“When the HS Working Group charged with studying a return to in person learning updated the School Committee on October 19th, the slides indicated that the Newton Teacher’s Association (NTA) had “declined to participate formally in the working group”. This mystifies me.
Before school started NTA said that they had been excluded from the process and left out of planning discussions. So why would they decline now? Is there a valid explanation, or, is this posturing so that they can reject anything the working group proposes? Just to be clear, like many I’ve been unimpressed with how the Superintendent, School Committee/City Government have handled this entire process.
I think the current working group is too little, too late, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. But if the NTA has decided not to play, or if there’s something else afoot, then I think Newton deserves to know. Comments?”
Michael – I have been wondering the same question as to why the NTA is not participating.
You should be aware that on Monday the School Committee posted the MOA (Memorandum Of Agreement) between NTA and The School Committee that will be voted on Nov 2nd. This agreement specifies the conditions of employment, work expectations, etc for Teaches and other school staff who are members of the NTA.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NA0dKAY38QatZ0k-rAJBFvfaQqisNcP7
This agreement only addresses high school in the remote scenario and for any other scenarios the NTA and SC would have to negotiate further and mutually agree on any changes. Thus even if the Working Committee comes up with a plan a new MOA has to be negotiated with the NTA.
To quote the agreement “This Memorandum will remain in full force and effect until a successor or modified Agreement addressing in-person instructional models, including hybrid models, for middle and high schools is negotiated between the parties, or Newton Public Schools fully reopens in-person in the customary manner, or June 30, 2021, whichever comes soonest.”
This is only one area of concern in the document. I suggest that Parents of students of all ages review the document because anything that differs from what is agreed upon has to be re-negotiated. As I stated above the SC will be voting at their next meeting to approve this. The last MOA covered the Spring educational experience.
It’s ridiculous it’s sad and we need true leadership. The school committee, the Mayor and Dr. Fleishman have failed the students of Newton. There is no plan for in person learning in the high schools in a Newton. Lexington High School has 2300 students. It’s open for in person learning. Wellesley High School has 1600 hundred students. It’s open for in person learning. Needham High School has 1700 students and it is open for in person learning. Brookline HIgh School has 2080 students and it is open for in person learning. Every private school in the state is open for in person learning.
Yet in Newton it has been almost a year since high school students have been in a classroom and in front of a teacher. Why can’t Newton get a plan? Everyone needs to get on board. Are the students even part of this equation? Do they matter?
It boggles my mind that we in Newton are having this drawn out committee process to open the high schools.
Weston is open. Wellesley is open. Needham is open.
Someone please explain why Newton is different. Genuinely puzzled.
Agreed. Analysis Paralysis and No Leadership. Every surrounding town is open and Newton is forming a committee and conducting more surveys. As the teachers don’t participate in the process and the students are left alone in front of computers.
Thanks to Newton Highlands Mom for posting the draft MOA.
I’m not an attorney. I don’t understand the reasons we need to have this agreement or all of its terms and conditions. But it certainly seems to give great power, and even perks to the NTA and it’s very concerning. What’s the NTA doing for us in return, their jobs?
Bottom line, our teachers seem to wield more power in Newton than in our neighboring communities where the High Schools are open. Why?
I don’t think our Mayor, School Committee and Superintendent are being candid with us. I’m sure they believe that they’re acting in our best interests…but the results don’t support this. Our kids are stuck with distance learning while the community Covid stats are still tolerable.
There needs to be a bigger outcry. There needs to be more anger. This isn’t ok. The buck ultimately stops with our Mayor, Ruthanne Fuller. She’s not addressing it to the parents/voters. Her email updates mostly don’t speak to any of this. I’m sure it’s on purpose, thoughtful. I don’t understand why she says so little, but she absolutely needs to say and do more. If there’s a plan, then we deserve to know what it is.
How about we take our tax dollars to private schools. So funny how people at Stop and Shop can work all through this and teachers can’t. Political? Private schools are doing 5 days a week (and even eating lunch at school too!) – where is your oath to children and education? This will be the great demise of teachers’ unions when we look back in history.
Be heard. If haven’t done so yet, write to the mayor, the school committee, and the City Council. If you have already written to them, write again and continue to write to them on a regular basis. The greater amount of correspondence that they receive advocating a return to school immediately, the more likely they will not continue the unnecessarily slow pace.
There is large gap between what the community wants and the inability of Fleishman to do the job and the the SC to act decisively. Anther survey is not going to solve the issue and only further harms the social, emotional, and educational well being of our high school students.
Mayor Fuller was shocked that if the working committee worked quickly, the earliest the kids could be back in school was JANUARY because Superintendent Fleishman won’t adjust the quarterly schedule. EVERYTHING should be flexible. The only one NOT being flexible is Fleishman.
Kids are on ZOOM for hours and hours a day. They are alone and isolated. They need human interaction. They need to be in school. Teens were already anxious and feeling depressed, and as they continue into the winter it will be worse. The social workers are overworked. They know the kids need in person activities. But Fleishman won’t answer how to help the teenagers and he isn’t helping by keeping them isolated.
