NEWTON, Mass. —þThere will be no classes for Newton Public Schools students for a seventh day as teachers in the Massachusetts city and the school committee failed to come to an agreement following negotiations on Sunday, marking the 11th full day of the strike.þþThe Newton Teachers Association said its members will be picketing Monday after Sunday's negotiations between the union and the Newton School Committee did not result in an agreement on a new contract.þþThe Newton School Committee said that at 1 p.m. Sunday, the NTA presented its first revised cost-of-living adjustment proposal since last month and first package proposal during the strike, which began Jan. 19.þþThe teachers' union said that the School Committee bargaining team rejected its package, which would have led to Newton's 22 schools being reopened Monday.þþÿThe NTA presented reasonable, affordable and necessary proposals rooted in honest and fair compromise. The NTA bargaining team made clear that the offer presented (Sunday) would accomplish two things – address the concerns raised by the School Committee with previous proposals and would meet the threshold of what will ratify with the members of the NTA,ÿ reads a statement from the teachers' union.þþÿThe NTA’s revised proposal showed progress but was neither affordable nor sustainable. Accepting it wholesale would have required a reduction in force of more than 70 valued educators and support staff throughout the life of the contract,ÿ reads a statement from the Newton School Committee.þþThe School Committee said that it presented a counterproposal at 3:15 p.m. that included increases to cost-of-living adjustments, agreement on parental leave, wage increases for all paraprofessionals and a commitment by NPS Superintendent Anna Nolin to increase the number of social workers across the school district, as well as a revised transition to offset increases to health insurance costs.þþÿThe NTA bargaining team stated their package proposal 'was take it or leave it,' and walked out of the room without any discussion or negotiation. This was not bargaining in good faith,ÿ reads the School Committee's statement.þþThe Newton Teachers Association denied walking away from the bargaining table on Sunday.þþÿWe received no clarifying questions from the School Committee. Instead, they gave us a counterproposal, in essence rejecting ours,ÿ the union said in a statement.þþÿSchool Committee Chair Chris Brezski, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and Superintendent Anna Nolin had an opportunity to end this strike. They failed to seize that opportunity,ÿ the NTA said in an earlier statement. ÿNTA members will be on picket lines Monday and continuing to advocate for what our students and educators need and deserve.ÿþþThe Newton School Committee said its bargaining team will remain at the Newton Education Center and awaits the NTA's return to the bargaining table.þþÿI am increasingly worried that the union leadership is losing sight of the fact that their decision to strike is really, really hurting youngsters. As one parent wrote, removing the school routine is wreaking havoc; children are feeling isolated at home; cancelling extracurriculars is removing joy and hurting mental health; high schoolers are feeling anxious and stressed out,ÿ Fuller wrote. ÿThe City of Newton simply cannot afford what the union is asking for without causing great harm to the City’s residents.ÿþþIt is illegal for teachers to strike in Massachusetts, but educators in five communities have hit the picket line for at least one day since May 2022: Brookline, Malden, Haverhill, Woburn and Andover. Newton Public Schools had the largest enrollment of those school districts, with nearly 12,000 students.þþThe Newton Teachers Association has already been fined $375,000 for its strike. If the NTA strike continues into Monday, the teachers union will be fined an additional $50,000.
Source: wcvb.com
