By David Goldstone, Sarah Arcese, Dr Karen Jacobson, Dr. Stefanos Kales, Raphael Lewis, Bill Manchester, Aileen Murphy, Valerie and Jeffrey Pontiff, Victoria Tentler-Krylov, Kim Thurmond, and George Zhukovsky. – The authors are all Newton residents with children in the Newton Public Schools.
While every one of our peer high schools is already back in school, Newton’s high schools are 100% remote for the foreseeable future. The School Committee should not sign a proposed contract that could lock our high schoolers out of school, and restrict in-person education for younger students.
In an official survey from Newton in August, 85% of parents selected in-person school. Massachusetts state guidelines and public health organizations direct districts to prioritize reopening schools for in-person education. Despite consistently low COVID-19 transmission rates in Newton, Newton Public Schools (NPS) has refused to offer the option for in-person high school. NPS has no date, no metric and no plan. The elementary and middle schools also have limited options for “half hybrid” in-person school. Newton should not commit to a contract (Memorandum of Agreement or “MOA”) with the teachers’ union (Newton Teachers Association or “NTA”) that appears to lock our children out of their schools.
After months of delay, NPS punted reopening high schools to a Working Group. NPS invited NTA to participate, but NTA refused. This Working Group just started meeting October 14 and won’t have any recommendation until December. If the School Committee wishes to adopt a recommendation, the MOA may enable NTA to veto any plan to reopen the high schools. Meanwhile, our children are socially isolated from teachers and other students.
These endless iterations are not necessary. Opening the schools is possible now. Our 10 peer districts have all figured out how to open in-person. All 10.
These 10 peer districts are: Acton-Boxboro, Brookline, Concord-Carlisle, Lexington, Natick, Needham, Sharon, Wayland, Wellesley and Weston. This is Newton’s own list. (Toby Romer, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, and Working Group Chair, used this in 2018 to compare Newton’s high school day length to peer districts.) Newton’s high schools average 2000 students and the average peer high school has 1500 students. All peer districts have teachers unions. All care about equity. Nine of the ten participate in METCO, just like Newton.
Of these 10 districts, all are back in school. The last one was Brookline, which started transitioning to in person on October 20.
All 10 have a hybrid solution. The solutions are remarkably similar.
- 7 of the 10 have students in the school at least 2 days every week. The other 3 go in-person alternate weeks.
- On in-person days, in 7 of the 10 districts are in school all day.
- On remote days, at least 7 of the 10 have synchronous lessons.
For example, in Brookline, Needham and Wellesley, about 2 days per week, students go to school for the full day. On remote days, students have synchronous lessons. Our peer districts are providing in-person education even when they don’t have a new $200 million high school like Newton North. The district-by-district breakdown can be found here.
Newton can give our kids the option to be back in school right now. While this article focuses on the high school situation, younger children and parents need more in-person school with their teachers. Newton should have at least 2 full days per week for these younger grades. Unfortunately, Newton is behind at the elementary and middle schools too.
At the last School Committee meeting on October 19, the School Committee presented this proposed MOA with NTA.
- The MOA specifically identifies that the high school is in a 100% remote model and does not mention any possibility of in-person education or even reference the Working Group. (p. 4-5)
- It states that the elementary schoolers (and eventually middle schoolers) will be doing half-hybrid for only 8 hours per week. (p.3-4)
- The MOA agrees to the current schedules through June 2021, and states that it cannot be modified, except by “mutual agreement” of the NTA. (p.2)
If any change requires NTA’s “mutual agreement,” the MOA may lock the schools and hand the key to NTA. Given that NTA already adopted a “no confidence” vote on the Superintendent, and is boycotting the NPS Working Group, why is the School Committee giving the key to unlock the schools to the NTA?
The School Committee is planning to vote on this problematic MOA at their next meeting on November 2. Newton should not commit to this contract now. All of our peer districts are already back in school. What is Newton waiting for?
If you want to get involved, send an email to [email protected]
One only needs to read the MOA and then the Newton Teacher’s Association President’s Blog to see that the School Committee is locking itself into more high school remote schooling and any changes will take months. The School Committee and the Mayor need to explain how it can in good faith sign this MOA when it in essence does not allow for any flexibility for high school students to go back in person even if the working group comes up with a viable plan. This MOA states that it took 12 meetings between July 10 and Sept 22 to reach this agreement. I am very concerned that any changes back to a hybrid schedule for high school will take a similar length of negotiation, so by that measure, even if the working group proposes a hybrid option for high school, we are well into spring 2021 before high school students return to the building.
The MOA on page 4 defines the working environment for high school as “Full distance opening – High Schools will begin in a whole-class, full distance schedule for the foreseeable future, due to challenges with staffing, equitable distance-only possibilities, and space. At the start of the school year, High Schools will follow the attached whole-class distance schedule.”
And then read the NTA President’s Blog from https://www.newteach.org/post/nta-ebulletin-october-4-2020 which states: ” I’ve repeated, two weeks in a row now, that we are near an agreement on almost all issues we are negotiating. The holdup seems to be this: the district wants to retain as much flexibility as it can to implement further initiatives, or to change or scrap elements of the agreement, without further negotiations. In other words, the district wants to continue to implement first, and negotiate the impact later. But there are two principal reason for reaching an agreement: (1) to have the assurance that things will not change unless they are first negotiated, and (2) to be able to enforce the terms of the agreement. ”
If you want to read this proposed MOA – here is the link https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NA0dKAY38QatZ0k-rAJBFvfaQqisNcP7
I agree that this proposed MOA deserves a lot more focus and attention from the community before any vote on approval. I don’t like the process. It’s not enough to just post something like this. Our parents/citizens/voters deserve more explanation as to why the MOA is needed and recommended. This should come I’d think from the School Committee Chair, and even better, the Mayor.