There is a group run by Kim T(I don’t remember her last name) to get the high schools open.
Stephanie
Call and email the School Committee Members:
Bridget Ray-Canada
[email protected]
(617) 564-1486
Margaret Albright
[email protected]
(617) 969-0497
Anping Shen
[email protected]
(617) 610-0747
Tamika Olszewski
[email protected]
( 617) 475-0359
Emily Prenner
[email protected]
(857) 626-4687
Ruth Goldman
[email protected]
(617) 719-5048
Kathleen Shields
[email protected]
(617) 620-9908
Matthew Miller
[email protected]
(617) 394-8833
File A Complaint with DESE
http://www.doe.mass.edu/prs/intake/default.html
@NewtonMom Is there an email for the group advocating to get the high schools open?
NTA was not included in developing the initial plan yet was blamed for it.
I wish this committee well, but from the get-go, it must be clear to the community that NTA had nothing to do with formulating the plan/options.
For Jane Frantz – the point of my post is that the NTA was left out then, but was invited to participate here and declined. Why? I honestly don’t understand. The only reasons I can think of for not participating is that they have no intention of accepting a return to school recommendation….even with all sorts of safety conditions.
The other issue here is how representative the NTA really is? My sense is that many teachers would be perfectly willing to be in school now. I’m not saying that NTA = “all” teachers.
Michael
You missed my point. In August, the community blamed the NTA and we weren’t involved. This time NTA is taking an official position that we’re not involved to offer clarity to the community that we are not, and have never been, part of the planning process for reopening the schools. It’s one thing when you are part of a process-then you need to take partial responsibility. When you had no part in a process and the community continues to blame you for the outcome, that’s a different matter. You think twice the next time around. Think Lucy and the football.
@jane But wouldn’t it mean that if NTA chose to be part of the planning working group then they would have a part in the planning process?
To get on the mailing list that Stephanie references the email is
[email protected]
As Amy references continue to contact the SC Members, the Mayor and file a complaint with DESE.
Jane – NPS Admin, the Mayor and the SC háve not covered themselves in glory in this whole process. Believe me there is a lot of anger out there towards them. They completely blew things this summer. How are we going to get anywhere if the NTA won’t participate in this process?
Does anyone care about the kids? The adults continue to let them down. Why isn’t everyone involved focused on getting the kids who want to be in school, in school. This should be an all hands on deck situation. There is no way to make the situation 100% safe so how do accommodate students and staff unable to come in person but still meet the needs of those who can and to be in school. Not working together gets us no where.
I appreciate Jane’s clarification. I did miss her point. I’ve no doubt that NTA was burned and left looking bad by the prior process. But I think that it’s a huge mistake to not participate now.
The only thing that should matter now is putting the kids first and working towards a plan to reopen…with teacher input. If NTA chooses the current process “to make a point”, they’ll be hurting our students. That’s unforgivable.
Like I said above, I doubt that NTA = all teachers. The union leadership had better be sure that their actions are fully supported. The School Committee working group is a very conservative approach, but I’ll take it vs. no approach. If the working group can arrive at an opening plan it will happen. Parents won’t allow it not to. If NTA somehow stands in the way I think it will backfire on them and get very ugly. So, I sure hope NTA rethinks this while there’s still time. As a parent I want them involved! Teacher input is essential. This should be offered without any reservation, and would be remembered favorably at contract time down the road.
Keep the schools closed, with the exception of special needs students and parents who financially need to work.
NPR’s planet money had an interesting show on the decision to send kids back tot school or not. The bottom line was that it was not a great risk as is, but if things picked up, it could become problematic faster than we, as a community, could react.
While there are certainly some negatives to not having kids in school, I know many are enjoying their times out of the classroom and learning new skills. Let’s focus on improving online education.
“…enjoying their times out of the classroom and learning new skills…”
Really?
The bottom line is that we need a plan to return. We need to identify what health metrics would trigger a change from distance to in person or vice versa. It was inexcusable that we didn’t have good plans built over the summer and ready to go. It was inexcusable that our school leaders didn’t put the kids first and work together on plans to do this.
Whatever decisions are made Newton needs to get its act together. We need the NTA and School Administration cooperating. If this was a company, or the military, most of our leaders would already have been replaced. We need to wait for the next election in 2021 for that to happen. But until then we need to be all hands on deck to reopen our schools, or to be ready to pivot quickly when conditions allow. Every other comparable community has figured it out. That Newton hasn’t is really inexcusable.
List of high schools with functioning hybrid model – Brookline, Concord Carlisle, Lexington, Lincoln Sudbury, Natick, Needham, Wellesley, Acton-Boxboro, Bedford. I am sure they ran into hiccups but continue to find a way around.
Many parents have expressed disappointment with the school committee and frustration with obstinance of the teachers union. Parents are afraid to speak up scared of retribution by teachers/staff.
This is a injustice to the high school students. Their social and emotional development suffers anxiety it’s not normal to be on a computer for six anc a half hours per day. It’s sick. Why doesn’t anyone care in administration?
