We the parents of students in Newton, Massachusetts, many of whom are registered voters, demand that the City of Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and the Newton School Committee sign and agree to the Newton Teachers Association contract and drop their unfair demands on the NTA. We ask Mayor Fuller to explain her allocation cut to the FY 2020 school budget when needs are growing and Newton South High School has record enrollment and a new school time starting in the fall. The Mayor had stated she would shrink the budget and has stated it will shrink again next year.  We ask Mayor Fuller to not cut the budget again next year. The School Committee’s budget is insufficient to provide fair and equitable terms for its teachers in one of the wealthiest communities in the nation, and one of the best schools in the nation. Newton teachers rank 85th in pay in MA. This protracted year-long refusal to give the Newton Teachers competitive and equitable terms is demoralizing to the Newton community of parents, teachers, and students and endangers our legacy as one of the top school systems in the country.

The Newton Teacher’s Association is asking for a reasonable 12% raise over 4 years and salary for the extra hours behavioral therapists and special aides need to collaborate with other professionals for kids who truly need their help. These educated & devoted professionals should not be asked to do this for free. Students need MORE help in this pressure-cooker environment, not less. The counter-offer of 6% over 3 years for wage increases is below the 3% average in this region (Dept of Labor stats) and in the Boston metro area with its boom economy. Newton is a city with many multimillion-dollar homes generating plenty of income for the city. We as residents pay our taxes. The city should not take our money and not pay the teachers in a fair manner, stretch out contract negotiations for over a year as a bad faith negotiating tactic, and finalize the FY 2020 budget without any consideration for said contract (source: page 5, paragraph 1 of the School Committee budget).  That's not playing fair.

Your legacy as of now is many unfilled special aid positions because the salaries are too low and the special aid budget was cut by 2%. There should be NO negotiating around funding support for all students' needs & well being with behavioral therapist and student aides, in one of the best schools in the country.  Yet funding for special aides are not paid for time preparing for meetings or collaborating with other teachers. We see the Mayor’s Office and School Committee are saying that they don’t place a priority on supporting ALL our students.  We paid our taxes and expect fair and equitable pay for our teachers who are the backbone of one of the top school systems in the nation –and the reason many of us moved to Newton.   

When the city was struggling with the Great Recession every member of the NTA made sacrifices to support the schools.  Now, with a budget surplus this past year, it's our turn to show our support for them, not keep them in shameful limbo. Please share and sign this petition demanding the City of Newton support the Newton Teacher’s Association and the students of Newton, sign the contract immediately and drop its unfair demands.  We assert that each one of us is a registered voter.