The Day PTO Board is focused on doing everything we can to support a school environment in which all students can thrive.
However, with so much happening this week related to all district educators, we want to also provide an update on what we are hearing city-wide. As many of you know, Newton educators have been in contract negotiations for 15 months.
There are rumors of a potential for an educator strike on Friday, January 19. Teachers are voting on Thursday whether or not to move forward with this action. Should they vote yes, then this would mean no school for our children on Friday and an additional day of school in June.
There is a parent rally on Wednesday, January 17 from 9-9:30am at City Hall, organized by Angier's PTO. Parents and guardians are encouraged to wear blue and bring signs. The goal of the rally is to convey to Mayor Fuller the importance of fully funding Newton Public Schools and to show support for NTA priorities which include:
- hiring a full-time social worker in every Newton school,
- increasing parental leave,
- hiring more substitutes and paying teachers who volunteer to cover classes if a substitute is unavailable,
- protecting the time and learning agreement to allow teachers sufficient time to properly prepare for their classes, and
- providing a cost of living increase to adjust for inflation and higher healthcare premiums
Here is a list of resources where you can find more information:
Last but not least, here is the Parent-Educator Collaborative website, which has even more resources and can provide more up-to-date information about this ongoing dispute. There is so much happening, and it can be hard to keep up, so we really appreciate resources like this.