At HS age it does not work to have their education paused as is currently occurring. The isolation is not good for their mental health. This is valuable time they are losing.
Acton-Boxboro, Concord-Carlisle, Lexington, LIncoln-Sudbury, Natick, Needham, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston all back in school in hybrids. Brookline started a transition to hybrid this week which will be completed on 11/9.
What a clown show. Look at the roster of participants. Stooge after stooge for the teachers’ union (and the height of the comedy, the NTA suggesting it’s not involved here – hahaha). The NTA has told the city what’s going to happen and the stooges in city government who owe their pathetic existences to the teachers’ and other unions have gotten in line. What a joke. Every kid in Newton has been kicked to the curb by the teachers who could give a sh*t what happens to them. They are a disgrace, as is everyone who participates in this charade of genuine deliberation, objectivity and caring about the kids here.
“… many are enjoying their times out of the classroom and learning new skills.”
Yes, as NNHS was *optional* today, my high school student enjoyed sleeping in till 2PM and then perfecting his video game skills.
@Jane, you’re not a teacher in the NTA so stop trying to represent the voice of the teachers. The bottom line is the NTA was upset they weren’t at the table over the summer, now they are declining to be part of the discussions. Shameful. Sad to say, I was on their side during the summer, now the community is realizing that the NTA is only concerned about their safety and no one else’s.
Jane is not a teacher – she appears to be a voice for NTA and posted the same message in support of keeping schools closed over and over on the Parents, Educators, NPS Staff and Students in Support of Newton Schools on facebook which appears to have been a group set up by the NTA to try to convince parents that the “only when it is safe” initiative that NTA pushed into the community in August to cause panic and fear. This was in DIRECT response to the directive from the state teacher’s union, MTA, that teachers should basically refuse to go in to the schools this year through June. That video is on you tube and I watched every second. The teachers joined forces back in August, and unless we keep pushing (in the courts if necessary), our schools will never in open. I am at the point that I feel like I am actually harming my kids if we stay here.
@James “schools should be open for … parents who financially need to work”. What does that mean? If you don’t need to work than stay home to teach your child, who should be at school being taught by a teacher. The schools should be open period.
Bruce C – Just simply no. NTA would be one voice among many on the committee, but its responsibility for the outcome would be amplified in the community well beyond the input from that one individual.
The NTA’s decision not to participate was not made “to make a point”. It was made for the reason I stated above.
The school committee and administration will make the decision about reopening the buildings and it’s appropriate that the deciders be responsible for the decision.
The NTA can’t have it both ways. They can’t complain about being excluded and then opt out of participating now. The teachers are critical and we need their input in support of our kids. If NTA doesn’t participate then it has no choice but to go along with any new proposal. If it doesn’t support a new plan after being invited then it will lose any and all community support. It’s just that simple. The union position is impossible to defend. This needs to be about what’s best for the kids. Period.
Nothing is going to happen, at least, until the spring. That being said, thanks to our feckless “leaders,” we could be in the same situation in Fall 2021. Don’t assume otherwise. Parents need to get organized. [email protected]
Surveys and working groups is a smoke show. Nothing more. Note the the exclusion of parents as well.
Neighbors, this is a negotiation – nothing more. Dr. Fleishman and Mayor Fuller can no more demand a reopening than NFL Owners can have games if it’s players do not show up.
So what would the NFL do? Buy their way out (in our case, a pay bonus for showing up or overfund PPE and testing), or have a lockout and hit the players where it hurts – their wallets. Shut down schools? Why not?
It’s not right that the best part of a teen’s day is when they are socializing online at midnight with their friends, knowing that, “you need to goto bed, you have class in the morning” is bite-less joke. I don’t remember everything I learned in Chem or Calculus, but I remember who I shared those classes with. What sort of example are we setting, by accepting that it’s ok to not show up?
We need leadership, not cheerleaders and delay tactics. The kind of leadership and that can bring all sides to the table, and hammer out a deal. To use another sports analogy, a quarterback who is game CHANGER not a game manager.
Mr. Superintendent and Madame Mayor, if this is outside your comfort zone, hire an arbitrator. The solution comes down to carrot or stick. Anything less hurts our young by the day. Like death and taxes, another of life’s certainties is that we cannot get time back once it’s passed.
Kids need to be back in school yesterday.
Join Open Our Schools MA (formerly Schools Before Bars MA) Facebook group
This has been an excellent thread of comments from beginning to end. Thanks to everyone for participating. I hope that it is widely read…by the Mayor, School Administration, NTA. It’s the single most important issue in Newton. It affects our kids, the value of our homes, everything. If actions speak loudest our Mayor is grossly underestimating the pent up anger and disappointment in the community. So is the NTA. There’s a need for candor and honesty which we’re owed and not getting. Most importantly, there’s a need for action like we haven’t seen. I like Matt Lai’s comments. I feel that we’re not being listened to, that the hope is that it will miraculously blow over and be forgotten by City elections next year. That’s not good enough. Our City Government isn’t up to the task. What’s happening hasn’t been good enough, but what to do? It’s incredibly frustrating.
