Teachers In Newton, Massachusetts Continue To Strike
Classes for Newton Public Schools students have been canceled for a fifth day as teachers in the Massachusetts city continue to strike while negotiating a new contract.
Both the Newton Teachers Association and Newton School Committee did report that progress was made during Wednesday's negotiations.
School Committee chair Chris Brezski said that he and Mike Zilles, president of the teachers' union, decided to take a walk outside, which led to several hours of talks.
"I think, probably, the biggest progress of the day is the ability of the NTA president and I to sit in a room and to speak quite frankly about what each side is looking to get from this," Brezski said.
"We have a crack today where it looks like there's a space for us to move into, to get these negotiations going," Zilles said. "I'm heartened by the fact that we're making progress."
Newton South High School teacher Ryan Normandin, a member of the NTA's negotiating team, said the School Committee has added a fourth year to its cost-of-living adjustment proposal.
"It’s not enough, but it’s progress," Normandin said. "They also gave us a counterproposal on parental leave that allows us to bargain on how to get to 60 days as opposed to whether to get to 60 days."
Zilles, however, continued to call on Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller to provide more funding for the school district.
"Two out of three tax dollars, as it should, go to the Newton Public Schools — 65% of our total budget. Eighty-nine percent of the NPS budget goes to compensation," Fuller said.
The mayor is confident the NTA and School Committee can negotiate a competitive, sustainable wage for educators without the need for layoffs, and the teachers' union is holding her to that.
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