Matt Hills: Very tough choices ahead for Newton Public Schools
Yesterday’s webinar about NPS finances with Matt Hills and Paul Levy (hosted by City Councilor Emily Norton) is a must see. In a short presentation, Matt laid out the structural deficit that was created in the school budget with the most recent contract with the...
Want to learn more about the financial challenges facing NPS?
Here’s an opportunity for the community to hear more about Newton Public School financial Challenges in the years ahead: The Newton school system faced serious fiscal challenges even before COVID and the deep recession, and the next few years now looks to be...
What do you want Fuller to say about racism, police & the budget on Monday?
From Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s newsletter Friday…
I will be speaking to our community on Monday night, June 15 at 6 p.m. Join me on your computer, your smart phone or via NewTV cable television.
I will speak to some of the critical issues facing our community: racism, public safety and the role of our police, our priorities as evidenced in our
Newton Taxpayers’ look at city finances
Nicely timed for just after tax day, and the announcement of Newton’s first $400M Budget, the Newton Taxpayers Association, is doing a presentation this Tuesday evening, April 24, at the Newton Free Library about our spending, debt and policies that affect our...Mayor Warren declares ‘health holiday,’ adding money back into school and city budget
Mayor Setti Warren emailed the School Committee today to inform them that he is declaring a “health holiday” in the fall, an action that will add approximately $1.2 million back into the FY18 school budget. This move should reduce the anticipated deficit...
Wanted: parking for 40 school buses on city property
Hot potato! Which ward(s) may end up hosting about 40 school buses, at least during the day on school days, and according to this flier, even during summers? This came up at last week’s Lincoln-Eliot PTO meeting, and was posted on the Newton Corner googlegroup. And...
Boston Herald’s alternative facts about Mayor Setti Warren’s pay raise
In writing last week that Newton Mayor Setti Warren “pushed a measure to hike his salary by roughly $27,000 to $125,001 as part of a city budget proposal that was ultimately approved by Newton’s aldermen in 2012,” the Boston Herald’s Matt Stout is...Refinancing Newton North bonds to save taxpayers $12.9 million
According to this story by the TAB’s Jonathan Dame, the city has “refinanced a group of 2009 bonds, most of them tied to the Newton North High School reconstruction project.”From the article: A lower interest rate will save the city $12.9 million...
Four-year-old Newton North gym floor needs to be replaced for $225,000?!
A cautionary note as we embark on more school projects. It seems the gym floor at four-year-old Newton North is in need of replacement, at an estimated cost of $225,000. Just Google and you can see the bid solicitation. I don’t know why the ‘estimated low value’ and...Newton Muni-Wonk: Back to Budgets
Now that the Marathon/Opening Day is behind us, the real fun begins with the Board of Aldermen: Budget Time. The budget officially opens Tuesday with the Mayor’s presentation to the BoA in full session. Then the Aldermen review sections in committee. In the...
Should Newton sell ads on…fire trucks?
Baltimore’s City Council is looking at selling advertisements on fire trucks to raise revenues, according to this article in today’s New York Times.