Michael
@Matt Lai –
Five of the members of the working group are Newton HS parents
Well, I suppose I should respond. My high school junior has really got his act together during these tough times. In March, he was sleeping in late and generally just hanging out during the day, but these days… He wakes up at 8/9am, watches an episode of some crime show on TV, attends online classes and gets his work mostly done. Some days he has sports practice and some days he goes for a run or lifts in our basement. At night he will either play video games online with friends or meet his girlfriend at a public place outside. Last spring he did return home after having clearly smoked mj with friends & was subsequently grounded, but if that’s the worst that comes out of the pandemic, i’m fine with it.
I think it’s been a great opportunity to practice what life will be like when he lives on his own. My kid has never been labeled all that book smart & has ADD, but I have spent the time teaching him various skills like yard work and mechanics, and on his own time he has been reading up on various subjects like coding. He seems to really enjoy the latter.
Imo, some people are fear mongering and making this out to be like the Dutch Famine, which my father survived. I understand the fears and the concerns, but I have a far greater fear for those who are high risk or live with high risk individuals. Should be we exploring opportunities for students who are struggling at home / have special needs / have parents who work full time, to return to school sooner? Absolutely. Will the world end if the students do not return to school by Jan 1? No. And I hate to say it, but are even 1/10 the people complaining about mental health issues of children not in school going to be bringing up those concerns once the kids about back in the classroom? I doubt it. My son has had ADD for his whole life. We do not get much support even in good times. Let’s not use mental health as a bargaining chip to reopen schools without clear data.
@Jerry, yes I recongize the fact that some are parents and even the name of one student. But do these parents represent the views of many here and throughout that High School should be open now? Based on all that people have said above and elsewhere, this should a purpose specific group or representation.
James, it’s great that you posted and your views are important. It’s great that you’ve seen some positives in the experiences of your son. But just as I don’t know your experience, you don’t know mine…or those of many other parents who have contributed here. Unfortunately, we have real cause for concern. This isn’t made up. I’ve also seen great support from the school’s professionals…as have many others.
I want my kid back in school. It’s a complicated problem filled with difficult trade offs. But I personally believe that the “soft” costs of not being in school are far greater than have been realized and haven’t received enough attention. I also believe that our kids have been “collateral damage” to a nonproductive battle between the School Administration and NTA. Many here (not all) agree. We’re asking that our leaders get their acts together and focus on what matters most, whatever the result. There’s been too much poor planning, sloppy execution, and delay. We need action led by competent leaders who put the kids first while recognizing the dangers from Covid and striking a science/data informed balance.
Jerry – are any of the parents in the WG active members of the Open Newton MA Schools for In-Person learning group, or is it a self-selected group of like-minded friends?
As a retired high school teacher, I am glad not to have to teach remotely- it runs entirely counter to my style of working face-to-face with students, individually whenever possible, to refine the elements of effective writing. To be sure, at my age I would be frightened of teaching a group of teenagers inside a classroom at this time. Though on average teenagers may be mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic altogether, not so for seniors.
Fundamentally, the decision to teach remotely, hybridly, or entirely in the classroom must be driven by data. I read online that New York City elementary school students, who spend lots of time in class, have largely avoided getting the virus and spreading it. What do studies reveal about the risk for students, teachers, and staff of in-school learning at middle school and high school?
Who could disagree that remote learning is more difficult and less productive than being in class? It also creates lots of problems for parents, professionally and otherwise. Still, the times are exceptional, and we can’t let our emotions drive our decisions. For now, curbing the Pandemic must remain the highest priority.
Michael – To say we tried would be an understatement. I’m glad to hear that you care about what teachers contribute to the conversation, but you are in a very small minority.
To be very clear about two points:
Teachers/staff have not “given up” on the kids. If you think remote learning is hard, you should try remote teaching or hybrid/remote teaching. Teachers are putting many, many more hours into trying to make this whole horrible situation successful for the kids and that’s where our attention needs to be at this point. It’s what’s best for the students and the school system. Being on yet one more committee is a dubious use of time when no one has the time to do the essentials of his/her job. There simply isn’t the time to participate on a committee in a meaningful way.
Secondly, contrary to popular opinion, with the exception of the president and one other release person, the NTA leadership consists of Newton teachers and staff who work at all levels of the school system. All but one have full-time positions in the schools and do NTA work after hours.
And the salary of the one who is not a full-time employee – the NTA representative – is paid by Newton Taxpayers. Not sure if it is out of the Schools budget or the City’s general budget.
That’s not true, Lucia. The position is not an NTA position. It’s a position in the schools.
If you’d posed that as a question, it would have been perfectly acceptable. As it is, you merely make my point about how the community treats NPS teachers and staff.
