Newton schools closed Monday as teachers and school committee fail to reach agreement
NEWTON - Newton teachers said they'll be on the picket line Monday as their union and the school committee failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.
Monday will be the seventh day students have not been in school due to the teacher strike.
The Newton Teachers Association (NTA) have been working without a contract since the start of the school year. The main issues on the table are better pay for paraprofessionals, parental leave and more social workers on staff.
Both sides negotiated Sunday afternoon but in a statement, the school committee claimed the teachers proposed a "take it or leave it" offer and left the room without any discussion. "This was not bargaining in good faith," the school committee added in the statement.
"This is a dreadful night," said Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. "It is not what the school committee and I expected or were working for all weekend and over the last many months. I'm increasingly worried that the union leadership is losing sight of the fact that the decision to go on an illegal strike is hurting our children."
"The NTA presented reasonable, affordable and necessary proposals rooted in honest and fair compromise," the NTA said in their statement. "The NTA bargaining team made clear that the offer presented today would accomplish two things – address the concerns raised by the School Committee with previous proposals and would meet the threshold of what will ratify with the members of the NTA."
"We have tried everything, everything to bargain with them," said Newton teacher Ryan Normandin at a news conference Sunday night.
The NTA has also been racking up fines every day they've been on strike, as teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts. So far, they have received $350,000 in fines.
"They don't care about when the kids go back," said NTA President Michael Zilles. "They care about getting a cheap contract from us...they care about winning."