On Tuesday, January 22, Newton Teachers Association President Mike Zilles sent Fig City News this response to the analysis that former Newton School Committee Chair Matt Hills had provided to Fig City News the previous day.
Fig City News
On January 22, at the end of the fourth consecutive day of negotiations, the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) and the School Committee again held separate press conferences. The Teachers Strike remains in effect, and schools will remain closed for a third day, on Tuesday, January 23. The NTA presented a…
Late in the afternoon of January 22, the Middlesex Superior Court issued a ruling on the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board (CERB) motion of civil contempt order submitted earlier in the day. This motion was filed because the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) did not comply with the Court’s ruling to call…
This weekend, Fig City News discussed the dynamics surrounding the current Newton Teachers Strike with Newton resident Matt Hills. A former member of the Newton School Committee (2010-2018; Chair 2014-2017), Hills is currently Vice Chair of the Board of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Interview notes are…
City Council meeting with the School Committee on the State of the Schools scheduled for Thursday, January 24 at 7PM has been canceled. Newtonville Area Council will meet virtually (Zoom link) on Thursday, January 25 at 7PM. The agenda includes the following:
Congratulations to the eight recruits of the Newton Fire Department who recently graduated from fire academies and will become Probationary Firefighters starting Sunday, January 28:
On Wednesday, January 17, Josh Ostroff, outgoing Director of Newton’s Transportation Planning Department, presented a proposal before the Public Facilities Committee to allow reconfiguration of Washington Street from Lowell Avenue to Chestnut Street to make it “safer, more welcoming and enjoyable” for residents and businesses. The design phase and construction…
On the evening of January 21, the Newton Public Schools announced that “the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) and the Newton School Committee failed to reach agreement on a new contract. The NTA has informed us that the strike will continue and therefore, school is canceled for Monday, January 22.” Both the…
Newton Election Supervisor John Doyle has informed the City Council that the Vote Yes to Repeal the Winter Overnight Parking Ban ballot committee has obtained sufficient signatures to place the repeal of the ban on the ballot in November 2025. The committee — which was formed in June 2023, raised…
After the Newton School Committee and Newton Teachers Association (NTA) negotiating teams met for nine hours on January 20, each issued a statement. The next negotiation session is scheduled for Sunday, January 21, 10AM-7PM. School Committee Statement The Newton School Committee’s statement provided charts comparing the NPS proposals with peer…
On January 19, Fig City News received this open letter from a group of Newton parent-teacher organizations. The letter concludes with a call on the Mayor “to fully fund the Newton Public Schools and for all parties to bargain in good faith to end this strike immediately.” On January 20,…
The Newton Teachers Association (NTA) voted to strike on Thursday, January 18. In response, hundreds of their members, Newton high school students, parents, and city residents responded to an NTA rally – in 30-degree weather – at 1PM on Friday, January 19 (see press release). Supporters flooded the Newton War…