Honestly Jane, I think that the vast majority of people on this blog and overall respect the teachers and their contributions tremendously. We need them. Where I’m challenged is with the politics. Covid is hard. The Administration made huge errors. But there’s a time to put things aside. We’re in a crisis. We need everyone’s involvement and participation, teachers included. NTA really should reconsider its position here. The stakes are just too high not to be engaged.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/health/coronavirus-schools-children.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
https://www.npr.org/2020/10/21/925794511/were-the-risks-of-reopening-schools-exaggerated
Look at the science, stop the fear. Contact the school committee, the Mayor and Dr. Fleishman. This is a clown show @ Paul. lets open the schools now
Michael – Even if students are in a hybrid model, there’s still a lot of remote learning/teaching going on and that’s a huge problem.
If you were working well over 60 hours a week, trying to learn and master multiple new brand new platforms so that lessons are more effective, developing lessons that are engaging once you have mastered these platforms but are glitchy as h*** when you haven’t, are working with students whose internet goes down multiple times in a lesson so they need to be taught what you just taught the rest of the class when they log back in, or they have a connection that is so poor that the student’s language is garbled, have to communicate much more frequently with staff/IT/. Oh, and you have kids at home on a different hybrid/remote model on different days, or an infirm family member who requires your assistance…
Then someone says to you, I have yet one more responsibility that will take up a significant amount of your time each week. You don’t get paid for it. You’ll be pilloried for your input. But yeah, I’m sure you don’t mind joining a committee that will have you putting in upwards of 80 hours a week for the school system that didn’t listen to your input in the summer.
Enough, Micheal -. You have no idea how exhausted and demoralized the NPS staff are right now. Just no idea. I wrote to the school committee and asked that they acknowledge the hard work of the teachers/staff at one of their meetings. Two responded: no, they could not. Four never responded at all. I had a conversation with one on the phone.
It’s bad, Michael. Really bad right now.
“brand new platforms”
@Jane Frantz – Perhaps you can tell us – how exactly are the teachers in all the towns around us managing in their schools? What’s different/special about Newton teachers that this is such a burden for them?
Jane, I think your comments are helpful, but also make me question the NTA’s decision to not participate. These issues need to be raised and addressed. The best way for that to happen is for NTA to to join the working group. Michael
Having worked at both high schools over a five year period here are some observations. Btw I’m now living a much better life.
I stay in contact with co workers at both schools. 90% of the teachers want to be home. Just look at their social pages. Easy to find them. Go on high school pages get their names then go on social. No, I’m not sharing names.
Yes,The Union is a “clown show” as someone previously stated. Zilles,Union president, is a former teacher at NS who makes 125k as union leader. My friends tell me he was up for re-election and then pandemic hit and he cancelled the election. He will surely be challenged this coming Mar. At least four NPS employees have expressed interest in challenging Zilles who has been in office since 2008.
I feel so bad for the kids…i don’t feel bad for the lazy educators. If I was a parent I would be upset with Fuller, Fleishman, NPS Admin, and whoever else can’t figure out a plan.
Whomever runs for Mayor in 2022 will hopefully use this education fiasco as a major platform to win election. I might have to run if I get the support.
While this conversation has focused mostly on middle and high school students, let’s please not forget our youngest children. First graders are going to school for two mornings a week. NPS was supposed to up that to… two 8-3pm days a week… but couldn’t even figure that out. They had to hire “monitors” and weren’t able to, despite record unemployment levels in the state (and the country).
Meanwhile, several neighboring towns are up to 5 half-days a week for the youngest children. If you think learning on zoom is hard for teenagers, try it with a 6 year old. And the mental health impact? ….
I’d like to echo Michael’s comments from earlier. NPS has a budget of ~$230M. If you had a comparable private sector organization (i.e., $230M revenue company) performing at the level of NPS, management would have been replaced months ago, and there would be a deep restructuring operation ongoing as we speak (yes, even on the weekend).
@jane, respectfully, your comments prove EXACTLY why remote is not working. Chromebooks were designed for light work in Google Docs. They simply do not have the horsepower to run non-stop Zoom sessions 6-8 hours per day. It’s not “the internet”, but the tools given to students.
And how do we help teachers not work 60-80 hours a week? Plan and work towards ONE curriculum, an in-person one.
A person should not drive a car when distracted or overtired. Same with education. We have great respect for what goes into providing education, but not some watered down version of an education; robbing teens of their high school experience in the process.
The only “working session” we should be engaged in at this point, is how much tax $$ will it take for teachers to be willing to come back – a whether that is to find safety measures or straight up cash in teachers pockets. And if that number can’t be reached, shut it all down until next Fall, with no pay until then.
A high school career is short enough as it is. What we have right now is a shame, especially when all of our peer districts have managed to get some form of in-person in place.
Wow. Just wow … Newton is perilously close to providing a ‘lost year’ to all current HS students. Note just how many people pulled their students from NPS and put them in private schools.
If the NTA isn’t joining the HS working group – because they weren’t invited the first time – then I see them as part of the PROBLEM, not the SOLUTION.
I guess also that all of the talk about the ‘dangers of [too much] screen time’ and the importance of the social-emotional aspects of learning was just that too? Talk.