This might slow things down. That’s fine. There are items in the MOA like special payments for teachers that Newton could still proceed with as a show of good faith to the teachers.
Along with the questions raised by David G. and team who posted this thread, I wonder what the City gets in return from the NTA for signing this MOA? Tying this to the issue in the thread I hosted on V14 a few days ago, why would the City agree to all of this if the NTA won’t even participate in the HS Working Group? I think we need to require NTA participation, along with their good faith agreement that we need to identify obstacles to safely opening schools and rapidly address them, but that our schools need to be open just as in the neighboring communities….for the sake of our kids, their education, growth and health. The NTA comes over like they’re just playing out the clock until a fully remote academic year in Newton becomes the reality. Unlike many Newton parents, they’ve kept their jobs, their pay and benefits, etc. Our teachers are an asset and truly valued, but their union needs to do better.
Something I don’t need to say… I don’t like seeing people removed from their jobs. In my experience that fixes very little of the underlying problems. Yet here, a change in school leadership might just be what’s needed to improve the environment and move forward. I understand that the School Committee may not think you change leadership during a crisis, but steady state isn’t working. There’s too much distrust, perhaps with good reason. It’s very different, but I can think of many historical precedents where a leadership change made all the difference. We may need to try that here.
I am very concerned with the MOA. It sounds like the NTA wants the MOA signed so there will be no high school in person learning and the elementary school kids won’t have more than two mornings a week. I feel like the City is being pushed to sign this agreement, without thinking that Covid19 changes constantly and we are locking our kids at home for the entire school year. Those of us who can’t afford private school, are locked into this, and continue to show concern for the emotional well being of our students. The social workers at south have no new suggestions.
Can someone who understands these issues better than I do explain why the MOA is needed? What happens if the SC simply does not formalize anything with the union? What then?
I actually think it’s worse, virus-wise, for the high schoolers not to be in school. They’re convening at each other’s houses, playing maskless sports outside, meeting up at the YMCA and breaking social distancing protocol. They’re bored and sad and isolated. They’d be better off in a classroom at least in a hybrid setting where they can be under supervision. Classrooms don’t seem to spread things when protocols are followed. But if they are hanging out with each other all day without supervision and practicing protocols, they’re going to spread the virus.
Right before the pandemic hit my college friends and I moved to NYC to launch a startup. Fortunately, we have a product that is essential and we are doing very well. The same can’t be said about my family back in Newton.
My aunt (Godmother) is a High school teacher in Newton. I spoke to her yesterday for the first time in awhile. I couldn’t believe how extremely distraught she has become. I feel so bad. She told me the schools should be open 5 days a week for EVERYONE. We had a great conversation of which I’ll share some here.
My aunt loves her students unlike any person I know. However, the same can’t be said about those who don’t want to work in person. She mentioned how the staff can’t get along…group of educators writing letter to principals and saying teaching schedule is brutal among other things. She sent me copy of letter which she wouldn’t sign btw and I was appalled. Some teachers want to work even less…they want adjustments to teaching load…don’t like the 4pm end time…plus more.
After about thirty mins we talked about if the union was acting responsible to which she said, “the union executives in charge are making those who want to work look terrible. A change in leadership needs to happen ASAP.”
As a former student i didn’t know what teachers did outside of class. Nowadays everyone has to make a statement. They write emails to principals, group texts, post stuff, etc. I told my aunt why don’t you retire to which she said, “I’m not giving into the incompetence of a few.”
I pray things improve and schools open for all students even if the union says otherwise.
Why aren’t students in high school getting homework?? What is that preparing them for? Why don’t they have mandatory face time during zoom classes. Why is the state allowing NPS to disregard the students in this regard? Seniors are totally being disregarded by the teachers
@NN Alum I am thankful for teachers like your Aunt. I have to believe that there are more out there like her or else I would feel completely hopeless about this situation. My kids have experienced so many great teachers along the way that I can’t believe that they would turn their backs on the kids. The adults…the Superintendent, The Mayor (where is your leadership), the School Committee and the NTA have all let the kids down. There is a lack of accountability and an inability to work together. Please let your aunt know that we appreciate her!
As has been stated multiple times, the NTA = your child’s teacher.
Other than the president and one other release position, the entire NTA leadership teams are comprised of your children’s teachers, all but one of whom work full time.
If you feel your children’s teacher(s) have let you down, please express that to them and that sentiment will be conveyed to the teachers and staff on the leadership team.
I want to thank @NN Alum as well and share the comments of @Newton Highlands Mom.
This prompted me to visit the NTA site see their take on this. A couple of key observations:
1. The 2020 Dues information takes prime real estate in the upper right of the home page (https://www.newteach.org/)
2. This was just posted yesterday, specifically, “links to a narrated PowerPoint presentation explaining the tentative agreement on reopening schools”
https://www.newteach.org/post/nta-ebulletin-october-25-2020
Please share your opinions but having watched the 18 min video it would seem the presentation is less about an effort to reopen schools but what the NTA is willing (or rather not willing) to do get there.
Peace time demands in a time of crisis; demands that our High School kids cannot afford to pay.
