mediation
Line the halls as the school committee enters room 210
Give public comment
No sign up needed. Just show up!
Media Advisory
This is the media advisory that will be sent tomorrow:
MEDIA ADVISORY
December 18, 4:15PM
Newton Education Center
100 Walnut St,
Newton, MA
Contact: Newton Teachers Association
President Michael Zilles
(617) 947-7503
Newton Educators to Address Contract Crisis Monday
Members of the Newton Teachers Association and their supporters on Monday will address the worsening crisis in Newton Public Schools stemming from The Newton School Committee and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s unwillingness to settle a fair contract. Even as Mayor Fuller has run budget surpluses of nearly $30 million per year for the last two years, she refuses to fully fund the schools, leading to two cycles of program cuts, excessive class size, and personnel cuts.
The NTA will make an announcement and speak to the press at 4:15 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, in front of the Education Center, 100 Walnut St., Newton, prior to a contract bargaining session.
Newton educators issued the following statement:
“Newton educators have been working for more than 100 days under an expired contract. This is indicative of the lack of respect Mayor Fuller and the School Committee have for educators. It’s even more troubling that Fuller and the School Committee fail to see how addressing the issues we are raising in bargaining has such a significant impact on our ability to meet the needs of all students. Our schools are in crisis and seriously in need of staff and resources. Yet Fuller refuses to trust the judgment and expertise of those working directly in the classroom. Instead, she and the school committee follow the advice of a lawyer hired to settle cheap contracts, who earns more money the longer negotiations drag on. Let’s invest in the Newton Public Schools and not in lawyer fees.”
The NTA bargaining priorities are:
Livable wages for education support professionals
Cost of living Adjustments that are comparable to those offered in similar school districts
Modern paid parental leave
Increased mental health supports for students
Guaranteed time to prepare course work and to collaborate with colleagues
A plan to ensure sufficient numbers of substitute teachers
WHO: Newton educators, family members, parents and supporters
WHAT: Newton educators will hold a press conference addressing the ongoing contract crisis in the Newton Public Schools.
WHEN: Monday, December 18 at 4:15PM
WHERE: Newton Education Center, 100 Walnut St, Newton
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The NTA is a labor union comprising nearly 2,000 classroom teachers, guidance counselors, specialists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists, education support professionals, administrator and other education professionals in the Newton Public Schools.
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This is what a Union Looks Like!
Angier Elementary School
66 Members
63 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions
95% Voting; 100% Yes
Bigelow Middle School
65 Members
55 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions
85% Voting; 100% Yes
Bowen Elementary School
59 Members
52 Yes, 0 No, 1 Abstention
88% Voting; 98% Yes
Brown Middle School
118 Members
96 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions
81% Voting; 100% Yes
Burr Elementary School
60 Members
53 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
88% Voting; 100% Yes
Cabot Elementary School
74 Members
54 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
73% Voting; 100% Yes
Countryside Elementary School
68 Members
59 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
87% Voting; 100% Yes
F. A. Day Middle School
114 Members
88 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstentions
77% Voting; 100% Yes
Education Center
86 Members
53 Yes, 0 No, 3 Abstentions
62% Voting; 95% Yes
(Many members chose not to appear in photo)
Franklin Elementary School
52 Members
50 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
96% Voting; 100% Yes
Horace Mann Elementary School
48 Members
43 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
90% Voting; 100% Yes
Lincoln Eliot Elementary School
68 Members
58 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
85% Voting; 100% Yes
Mason Rice Elementary School
54 Members
53 Yes, 0 No, 1 Abstention
100% Voting; 98% Yes
Memorial Spaulding Elementary School
48 Members
48 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
100% Voting; 100% Yes
Newton Early Childhood Program
85 Members
85 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
100% Voting; 100% Yes
Newton North High School
296 Members
259 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
88% Voting; 100% Yes
Newton South High School
239 Members
174 Yes, 1 No, 0 Abstentions
73% Voting; 99% Yes
Oak Hill Middle School
100 Members
75 Yes, 0 No, 1 Abstention
76% Voting; 99% Yes
Peirce Elementary School
48 Members
46 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
96% Voting; 100% Yes
Underwood Elementary School
33 Members
27 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
82% Voting; 100% Yes
Ward Elementary School
37 Members
35 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
95% Voting; 100% Yes
Williams Elementary School
44 Members
44 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
100% Voting; 100% Yes
Zervas Elementary School
69 Members
65 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstention
94% Voting; 100% Yes
In solidarity,
Mike Zilles, President
Newton Teachers Association
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