And seriously, almost everyone is now working from home. Learning new platforms, ways of working remotely. WITH KIDS AT HOME. Get over yourself, this is hard on everyone, not just teachers.
Regarding parents on the HS Working Group, I do not see any.
Toby Romer and Principal Turner were the architects of a plan that was to cut one month of education time for the high schools as a way of accommodating later start times. This was to meet the needs of the teachers who would not agree to a schedule change unless the overall teaching time was cut. Romer and Turner decided on a long block schedule with X block embedded and more free time for students during the day so teachers could spend time with each other collaborating. (Sound familiar? Look at your child’s Zoom schedule). The Superintendant then got on board and tried to convince people that going below the state minimum number of teaching hours was a good idea. Look out for 2020-21 and the message “the schedule went so well during our remote education year that we decided to keep it. And by the way, Wednesdays are your learn-from-home-day.”
Emily Prenner, SC member, was an advocate for a PTO-wide opposition to expanding charters in MA. This is a pro-union/anti-student position, and particularly disfavors the poor who need reliable education more than anyone. The PTOs declined to take a position on charters.
The PTSO leaders are bound by their Bylaws to support the school. They cannot support the parents if this is in opposition to the desires of the school. They are therefore not parent representatives. It is not clear why they are there as there is no way they can disagree with the desires of, especially, the HS principals.
The special education groups (SEPAC, etc..) are highly in-person already, in a non-dense environment. Why would it be good for them to add people to the school building? The representatives of the special education groups must represent their own position (that is their job). They will not say “bring everyone back.”
To me the biggest risk here is that the WG will suggest that we lock down academic grades after Term 3 and come back in person for Term 4 for social and emotional wellness, sports, and MCAS. This will solidify the long-sought short schedule and embed it for next year. In this scenario there will only be one winner. And it is not the student/parent/guardian.
Matt – I was only addressing the tech problems. There are many more non-tech problems that will persist even with a hybrid model.
I wrote a more complete example of the issues facing teachers with the technology, but it was lost in cyberspace. Teachers are not IT specialists so mastering a program requires a great deal of practice before using it with students. That’s been extraordinarily time consuming and frustrating because the tech companies have been playing catch up as well (as we’ve seen with zoom). In my “lost in space” post, I mentioned that the NPS IT people are saints, and I don’t know how they are managing.
Tim – As a former Kindergarten teacher, I feel for you. Unfortunately, right now, there’s no one to hire. No one wants this job right now. Dr. Fauci is telling people not to be in indoor spaces for a sustained period of time, and people are listening to him. Anyone interested in working with children is taking a nanny job, or something similar, for the same pay and in a safer environment. I have no idea what the answer to that problem is.
Mom of HS student: From what I hear and experience, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Colleagues in other communities whom I’ve spoken with are struggling with the same issues. I had a short experience helping out in a community that Newton parents claim is doing well. It was quite an eye-opener. It was just as bad, and worse in some areas, but basically the system was running into identical problems.
One huge problem: the extensive programming Newton has traditionally had in place makes putting together a schedule much, much harder. What other community has a theatre program that typically puts on 12 performances a year? Or an elective culinary, carpentry, auto mechanics, extensive arts program that Newton has had? How do you fit all of that in? Do you give those offerings up? Every parent has a different answer to these questions.
In addition, some of these other communities have smaller class sizes so that makes scheduling various levels of the curriculum much easier.
Michael – The working group is not going to address teachers’ issues. Their mission is to figure out how to get students back into the building. The committee really has nothing to do with the current abysmal working conditions in Newton schools. But this is what NTA has accomplished: we got the school system to deal with an unsafe ventilation system. The SC has yet to give credit where credit is due on that one.
If you want to make things better for people working with your children, you have it in your power. An acknowledgment from you to your child’s teacher of the multiple obstacles s/he is facing would be greatly appreciated.
It comes back to the fact that Newton’s peer schools and neighboring communities are opening up or at the very least have a concrete plan. What makes Newton different that any of these other communities?
Nobody is saying open the schools unsafely. However, when you see all of these other peer districts open up that are not that different than Newton, the questions is what makes Newton different?
Our neighboring community of Watertown is being audited by DESE for not having a plan. Look at their web page, however, and you see that they have a much more detailed High School plan than Newton, which isn’t too hard to do since Newton has NO plan. Again what makes Newton so different?
@Bruce C. Yes exactly. Every town except Newton is open. Newton has no plan. Why isn’t it on the list to be audited by DESE?
Jane-remote automotive, remote culinary arts, remote carpentry how do you think that is going for the students? Newton North is not abysmal.
Well, my kid is signed up for a culinary class next semester. I can’t wait for that. .. . I will need to adjust my work schedule, because I trust my kid. But someone has to look at the way she holds her knife! And it won’t be the teacher!!!
My kid’s progress report was very vague. . . . . “No concerns at this time” or “should participate more.” How is a shy kid going to speak in a room full of zoom strangers. She doesn’t KNOW her class. She has 2-3 screens full of “strangers.”
And I still don’t understand how the teachers are grading. . . . Parent night should be interesting.
