My name is Ryan Normandin, and I've been teaching math and physics at Newton South High School since 2013. There's been a lot of confusion and misinformation surrounding the negotiations between the Newton School Committee (SC) and the Newton Teachers Association (NTA), so my hope is to provide a clear, detailed picture of where we've been and where we should go next. On July 20, the SC sent out an email informing the community that they’d reached an impasse with the NTA in negotiating a new contract to replace the one expiring on August 31 of this year. This email was a disappointing read; it included false information and, via implications and omissions, painted an inaccurate picture of negotiations between the SC and the NTA. This essay will take you through helpful basics, background, and history that will help to illustrate and give context to the situation in which Newton currently finds itself. The Basics Two terms that
For complete context, history, and next steps, go here . The following is a collection of details and highlights from negotiations sessions between the NTA and School Committee over the course of the last year. October 20, 2022 This initial meeting was to establish ground rules. No negotiation of the contract itself was done, but both sides expressed a desire for avoiding a lengthy, drawn-out process. November 21 The School Committee’s opening proposal included: • Fewer sick days and personal days, along with restrictions on use • Increasing the number of educator work days • Limiting access to the sick bank for employees • Changes to health insurance, tuition free attendance by children of staff, and the Time and Learning Agreements Initial NTA proposals included: • COLA’s that addressed the current levels of inflation o FY2024: 7.75% (to account for losses in earning power due to inflation) o FY 2025: 4.5% o FY2026: 4.5% • Improved a