We are, yet again, at a crossroads regarding the funding of Newton’s schools. We can choose to take the path identified by Mayor Fuller and continue to sacrifice both academic excellence and equity on the altar of perceived fiscal prudence. Or we can take the path outlined by Superintendent Nolin…
Posts published in “Budgets”
Paul Levy will not run for re-election. The March 24 School Committee meeting, similar to meetings over the prior two weeks, was devoted to the Fiscal Year 2026 (academic year Fall 2025 – Spring 2026) Newton Public Schools (NPS) budget. The meeting began with over 45 minutes of public comment…
Newton Public Schools Superintendent Anna Nolin and School Committee Chair Chris Brezski will hold a Community Budget Meeting on March 27 [and again on April 3] at 6:30PM at Brown Middle School (125 Meadowbrook Road). NPS said: “The current budget proposal for next year means significant cuts of $3.7 million…
The March 17 School Committee budget meeting centered on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget (for academic year Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 ) for IT and non-instructional items, with no public comment period. This follows the Committee’s recent FY 2026 budget meetings on March 10, which focused on elementary education,…
Key issues included confusion over Stabilization Fund Cash and support for restoring Kindergarten aides. Following a non-recorded budget workshop on February 26, during which the School Committee heard publicly for the first time about a large NPS budget deficit forecast for next year, the agenda for the March 10 School…
League of Women Voters (LWV) will present Municipal Budget Virtual Topic Meeting with former Newton Mayor David Cohen to help participants understand Newton’s municipal budget by discussing the challenges of meeting the varied needs of residents while maintaining a fiscally strong Newton, including revenue sources, expense drivers, capital projects, overrides,…
On February 26, 2025, Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin and other administrative staff met with the Newton School Committee in a special session to discuss Dr. Nolin’s proposed budget for the 2025-2026 school year. All eight current members of the School Committee were present at the meeting, with…
On February 14, President Trump’s Department of Education (ED) sent out a letter stating: “The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.” The letter from the…
On Friday, February 7, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it would allow only 15% of “indirect costs” associated with the wide range of scientific research projects it funds at universities, medical facilities, and other science institutions. The change in funding, originally set to begin on Monday, February…
On Thursday February 6, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller met with the Newton City Council to begin informal discussions on the City’s FY 2026 budget, covering the year starting July 1, 2025. The meeting, described as a “Mayoral Listening Session,” took place at the Allen House. The Mayor was flanked by Newton’s Chief…
At the end of last fiscal year (ending June 30), the City of Newton had $23,633,416 of Certified Free Cash available. So far, $6.5 million of that has been appropriated, and uses for another $4 million are proposed and pending, leaving $13.1 million unallocated. So as of today, December 10…
The City of Newton’s Housing and Community Development Division is eagerly seeking community input for its draft Consolidated Plan. It is using an online survey to gather input from those who live and/or work in Newton. The survey is available through November 15 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ConPlan_2026-2030 The Consoldated Plan will help guide how Newton…