Hi Jane – I just noticed our comments crossed like two ships in the night. 🙂
I did notice when reviewing the NTA Site that many of the leadership positions are held by NPS teachers. That said, I stand by my comments above. There was very little give in Mike Zilles’ presentation. And as we all know from another sitting president, when there is no give and all take, the road to an amicable solution is diffcult if not impossible.
So here’s what we parents do not know…. do most NTA members side with President Zilles or NN Alum’s aunt?
Why would the School Committee cede so much management prerogative to the NTA? That’s exactly what they would be doing by signing this MOA. Anyone who has been involved in labor negotiations would know to be very worried about the precedent that this sets. And not just for this year, but for the future. The school committee seems to be entirely lacking in expertise on this critically important management skill set.
To be clear – The School Committee has not ceded any significant ground to NTA, with the exception of outside assessment of the ventilation system. NTA can ask for the moon, but if the School Committee says NO, then that’s that. So don’t worry about it. The School Committee members are the Deciders, not NTA.
Teachers want to go back to safe schools if they and their direct family members are medically able. But that’s not the real issue. Staffing is the real sticking point right now. NPS doesn’t have enough staff to teach the number of HS students who signed up for the hybrid model.
@Jane Frantz, sorry, but what you state is simply not true. The MOA essentially ties the hands of the school committee in multiple contractual ways. If they sign it, as you well know, they cannot then do anything without mutual agreement – read, veto by NTA – regardless of what teachers or parents want.
@Jane, to the point of you repeating argument “NTA = your child’s teacher”: would the same argument hold as “US administration = every American citizen” ?
@JaneFrantz, if staffing is the real sticking point right now, then how have all of these other peer districts managed to open? It’s a genuine question.
@Bruce the NPS administration is being more generous than most districts about allowing at risk staff to teach remotely. Some districts are not giving these accommodations to vulnerable populations.
Originally, the district was granting accommodations for people who were at risk themselves or had a household member at risk. However, to staff middle school hybrid, it seems they will no longer grant a remote accommodation for vulnerable household members.
Several issues come into play. One is that HS classes in Newton are significantly larger than in other communities and most often the higher level classes are the largest. The other is the number of staff who are medically unable to be in an enclosed space with a large number of people for a sustained period of time, making staffing in person education difficult. The third is that, even if Newton decided to hire more teachers, not many people really want to teach at this point due to the pandemic. Students may be at low risk, but adults are not.
NTA doesn’t veto anything. NTA and the school committee negotiate, and frankly, the school committee has won on most of the high profile issues, the exception being the outside assessment of the ventilation systems.
The school committee should sign absolutely nothing and cede absolutely no leverage. The fact are completely on the side of kids being in schools.
I’d really like to hear from other current teachers/NTA members, not just Jane Frantz. How do you feel about where we’re at in Newton right now vs the other communities that are in school? What would you prefer and why? How do you view the School Administration and your union leadership? What do you wish was different? Use a pseudonym, it’s fine.
I had the chance to speak with a teacher at one of our high schools this past weekend. I didn’t specifically ask about the NTA, but she/he emphatically wished we were back in school/in person. There was clear frustration with our current situation, both sides – the School Administration and NTA.
I’m beginning to wonder that myself, @Michael Slater.
One has to wonder if Mike Zilles (NTA President) is pushing an agenda in the best interest of Teachers AND STUDENTS or Mike Zilles?
Councilor Norton reported in her October Newsletter this morning that enrollment is down by nearly 700 students as families and frieds flee NPS for private schools for an in-person education.
Yes, the NTA is advocating for the safe return of Teachers and that is commendable, but how can NPS fund open teaching positions, Covid testing, HVAC improvements and other safety measures when the NTA is demanding $4k and $7k stipends for teachers to change classes? Why is there no committment to return to in-person – either written into the MOA or implied – if these demands are met?
Worst of all, they are playing right into the hands of Betsy Devos and all those who want to privatize education. Those 700 students who left NPS are also taking with them public dollars; and fanning the flames of support to Devos and friends. If given the choice (and vouchers), is it feasible that even more families flee NPS?
You can fault DF, MF and the School Committee for letting things get to to this point, but the NTA’s tone and tactics is biting their nose to spite their face. If this grand standing and inability to find middle ground continues, we can kiss public education as we know it goodbye.
https://youtu.be/V4ErWFuOZxQ
I also think it really depends on what we want to go in person for. At the middle level, to create a hybrid schedule, we are cutting 75 minutes of face to face instructional time with a teacher per week per class in order to go in person. For some people, that 75 minute cut in instructional and content time is worth it to be able to have some level of socialization. For others, they would prefer more content covered and more instructional time and place less value on the socialization piece. We need to realize that going hybrid is strictly for social emotional reasons, as the academic piece is decreasing in this plan.
If you look at he superintendent’s goals for 2020-2021 to be presented at the school committee meeting on 11/2, DF has six goals within the student leaning category. Revise and update plans for high school in-person/hybrid learning models is the last of six bullets within that category. Note that his anticipated outcome does not explicitly state getting students back into the classroom, but rather vaguely stating evaluate options and optimal plan. There is no date when this should happen.
His other five goals do not emphasize in person learning. Four of the focus specifically on remote learning. Keep in mind these are goals for the full 2020-2021 academic year.
(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BHAKaZJ6BEUaOSHyq1mKOAm1sx7qB1rc)
Many of us have strong opinions about whether DF should be retained. His ability to lead NPS is worthy to discuss. In the short term, however, he needs help because these issues under his leadership make it virtually impossible for him to achieve his goals satisfactorily.
