In this issue:
Student Loan Forgiveness Workshop
On Thursday, October 13, at 4:15 p.m., the Newton Teachers Association will host a Student Loan Forgiveness Workshop presented by Cambridge Credit Counseling. Join us at 46 Austin Street. Enter our building in the back; we are on the second floor. Please RSVP as soon as possible by clicking here.
Superintendent Search Committee
On October, Julie McDonough, on behalf of the Newton School Committee, sent out a request for volunteers to participate on the search committee for a new superintendent. It is common practice during a superintendent search to reserve a seat on the search committee for the union to fill at its discretion. We asked the Chair of the Newton School Committee, Tamika Olzsweski, whether there would a seat reserved for the NTA. The School Committee has decided not to reserve a seat for NTA representation. This is a highly unusual decision. As leaders of the Association, we work closely with the superintendent, and superintendent sets the tone for labor relations across the district. While the Committee will likely choose some volunteers who are also NTA members, these members will (1) neither be chosen by the NTA nor (2) serving on the committee as representatives of NTA. Before the search has even begun in earnest, the School Committee has decided to exclude our union voices from the process. This certainly weakens our confidence in the process and the outcome.
Fair Share Amendment November 8th. That is the date when Massachusetts voters will decide whether those who earn more than one million dollars per year will pay their fair share of income taxes towards pre-k to 12 and higher education as well as transportation. To learn more about the Fair Share amendment and ways you can participate in your city or town, click here. If you would like to join your NTA colleagues to mobilize support here in Newton, we have organized the following events: Click here to sign up to phone bank for an hour from our NTA office between 4:00 and 7:00 on October 19. Bring your laptops. Negotiations Update
The NTA Negotiations Team will be meeting with the NPS Negotiations Team for the first time on October 20. We will begin by negotiating ground rules, after which we will set a date for exchanging our initial bargaining proposals, which will likely happen sometime in November.
NTA Negotiations Team
Michael Zilles, President, NTA
Elizabeth Ross Del Porto, First Vice President, Angier Elementary
Liz Simpson, Second Vice President, Oak Hill Middle School
Christine Walsh, Second Release Officer and Treasurer, NTA
Michael Burtch, Unit A Member, Bigelow Middle School
Valerie Brunache Lewis, Unit C Member, Countryside Elementary School
Sue Cohen, Recording Secretary, Springboard Program
Brenna Green, Unit A Member, Cabot Elementary
Lynn Penczar, Unit A Member, Lincoln-Eliot Elementary
Elana Cutler, Unit A Member, Brown Middle
Derek Knapp, Unit A Member, Newton North High
Marcia Okun, Unit A Member, Newton South High
Jayme Ellis, Unit A Member, Burr Elementary
Ally Andrews, Unit B Member, Franklin, Horace Mann, and Lincoln-Eliot
Dan Rubin, Unit B Member, Newton South High
Sarah Wysocki, Unit C Member, Newton North High
Thuy Truong, Unit C Member, Newton Early Childhood Program
Janette Patel, Unit C Member, Oak Hill Middle School
Tony Sbordone, Unit E Member, Ed Center
Thomas Buchau, Unit E Member
Jason Leto, Field Representative, MTA
Comments