My kid is alone in her room except for lunch . . . When she is alone in the kitchen.
@Tim younger parents should definitely pay attention to the MOA that is being voted on at the next School Committee meeting as it references the schedule as a hybrid of 2 morning only in person and the remainder at home. Any changes to that need to be renegotiated. There is also no provision to move the ms to the hybrid model.
Jane I think many of us parents have felt enormous good will towards our children’s teachers but the NTA not participating in this Working Group really diminishes that.
While I’m sorry you feel that way, there’s simply no time to give to this committee. Please understand that every teacher is putting your child first, ahead of being on yet another planning committee. I assume you understand that all NTA members are teachers and there is a teacher on the committee. I hear you have great faith in the working group, and I certainly wish them well. As you know, ultimately, it will be the School Committee that decides on the plan NPS adopts.
I don’t know what to else to say, other than it’s October and we have a significant number of teachers running on empty and I don’t hear an iota of concern about that. Not asking for sympathy, mind you. Just expressing serious concern.
These days I feel like the canary in the coal mine.
Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Custodians, DPW Workers, City Hall workers, Parks workers, and on and on, have all worked continuously throughout this event. To the best of my knowledge, the only city employees who could not return to work were the teachers. Every job is different, but those other groups have plenty of risk factors in their jobs as well, but they seem to have gone to work every day. City Hall and Police Headquarters don’t appear to be brand new buildings either, but those public servants are making it work. Covid appears to be an endemic. It’s not going anywhere. At least no time soon. A vaccine will help, but it’s not going to eradicate Covid. Testing is not sustainable, as Covid will likely never go away. The request by the NTA to address the ventilation system appears to be well underway. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and rip our lives back from Covid. It’s taken it from us for far too long.
@Jane – had to look up what “canary in a coal mine meant”. Good one!
The majority of Newton parents were very supportive of teachers in their last contract negotiation. Many of the same parents that stood with teachers then – holding signs and wearing red t-shirts – are now the ones most vocal about re-opening in-person High School today.
We often say to our teens, “don’t always say ‘no’ to everything. At least give it a try to see if you like it or not”.
So if you’ll indulge me in a bit of role play…if you were head of the NTA and I was the Superintendent or Mayor, and I asked, “what would it take to get teachers back into the buildings?” how would you respond?
Jane, maybe you can address the comments that YOU ARE NOT A TEACHER in the NTA. Stop giving advice and commentary about what the teachers and NTA represent.
As a teacher with over 30 years of experience, I take issue with your arguments, Jane. Blanket, defensive statements like yours can lead people to have less respect than they should for teachers, and for unions in general. (The NTA is also not helping in this matter, but that another story.)
I currently teach in-person outside of NPS while my own teenagers are remote in Newton for the “foreseeable future.” My family is suffering because my teens have been stuck at home since mid-March, not learning anything close to what they could and should be. Meanwhile you seem to have all of the answers but little of the commitment.
According to the NTA website Jane is listed as the Community Relations Chair on their Exec Committee. She is listed on the NPS site as an ELL District Wide Tutor. It looks like in the past she was a teacher in some of the elementary schools and at North.
Newton parents bent over backwards to support our schools and their teachers last spring, as we managed our own jobs as well. People who can afford to live in Newton without a double income are in a different class, and probably mostly in private schools. And now the NTA won’t even engage in a discussion about going back, after the whole spring and much for the fall have been squandered. How is that okay? The only updates we get from the administration is when something bad happens. There is no encouragement, joy, or satisfaction in learning throughout NPS anymore. It makes me wonder if there ever was? We are grieving for our town and its children.
@Newton Parent. I agree. It is just sad. Please write to the School Committee, The Mayor and The Superintendent. File a complaint with DESE.
Harvard School of Public Health. :: “Reopening schools should not be an us versus them argument. It’s not a Democrat vs. Republican argument. It’s about our children and about the evidence. We should be following the science that says in-person schooling for our kids is too valuable to give up and that the risks of school-based transmission appear to be low.” Sadly, in Newton many parents and the teachers union pushed for fully remote education despite Newton meeting every required public health metric for a safe reopening of schools. Why do we trust health experts when they urge the public to wear masks and stay home, but not when those same experts call for sending children back to school? Why did everyone do so much work in April and May if our youngest citizens, whose vulnerability to threats other than the coronavirus is so great, can’t reap the essential public health benefit of an education?
@Newton Parent. I agree. At the high schools, it’s even worse and the stakes for our children are higher.
@Amy. I have sent emails to those Newton groups (not DESE, yet). In response, they send a brief and generic reply, or no response at all.