Thinking of out of the box solutions, NPS needs another professional with the authority and accountability similar to DF to focus on these issues of high school in person learning. Whether it be a consultant, an assistant superintendent with greater authority and autonomy, or a temporary “co -superintendent”, it seems clear to me that the current approach of the HS working group is not going to lead to prompt outcomes for in person learning. Newton will continue to lag its peers both currently and when planning for the eventual return to full time in-person learning occurs.
Correct me if I’m wrong. The NTA rep’s salary is paid by Newton Taxpayers (as opposed to teacher union dues) and the NTA rep is refusing to meet with the NPS School Working Group.
Who supervises the NTA Rep?
The authors of this open letter assume that the NTA had tremendous leverage in negotiating the terms of the tentative agreement we reached with the Newton Public Schools.
We did not. The Newton Public Schools made almost all of the key decisions about how to reopen schools unilaterally, including the decision to open the high schools remotely for the “foreseeable future.” While this summer we did negotiate with the school committee’s negotiations team, little from the NTA’s reopening proposals are reflected in the Newton Public School’s decisions. As far as we could tell, all of the real decisions happened in the Superintendent’s office. The school committee rubber-stamped those decisions.
To provide context: In July, the NTA proposed a hybrid model for reopening high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. Our proposals weren’t perfect, but we had good ideas that the district for the most part ignored. We emphasized safety and sustainability. We believed then, and continue to believe now, that the best plan for reopening schools in person makes it possible to keep them open and assures all stakeholders–students, parents, and educators–that the schools themselves are not places where the coronavirus spreads. As president of the NTA, I am still convinced that’s achievable. But it’s going to be a lot harder now; in many ways the plans the district has put in place box us in. And there has been a real erosion of trust.
There are parts of this tentative agreement where the NTA was able to nudge the school committee a little. Most of these victories do not really impact the general public, nor do they have a big price tag for the district. One (#11) just makes it more possible for us to hold the district accountable for adhering to the terms of this agreement.
There is, in this agreement, one huge victory that does impact everyone: We forced the district to order an outside evaluation of their HVAC systems. All summer and into the fall, the district mislead both us and the Newton public about the preparations they had taken to prepare the school ventilation systems for reopening. We forced them to do what almost every other districts across the state has already done–make sure there is sufficient fresh air in every classroom–and make the results of this work public.
That said, on most aspects of this tentative agreement that directly impact parents and students, what you read is largely the work of the school committee and central administration.
So to the authors of this open letter, I would say: You are in fact asking the school committee to disown their own proposal, their own plans. And you are asking them to disown them in the context of collective bargaining, where doing so would be bad faith bargaining. There is much in these plans we would have liked to have changed, but about all they left us room to negotiate was the impact of their proposals. We did that, in good faith.
We have been skeptical all summer and fall of the district’s good faith at the bargaining table. We have doubted that their negotiations team even listened to our proposals; we are sure they did not really “try them on,” to see if they might work. Now, you are asking them to renege on the very agreement we finally reached.
Finally–yes, it is true that, once ratified, any changes to this MOA must come by mutual agreement. During the summer, the district justified acting unilaterally on the grounds of exigency–they were under a timeline for submitting plans to the state and implementing these in September. But going forward, by law, if the district wants to change existing plans, they must negotiate with us as equal partners.
That, from the union’s perspective, would feel like a welcome novelty: genuine collaboration.
@MikeZiles Thank you for the explanation. Yet, NPS is moving forward with a planning group working, according to Ruth Goldman, 10-60 hrs. per week without the NTA at the table.
If I understand your explanation correctly, under the MOA, once the planning group comes up with a recommendation for a transition to hybrid learning, NPS will need to negotiate with the NTA. There is no guarantee that the plan will be acceptable to the NTA. Therein, lies the conundrum. If NTA disagrees with the re-opening it further delays a return to in person learning. If they were part of the process throughout then any objections could be addressed during the planning or at the very least be transparent to parents about the issues.
@MikeZiles Thank you for weighing in. As a co-author of this open letter, I can tell you that parents have been left completely in the dark, and we are simply trying to understand what is happening behind the scenes. One of questions surrounds the MOA and its purpose. On its face, it does not even refer to the working group that has been charged to examine the re-opening of our high schools, nor does it contemplate its recommendations.
Since superintendent Fleishman and his staff excluded us all from his planning over the summer, and the school committee is not forthcoming with credible information, we are left to our own devices to understand the current situation.
Question: If the NTA is not participating in the working group, does this mean that the NTA will ignore its recommendations? I am not passing judgement, I simply want to understand if our kids will realistically be returning to school this year. An honest answer would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Bill
@MikeZiles, Now we can say we do not have honest answers from Dr. Fleishman, Mayor Fuller, the School Committee, and now….. NTA. This is amazing. In the private sector, you would have all been fired for incompetency, core values and an obvious lack of leadership.
In emergency situations, abdication of duty means you get help, whether you think you need it or not:
– Edit the MOA to reflect a binding agreement between the NTA and NPS based on the working group
findings (otherwise it ensures that teachers will not return this school year ’20/’21).
– NPS SC rejects the MOA until teachers agree to terms laid out by the working group. They renege on
the ill advised agreement for the sake of Newton students.
It would be best to debate these positions in an open forum, but the NPS seems to have no appetite for this. They would rather hunker down with no external input and appear miraculously with the perfect solution. Newton parents are still waiting….
This is you new reality.
