The teacher strike that has kept schools closed for 11 days in Newton, Massachusetts, has come to an end.
The Newton Teachers Association announced Friday night that it had agreed to a new contract with the school committee.
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"It took 16 months and 15 days of a strike that 98% of our members reluctantly voted for to force Mayor [Ruthanne] Fuller, Chris Brezski and their school committee to understand that Newton educator will not back down from doing what is right for our students, for our schools and for public education," Ryan Normandin of the union's negotiation team said in a press conference. "This evening, the Newton Teachers Association and the Newton School Committee's bargaining teams agreed to a contract."
Normandin said the deal that was reached "secures the key priorities of our membership," including more access to mental health resources for students and increased parental leave, as well as increased salaries for staff.
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"We have great news for the students, families, caregivers, residents and educators of Newton. We expect schools to be open Monday," Fuller said in a statement. "We are thrilled to get students and teachers back in their classrooms."
"We are also thrilled to settle a new four-year contract that honors the tremendous work our teachers do," she continued. "A contract the city can afford -- a contract that serves our students."
The Massachusetts Teachers Association congratulated the Newton Teachers Association and said in a statement that it's "outrageous" that it has taken since October of 2022 "to reach common sense agreements around boosting pay for the paraprofessionals supporting students with learning needs and providing a humane amount of paid family leave to educators needing time to care for their own children."
The announcement came hours after both sides expressed optimism that a deal was near. The school committee said earlier Friday that it and teachers were "extremely close to settling a contract."
Gov. Maura Healey — through the Department of Labor Relations — had asked the court to give the two sides until 5 p.m. Friday to come to terms on a deal or institute twice daily status conferences and binding arbitration. At a court hearing Friday, the judge ruled that if no deal was reached by Sunday, the NTA would face an increase in fines to $100,000 per day
With time needing to be made up for 11 days without classes, the school committee voted Thursday to to cancel February vacation.
A spokesperson for the district and school committee said in a statement, "The parties have agreed to cost of living increases for all members that honor our educators and paraprofessionals and are sustainable over the life of the contract. The remaining contractual issues to resolve are related to flexibility the district seeks for its leadership to manage the structure of the school day and best serve students."
The district explained that as a result of the strike, the district has incurred, or will continue to incur, about $1.1 million in costs. Part of the negotiations Friday will be how that will be paid for.
