On May 21, the City Council began deliberations on the FY2027 budget as a Committee of the Whole, approving most departmental budgets while holding four – Law, Planning, Public Works, and Schools – pending responses to five budget resolutions approved in the meeting for submission to the Mayor. The meeting…
Posts published in May 2026
This article provides further details on the recommendations of the Newton Public Schools (NPS) English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Committee presented by Director of English Language Arts & Literacy David Kloker with support from Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Gina Flanagan at the May 11 School Committee meeting (see…
Sunday, May 24: To honor Newton’s fallen service members, local veterans and officials will place wreaths at monuments around the city and over the Massachusetts Turnpike bridges on Sunday, May 24. The procession will begin at 8:30AM at American Legion Post 440 (295 California Street). Monday, May 25: On Memorial…
In your retirement system article, you missed the most important Retirement Board vote. When the City began its pension obligation fund catch-up, the annual payments increased each year by 9.6% with a fully funded date, 2031. This aggressive approach crowded out essential city and school services. Current residents were unfairly…
Diesel bus tail pipe emissions cause significant health problems. Headaches, dizziness, eye irritation, nausea are a bad way to start the school day! Emissions are also linked to asthma, cancer, and heart disease. Sitting inside the bus with windows closed does NOT protect from emissions. Research shows quite the opposite:…
Mayor Marc Laredo backs a plan for the City of Newton to issue Pension Obligation Bonds, and it has been approved by the Newton City Council, but concerns remain about the long-term financial risks involved. Pension obligations 101 At a basic level, a pension obligation is a debt the City…
Family ACCESS of Newton announced that it will permanently close on June 25, 2026, due to declining enrollment and rising costs. The nonprofit will continue its Early Learning Center, Early Literacy Services, and Counseling Services through that date, completing 119 years of service to Newton and surrounding communities. The Early…
Jason Poulos, an AI researcher from Sherborn challenging Congressman Jake Auchincloss in the September 1 Democratic primary for the MA-4 seat which represents Newton, says artificial intelligence is already displacing workers and Congress isn’t doing enough about it. “We need large structural changes to create a floor for workers,” Poulos said…
The May 18 regular School Committee meeting focused on the Committee receiving updates from district and school-level department heads regarding curriculum and programming reviews for engineering and computer programs, athletic departments, as well as voting on allocating budget funds for Math and English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum materials. Fig City…
This article provides further details on the recommendations of the Newton Public Schools (NPS) Math Curriculum Committee as presented by Asst. Superintendent Gina Flanagan with support from Director of Mathematics Jen Shore and Newton North HS Math Department Chair Jen Letourneau at the May 11 School Committee meeting (see Fig…
This article provides further details on the Newton Public Schools (NPS) recommendations for the Social Studies curriculum, as presented by Eva Hughes with support from Gina Flanagan at the May 11 School Committee meeting (see Fig City News report). Embodying the continued consolidation of Central Office staffing at the district…
Newton wrapped up Armed Forces Weekend with the Salute to Service Parade on Sunday marking America’s 250th birthday with veterans, color guards, marching bands, reenactors, civic organizations, and spectators along a route from City Hall to Coletti-Magni Park in Nonantum. Fig City News has photo galleries of this year’s parade…