Students, parents urge judge to end Newton teachers’ strike as school committee seeks heftier fines

NEWTON, Mass. — Students longing to return to the classroom and working parents who are juggling childcare recently penned letters to a Middlesex Superior Court judge, urging him to take action to get Newton teachers back to school amid their ongoing strike.

“I miss being in school. I miss seeing my teacher. I hope to be in school soon,” one young student said in a handwritten letter addressed to the Hon. Christopher K. Barry-Smith.

Another student wrote, “I wish to see my friends and teacher. It gets very boring at home and there is nothing to do...I am sad...Please help us get back to school!”

A third student shared an illustration of themselves in class with a caption that read, “I need by speech therapy. I want to go back to school.”

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Thursday marked the 10th day of no school in the city as the Newton Teachers Association continues to push for new contract items including paid family leave for all educators, a humane parental leave policy, livable wages for aides and behavioral therapists, and a social worker in every school, among other things.

Late Thursday morning, the Newton School Committee filed a memorandum in support of an emergency motion for reconsideration of sanctions and an immediate hearing, stating that striking teachers have “demonstrated irreparable harm.”

The Newton Teachers Association has faced a total of $575,000 in court-imposed fines through the strike thus far. Additional fees of $50,000 are being tacked on for each day that the strike lingers on.

In the newly filed memorandum, the Newton School Committee urged the court to double the daily $50,000 fine to $100,000. The school committee also wants a judge to order the teachers’ union to report the amount of donations it has received when making such daily payments.

“The coercive fines to date have barely exhausted the NTA’s cash on hand, including the donations. There are clearly many other monetary resources available to the NTA to pay the coercive fines, including any offsets by outside donations,” according to the school committee.

As of Wednesday night, there was still an approximate $15 million disparity between what the NTA is asking for and what the Newton School Committee says it can provide. The NTA insists that Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has the money it’s asking for if she reallocates money to schools.

Fuller has maintained that Newton is already one of the highest-paying school districts in the state.

At this point, many parents are expressing exhaustion, defeat, despair, and anger over the extended time their children have missed from school.

An email that one parent wrote to Barry-Smith read, “I write to you today because of the total and utter feeling of defeat and despair. I am a Newton mother of two boys who are enrolled in the Newton Public Schools. My husband and I work full-time and endlessly (I work 7 days a week myself) to be able to live in this wonderful city...This strike is tearing our community apart.”

Messages in other emails read as follows:

• “My spouse and I have been anxious, sleepless, and angry as we scramble each day to take care of our child and provide him with even a bit of structure or socialization. Unfortunately, because of our work, we cannot do enough. I have a job where vulnerable people depend on me, and it seems particularly hard to leave my child each day in this position.”
• “Parents are feeling pressure to continue to work while simultaneously finding childcare and providing their children safety (physical and emotional) daily.”
• “While we respect the legal processes involved, we were deeply disappointed by the decision to lower the daily fines for the Newton Teachers Association.”
• “My youngest is struggling to learn to read and is working with a speech therapist since he is falling behind the other children in class.”
• “My kids have spent the last 10 days essentially doing nothing.”
• “The students’ mental and emotional health is too important to allow schools to remain closed while these negotiations continue.”

Newton School Committee Chair Chris Brezski broke down in tears over the lack of a deal between the union and the city on Wednesday night.

“There’s really only one kind of progress that matters right now. My kids aren’t going to school again,” he cried. “This has gone too far.”

At least two families have also filed motions to intervene and end the teachers’ strike, which is the longest in Massachusetts since the 90s.

The Newton School Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday to talk about options for makeup days.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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