I’m not a teacher but I know the NTA has had serious issues with the SC and leadership from very early on, not just a few weeks before school was slated to return. The lack of cooperation has existed long before covid, DF is not a team player and he’s definitely not a leader. He has repeatedly gotten away with his ineptitude by relying on the lack of transparency and pitting stakeholders against one another. Earlier in the spring for example, when parents were getting frustrated with the lack of academics, he communicated to some parents that it was ‘illegal’ for NPS to teach any new material because it would effectively leave special needs children behind. That’s an inaccurate interpretation of fed statutes and frankly, couldn’t be more on brand for him. We all want to go back to school but at this rate, it’s hard to imagine the path forward – DF and Ruthanne should be communicating with parents, not just once in a blue moon, but weekly or daily if need be. No one knows what is going on, we are all speculating, it’s a waste of all of our time and frankly, it’s too late in the game for us to sit back and trust that something will be done. It would be great if we could at the very least understand what the roadmap is to getting back to school safely namely a checklist of outstanding issues, status, and they need to just have a channel for parents to get information and bring up issues. I get that you wouldn’t want to risk changing leadership in the middle of a crisis, but we are in a situation where DF is standing in the way of getting anything done. Many parents have reached out to the members of the SC and city council, there have been multiple petitions and protests yet, we seem to be in the same place. We might seriously want to consider moving to more aggressive tactics to get answers and action
Jane M- I agree. I think we do need to take drastic action.I don’t know the numbers, but listening to SC meetings, I sense that a considerable number of people have written to the SC.
I have written three times to the full committee and also to some select individual members. I have never received a response.
I’ve written to the city council. They at least respond, but punt it back to the SC. I have written to DESE urging them to audit NPS like they have done with Watertown and E. Longmeadow. They responded, but again punted and said that the local school committees have the authority to make policy. Does anybody in a leadership position realize how much kids are being harmed from remote learning for the foreseeable future?
The relationship between Dr. Fleishman and the NTA is toxic. They are all adults, but they are not able to work together for the good of our kids. It is unfortunate, but it is reality.
One of Dr. Fleishman’s primary responsibilities is to form a working relationship with teachers to avoid the type of standoff that we are facing today.
Dr. Fleishman must be removed from his duties as superintendent for this process to move forward. Again, it is unfortunate, but he has not proven to be a capable leader, and the NTA has already issued a vote of “No Confidence”. We are asking the School Committee for his removal. Please join us.
I agree with Newton North Parent about the superintendent. I just wrote the same in David G’s post above. But I’d add the following question….should the same apply at the NTA? How in synch is their leadership with the rank and file teachers? I’ve no idea, but wonder if in order to make progress if we need a fresh start in both places?
@Michael Slater, good question about whether the teachers are in sync with their leadership. I’ve heard that several elementary teachers are not. But we’ll never know the answer. Especially when the MOA cedes all management prerogative to the NTA. If teachers cannot even be surveyed without the approval of the NTA, we are heading into a dark place indeed.
Also, the MOA provides substantial sums for the teachers to figure out daycare for their own kids. I wonder how that makes other essential city employees feel. The school nurses, police officers, firefighters who are also essential and have been working since March while facing the same childcare issues. As far as I know, none of them get the kinds of subsidies being offered to the teachers. So we are now paying for the bulk of daycare/childcare costs that a teacher might select, even though there is already a provision for teachers to have their own kids in school in-person full-time if they are teaching. (Furthermore, teachers who would ordinarily have needed daycare for younger children wouldn’t have had these subsidies – as is true of many working parents.) So, while creating a situation that is requiring many families to figure out and pay for child care during the times they are not in school, we are also required to pay extra for this coverage. I also wonder why teachers should get thousands of dollars above their salaries when they have to move to a new school. If I were asked to work in a different office within my company that were a mile or two away from my regular one, there isn’t an expectation of additional salary. I wonder as a taxpayer how this will all be funded. What municipal or other services will need to be cut to finance this agreement?
@Environmental Engineer- What substantial sums for childcare are you referring to? Why is it that you believe that NPS is paying for childcare costs for NPS staff? I have two children under the age of two and we lost our daycare provider this summer. NPS has “identified” a facility in Newton with available spots for young children of NPS staff. It would cost my family over $5000 a month to send them there. NPS is not contributing to this cost, nor do I expect that.
Here’s what the MOA says on that topic, Courtney:
Child Care Assistance- NPS has secured child-care slots at local, licensed child-care centers for staff working in-person in the Elementary Hybrid model and/or with high needs students, including NECP. NPS is committed to expanding this assistance as more staff are expected to work in-person with the phasing in of in-person and hybrid learning models. NPS is providing assistance to these educators as follows:
1. The West Suburban YMCA located in Newton Highlands provides is Out-of-School program for children in grades K-8. NPS will subsidize the costs for this program for NPS staff working in-person to decrease the rate to $60 per day.
3. NPS has reserved several slots for educators’ children ages 2.9-5 years in the Newton Early Childhood Program (NECP) pre-school. NPS will subsidize the costs of this program to decrease the rate to a maximum of $50 per day.
@Environmental Engineer- Yes- thank you for sharing portions of the MOA. I fully understand the section on childcare assistance. You have omitted the piece I was referring to.
4. The Family Access Center has several slots in their infant, toddler and preschool programs prioritizing children of NPS educators. Please don’t make global statements about NPS paying for childcare costs that are inaccurate.