The WG will present options that the School Committee will then vote on. The WG is not the Decider – the School Committee is.
Bill- It just occurred to me what may be missing in the conversation. Whether or not the NTA has a representative on the WG, the agreement will be negotiated. Many issues are negotiated, but that doesn’t mean NTA gets its way. Given the past experience, you can feel comfortable that teachers and staff are low on the list of priorities. It took months to negotiate the outside assessment on the ventilation systems that I think most parents agree was a good outcome. It was NTA that fought for that.
@Jane Frantz – I think you just touched on exactly why people are so wary of the fact that the NTA is not involved with the Working Group and of the School Committee signing the MOA.
At the moment, the Working Group is not scheduled to have complete its work until four months into the school year. Once complete, the plan will then go to the School Committee which will take time. After that negotiations with the MTA will only begin. If those negotiations once again take additional “months” the school year will be winding down by the time there is a chance that kids will be back in school.
Frankly I think the School Committee signing a binding agreement (the MOA) with the NTA at this point should be off the table. What’s in the MOA at the moment is an agreement for today’s status quo which nearly everyone agrees is not what we want for our kids and teachers for the entire year. Signing today’s MOA will inevitably put either a roadblock or a lengthy delay in moving beyond 100% on-line high school.
I believe what nearly everyone would like to see is the NPS, the School Committee,the Working Group and the NTS to work together urgently, cooperatively and in good faith to get kids off of 100% Zoom and into the classroom to whatever degree is feasible. Once done, a new MOA that formalizes that arrangement can be negotiated.
If this is all done serially, as it would and should be in normal times, we’ll most likely be sentencing our high school kids and teachers to an entire year of Zoomducation.
Very nicely said Jerry.
Jerry – Teachers were working in the buildings all during the negotiations for the ventilation systems. We continue to work during all negotiations. I think there are some significant misunderstandings about what it means to negotiate.
If all teaching stopped during negotiations, then school would have been out of session for 4 months during the last contract negotiations, and a year and a half during the negotiations of the contract before that.
School will continue after the school committee votes on an option.
Most of what will be negotiated will most likely be health and safety issues that, in fact, benefit the students.
After watching with alarm the coronavirus numbers rising in Massachusetts, I can’t help but think that it is the virus that is the actual Decider and we should be prepared for a full year of remote despite any efforts, no matter how inadequate.
That’s not to say there should not be a better- and better articulated plan – but I would caution against optimism for anyone demanding “full in-person school now.” We appear to be headed in the opposite direction, at least for a time, in all aspects of our lives, unfortunately.
Jerry and Bill – I’m asking an honest question: do you think it would be helpful for NTA to put together an explanation of how NTA functions within the school system? I think people would be shocked to see how many health and safety issues are negotiated that benefit everyone who works or learns in a school building.
Jane, from my perspective, I have actually been very sympathetic to the NTA and their efforts early on to make their concerns (e.g HVAC) heard by the superintendent and school committee. In fact, my daughter’s teachers are doing their best under difficult circumstances… in some cases, excelling.
I think the point many of us are trying to make is that we have not seen the key stakeholders, who are all intelligent adults, work together to agree on what is best for our kids. The fact that we are discussing a new working group and a new MOA (that does not refer to the new working group) in late October is concerning.
Since the previous negotiations in August did not result in an agreement, many parents are skeptical regarding negotiations that will take place in January.
Perhaps the NTA can state their position and what they expect in upcoming negotiations with the school committee, including their role in these negotiations. It could be valuable at this point to add clarity to this situation.
Doug – COVID infection rates are up +194; COVID deaths are up +1. (NY Times) Better disease management has reduced death rates of those infected 70% in the US. COVID will be with us for a while, maybe forever if reinfection is possible.
We can open our school with COVID, as most of the world has done, taking reasonable precautions.
I refuse to conflate death rate– which, while perhaps less common in younger victims, generally follows infection rate in scale by about 3 weeks — with actual infection rate.
Not to mention inadequate testing, and symptomless spread to more vulnerable folks at home.
All I’m saying is that while I agree that planning can be better, we should be prepared for remote schooling for awhile- perhaps with a focus on making that the best it can be (I did see on one of thee threads a comment that a student said it was better then the spring, if- of course- not ideal).
None of this is fun. none of this is what we want. But we don’t stop this thing without being prepared to do the things that keep it from spreading
What I don’t understand is the arbitrary 12:30 end of the day for the in-school days for elementary students and 11:15 for middle school? What is the rationale for that as opposed to 3 p.m.?
If a child or teacher was infected, the teacher already had contact with the student in the morning?
Why do elementary working parents have to pay to have their children attend a “remote learning program” locate in the school buildings so that the teacher who is seated in the next door classroom can zoom into the other classroom where the student is with being supervised by an “enrichment remote learning program” staff?
Was it the administration that proposed those short days on the hybrid days or was it the NTA?
I think the reason they went with the short days to start was so they wouldn’t need to deal with lunch and the complications that brings. Their orig plan was then to work towards full days over time. The MOA only covers this hybrid with half day schedules so once the MTA is approved, any changes to that schedule will need to be negotiated with the NTA. If you listen to the Head of the NTA, Mike Zilles’ presentation to tits members on their website , he makes it clear that the changes will need to be negotiated first before any change is implemented.
@MikeZilles:
Why were so many teachers at the high school level unable to teach in person?
Why is the NTA now not part of the working group?
Enrollment is down by over 5% in the NPS; what does this mean for the NTA?
If NPS remains remote all year, despite metrics, and enrollment further decreases, what does this mean for the NTA?
Can you elaborate on what the NTA Proposed in July for a hybrid model?
The science indicates that schools are not spreaders of Covid:
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/202-more-students-staff-at-mass-schools-test-positive-for-coronavirus/2216674/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/feared-covid-outbreaks-in-schools-yet-to-arrive-early-data-shows/2020/09/23/0509bb84-fd22-11ea-b555-4d71a9254f4b_story.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/schools-arent-superspreaders/616669/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-and-the-catholic-schools-11603927142
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/health/coronavirus-schools-children.html
(actually too many article to list)
Does this information correlate with your proposals in July?
Wouldn’t this new information make is easier to open the schools?
You stated that “it’s going to be a lot harder now…”
Why?
The science and information we now have from the other schools that are open –meaning everywhere but Newton -Shouldn’t that make it easier to open the schools?
Is it going to be “a lot harder now” because the NTA failed to take part in the working group? please explain why it will be harder?
@Amy: Some in our community think the NTA *wants* school enrollment to decline. Provided teacher salaries and pensions remain in place, wouldn’t they prefer to have fewer students?
A cynical, but maybe accurate, view is that the awful “customer service” we now see in Newton Public Schools is part of a deliberate strategy to drive as many students as possible to private and parochial schools. The public schools keep the taxpayer funds, so they have no incentive to retain students.
@Jane, @ Mike Z – Yes, I for one would love to hear a simple explanation of the role the NTA plays in Newton.
@All – The simplest of questions that remains unanswered in all of this is why is Newton’s process to utterly dysfunctional? Why are we the ONLY district without a plan?
@ Mike Z. Yes, there is most definitely an ‘erosion of trust’. What is your plan to recover that trust??
I’m starting to feel like Zilles is committing extortion. I work in an old building with iffy ventilation and other concerns and I can’t do everything from home. Same with my husband. I can’t imagine myself or my coworkers coming up with a list of demands like this. Granted, we aren’t unionized, but there are a lot of people out there working in less-than-ideal conditions and we’re taking the precautions and making it work.
Moved to Newton- I’ll try to put one together in the next few days.
One thing to note: Mike Zilles is the face of the NTA and the one person the community knows. However, much to the dismay of the school committee, he gets his information through a long standing, well-established structure that provides feedback from a wide swathe of the membership to him and the leadership team, all of whom are NPS teachrs and staff working in the schools.
For example, if a significant number of teachers report that the air in their rooms is disgusting and the windows don’t open (this was a serious concern), he and the negotiating team act on that information.
NTA had no part in deciding who had medical conditions that put individuals in a high risk category. CDC guidelines determined what medical conditions qualified a person as being in such a category and human resources collected the data from the NPS staff.
I see a lot of questions about the role of the NTA. I hope Mr. Zilles will respond to that. I would just remind everyone that the NTA makes endorsements of politicians including candidates for Mayor, School Committee and City Council.
I did not earn their endorsement in the last election, and for those who did… did that impact your actions now?
During the 2019 municipal election, candidates were given a questionnaire to fill in and a due date, NTA gave Emily Norton two extensions to that due date and she did not pass it in within the time frame of either one and continued to ask for more time. She passed in her questionnaire after a point when the teachers and staff had time to read it because they were either in class teaching or carrying out their professional responsibilities. Every other candidate who chose to seek an endorsement passed their questionnaires in on time.
As I often remind people, this is a blog. A lot of questions were posed above. Mike Zilles, as every other member of NTA, is working and has very little time for blogs. I happened to hop on a week ago, after not reading it for a long time.
Mike chose to take the time to explain the history of what happened this summer, the willingness of teachers to work in a hybrid model, the outright rejection of any suggestions from teachers who have a great deal of knowledge about how schools function, the lack of acknowledgment that the decision to go fully remote at the HS level was an administrative and school committee decision, that the NTA voice was not included – just as yours was not – in the decision.
While I commend the city council for becoming involved in this situation, it should be noted that these councilors have not had conversations with teachers and/or staff either. I have reached out to two councilors on my own to speak with them. One conversation was productive with active listening and the other was completely unproductive.
Until the city engages with teachers and staff in a meaningful manner – as in sitting down for productive conversations, perhaps in a forum format where they listen rather than talk at teachers/staff – the city will continue to on the same course.
The lack of transparency with NTA endorsements is troubling. The NTA does not share candidate answers with the public. All the public sees is the endorsement. An unethical candidate can tell the NTA one thing, get the endorsement, and tell the public something else. Candidates should refuse to fill out NTA questionnaires until the NTA agrees to release ALL questionnaires. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
As parents we are caught in the middle; desparate for a life raft with few to go around.
As a group, we have ALWAYS been supportive of teachers. Donating time and money for gestures of appreciation. Giving holiday gifts when explicitly asked not to by the NPS. Wearing red T-shirts when Teachers were in need of a new contract; writing letters to the Mayor, School Committe and City Council in support.
Most parents like and appreciate their kids’ teachers. This was the consensus in speaking with other parents after this week’s open houses at both Newton North and South. We see the fatigue in their eyes trying to explain they are being forced to work with a watered down curriculum with little substantive learning. Or pleading for students to “engage”, as most have their camera’s turned off doing Zoom class. I cannot begin to imagine lecturing to a faceless computer screen… just a blackness filled with only names of student they barely got to know. One would think the emotional health of Teachers is at risk as well.
But here’s the thing @Jane (and I say this with the utmost respect), what we see from Zilles and the MOA is a list of DEMANDS, posted prominently on the NTA site. $4k and $7k stipends for switching classes, grades or schools, when EVERYONE is suffering financial setbacks due to Covid. Demands that if unmet, are a barrier to hybrid or in-person, when every peer district other than Newton has managed to re-open with various degrees of in-person learning. Can you understand, can all teachers understand, how this looks?
Parents do NOT want to villify our teachers, and I think we’ve consistently shown that historically. And to a degree, you are correct in that it is Zilles’ job to speak for, and fight for, Teachers’ rights and their union. But here’s the thing…
Mr. Zilles is on the offensive, withi a list of unyeilding demands
Ms. Goldman jumped the shark with her self-rightous defense manifesto in response to the City Council’s email for urgency
Dr. Fleishman is in a fantasy word, actually uttering the words last night at the Newton South PTSO hosted QA, “grades don’t matter” (at both the high school AND college levels), and continued his defense of the current full remote curriculum
What’s common in all of the above, is a complete LACK of cooperation. Parents preach cooperation from the day kids can sit up and walk. Teachers bake it into their curriculums from Pre-K to high school. A few days way from the presidential election, we criticize our elected offical’s partisian polictics and inability to, “reach across the aisles.” Yet, we are seeing parties right here in Newton, defiantly standing their ground, with little compromise or give. Perhaps it’s easier said than done.
The way I see it… we have about a week and a day (excluding weekends); and two School Committee meetings, to get a plan in place for in-person at all levels (but especially high school, where there currently is none). A little over a week, to put aside the missteps that got us to where we are today, to wipe the slate clean, and show everyone that the SC, NPS and NTA, CAN collaborate, communicate and demonstrate the cooperation that we have all been trying to instill in our kids since the beginning of time. Can do vs can’t do.
Well said Matt
While I agree, that the lack of involvement of the NTA in the working group is problematic considering the terms of the MOA and must be addressed, let us keep our focus on Fleishman and the SC.
After listening to last night’s NSHS Q&A, they both continue to think that remote learning is fine for now, especially since they are “perfecting” the remote plan. As reflected in Ruth Goldman’s response to the City Council and one I have since heard a few times, the new party line is that Newton opened the most schools of any of our peer districts and should be commended. They continue to speak in this self congratulatory tone of the herculean effort they have done to this point. One interesting admission that Ruth Goldman did mention last night, however, is that the NPS and the SC focused on opening up the elementary schools and perhaps didn’t focus as much on the high schools as they should have.
It is also infuriating to hear DF talk about their emphasis on social and emotional learning when, in fact, the biggest obstacle to keeping kids healthy socially and emotionally is keeping them at home all day every day.
Although I am not a big fan of dramatic change during a crisis, I am beginning to come around to the fact that NPS administration and the SC are over-matched and do not have the requisite leadership skills and decisiveness in this situation to get Newton high schools back in-person I sometimes wonder if we are all characters in a Kafka novel.
@Matt. Thank you. Exactly. @Jane please every town except Newton is open. The fights in the sandbox over the summer need to put aside for the sake of the students who are never discussed or considered.
Bruce,
I totally agree. As a parent of a freshman, she has NO in person opportunities. She isn’t a sports kid. Everything is online, and she has not met ONE new person this year in person. While she is doing well academically, she is struggling socially, and there is NO social support. I am frustrated. I am very frustrated. I have reached out to the social worker. Nothing can be done.
Newton In Person Learning has started a petition. Please consider signing before Monday!
https://sites.google.com/view/inpersonlearningfornewton/home
Matt-The language of negotiations is harsh, without any question of a doubt. This is nothing new. Each side goes in with demands, asking for more than they know they’re going to get. Please be assured the SC does the same.
Then the two teams sit in a room and come up with a compromise.
I’m surprised that this process isn’t quite well known. It’s one of the reasons I offered to write up how NTA functions within a complex school system..
Please keep in mind that NTA negotiated in the summer and got very little. NTA had a very good proposal for a hybrid model. The SC chose their own, without including any suggestions from the NTA plan. That was the result of its “unyielding demands”.
The plan for a HS model fell apart after HR received the results of the staff survey that requested information about whether teachers/staff were medically able to return.
As for the city council, saying you want something to happen without offering any suggestions for how that may happen may not get us very far.
Matt- Your kind words about the teachers/staff are greatly appreciated.
Jane,
I just want to say that your comments make me feel worse about the NTA than I already did, which I could scarcely say was possible. I just hope they remember this time when they come asking for more money on their next contract. The excuse we always hear is that neighboring communities are paying X so we must pay the same.
Well neighboring communities are in school.
Where the hell is the NTA?
As a NPS teacher, parent, and resident I am ashamed to Be associated with the NTA.
Mike Zilles has only made things worse for NPS members. As a HS teacher, I have voted consistently for in person instruction. My colleagues have ironically done the opposite. If the taxpayers only knew the crap that goes on…I wish I could post screenshots. Someday the news will get out like it did a few years ago.
I am so sorry to all the residents that it has come to this..I promise I’ll do what I can to get the kids back. I won’t be signing the NTA MOA on 11/2. I encourage the small amount of staff who are residents to do the same.
@NPS parent and Teacher thank you. The Teachers in Newton are wonderful.
Amy – Just to be clear, NTA has never had a vote about whether teachers should go back to school in person. Not once, never mind multiple votes. NTA did one survey last summer asking about the comfort level of returning, given the lack of building preparation, lack of PPE, ventilation problems, windows that wouldn’t open, etc. at that point in time. It was intended to assess the concerns of the membership and it established what NTA planned to bargain for.
I’m going to repeat this because this person There has never been a teacher vote about returning to school. The plans for the reopening of the schools are school committee votes.
In addition, NTA submitted a plan for hybrid learning plans at all levels in the summer and recently for the opening of the middle schools. Both were rejected. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to go back – remote teaching is about as satisfying as remote learning and takes way more time to plan for.
This person claiming that we’ve had votes is an anonymous poster whose information is simply not the truth.
Craig – Sometime I’ll tell you about my blog relationship with a man named Kim. Let’s just say we took a personal dislike for one another on V14 – until we met. It’s a blog. Always remember that and keep it in perspective. You’re not a union kind of guy and I get that and it’s perfectly fine with me.
I find it troubling per Emily’s comment that the NTA endorses candidates for School Committee. That would seem to suggest creating a huge conflict in contract negotiations if committee members are beholden to the support of the union for election or re-election. I frankly don’t understand why this would be allowed or be okay. Where does that leave the remaining constituents? Do SC members who have been endorsed by the union recuse themselves from discussions and negotiation?
Emily, I’m confused by your implied criticism of endorsements by public-sector labor unions.
You may not have received the endorsement of the NTA, but didn’t you receive the endorsement of the Newton Police Superior Officers Association?
Does that impact your actions now? Is that an endorsement that you hope to earn once again in the next election?
@Jane @NPS Teacher and Parent stated:
“Mike Zilles has only made things worse for NPS members. As a HS teacher, I have voted consistently for in person instruction. My colleagues have ironically done the opposite.”
In any event, the problem is that now–the NTA will not take part in the working group set up to plan for a return to in person learning. Bad optics on the part of the NTA and not helpful. Work together and stop discussing what happened over the summer. This is important to our children and our community.
Matt Lai SO WELL stated. You expressed everything I am feeling. Thank you!!
I don’t believe the city councilors are involved in negotiations with municipal unions. That’s the Mayor’s job. In contrast, the School Committee members are directly involved in NTA negotiations.
Amy – I’m sorry, but letting untrue statements about NPS employees stand has led us to a very bad place already and you really can’t ask teachers and staff to be badgered by untrue information. This statement is untrue:
“As a HS teacher, I have voted consistently for in-person instruction. My colleagues have ironically done the opposite.” S/he also says s/he will not be “signing” the MOA on 11/2.
This anonymous poster most likely isn’t an NPS employee as evidenced by two untrue statements, the second being that s/he does not know that NTA members do not sign the MOA: they vote for or against it.
This type of anonymous post undermines the efforts of those who are doing their best to make a really bad situation as good as it can be. I’ve taught for decades and this is by far the worst situation I’ve ever experienced in 48 years. I would do anything to be able to subtract a few years from my age and teach in person. But because I teach remotely doesn’t mean I’m opposed to the hybrid model – I do support a well-constructed hybrid. There’ll always be students who need to work remotely and parents who need their kids to work remotely for family reasons, and I’m more than happy to teach them.
The teachers on the Working Group are NTA members and work in the two high schools. No doubt, they’ll carry a heavy burden, knowing they represent a diverse set of teachers all with different needs in order to be successful with their students.
On the other hand, having “NTA” on the committee only feeds into the meme that all teachers think alike and work as a bloc and that’s simply not true. Teachers/staff in different departments and levels have varying needs. It’s best that individual teachers/staff communicate with the Working Group so that they can have a more nuanced view of the needs of the system.
I’m writing my letter today about the length of class blocks and the needs of special cohorts of students. It’s only information from the field – I won’t be trying to convince the WG to make any particular recommendation for an overall plan, just giving feedback.
Jane,
People aren’t willing to listen to or have an open mind conversation about unions, etc. The critics stigmatize, demonize, pick apart, and generalize in a way that makes it impossible to have dialogues about issues of this nature. It is convenient to solely blame the union—–and the teachers. Does the SC, David F, Newton parents’ expectations, highly esteemed Newtonians, or Central Administration play a role? Or should we fall back on the go-to assertion that this falls squarely on the shoulders of NPS teachers and the NTA? Everyone is taking a hit, Newtonians. We are weathering the consequences of a pandemic. Please stop conflating what was with what is. The Garden City loves to turn disagreement into mudsligning melees.
Jason – I agree.
Sigh…
@Michael: I was proud to receive the endorsement of one of the police unions in 2019, but I’m sure they were not pleased that I voted to reduce the police budget in 2020. I did so because I felt in a pandemic with revenues plummeting, it shouldn’t be just some departments (Parks and Library) that see cuts while others see increases. However as I watch what is happening with the schools now, I am keenly aware of one sitting School Committee member (endorsed by NTA) who posted on Facebook last year that the interests of the NTA are the same as the interests of the public. They are not. It is supposed to be a negotiation between the NTA and the School Committee, not a list of demands that are automatically agreed to.
Emily – If you had followed the negotiations, you would know that the school committee won on all major points, with the exception of the outside assessment of the ventilation system.
As an FYI: both sides come into a negotiations session with “proposals”, not demands, and from there try to come to agreements on issues. The community should rest assured that the school committee won big time in the most recent set of negotiations.
@Jane,
How can anyone not in the union follow the confidential negotiations? Unless a member of the school committee doesn’t have the sense to keep his mouth shut and not disclose what happens in private confidentially, we have no access to the negotiations.