September 5, 2023
Happy 1st Day!
Hello Newton Families,
Hope you had a nice “goodbye summer” weekend this Labor Day! My family certainly did. We did some wood stacking, trout fishing, kayaking, and motorcycle riding. We also had the chance to listen to some great music.
Being with our students at Brown and Oak Hill today – with the rest of the schools to be visited in the coming days – has left me with such a sense of excitement about the school year ahead. They were excited, funny, welcoming, and connected to their schools. The energy and excitement was terrific.
I found the same with our incredible staff: upbeat, welcoming, and engaging. We are a blessed learning community; I am certain of that.
Whether your child is 7 or 17, the first day of school is a milestone and the first weeks back always feel like a different kind of tired – realigning bed and meal times, juggling activities and homework, and supporting kids as they become adjusted to new routines, expectations and teachers. Give yourselves and your kids lots of grace in the coming weeks and know that we are doing the same!
I’d like to share some of my reflections over this past Labor Day Weekend, which serves as a reminder of the employment rights that labor unions have brought to all working people. As that has been a topic of discussion here in Newton, I wanted to share my thoughts with the ultimate goal of fostering collaborative dialogue.
In public discourse and media coverage, it can be implied or interpreted that our current labor negotiations are not productive. I would disagree. While we come with different lenses and viewpoints, we are all on the same side: wanting what is best for our incredible educators and honoring the tireless work they do day in/day out in service to all of our children. Many valid points are being made and in talking about these different ideas, I truly believe that the best possible solutions will ultimately present themselves.
However, what is not often spotlighted is the “both/and” of negotiations like these:
- Teachers work hard and deserve a strong contract AND the City is experiencing challenges over finances post-failed override.
- Teachers want to support their students, be committed to the district, be collaborative with administrators AND they also need to be committed to their unions and to improving their own working conditions.
- To this end, teachers showed up to opening day last week at a location of their union’s choosing, worked hard for kids AND there was a disruption to expected trainings in the district.
The School Committee cares deeply about teachers AND is also responsible for ensuring school opens, stays open, and that all staff receive the legally required training and professional development needed and funded for a district in a year.
There are many more, but the above examples capture some of the recent discussions I have heard in the community. As superintendent, I am one of the chief listeners among constituents, and often, our young people also need their voices amplified. In the midst of the public discourse around unions, my listening tours this summer revealed a constant among students: they are very concerned about their teachers returning to Newton and they are worried that their club/class/sport may no longer be offered.
One thing is clear: we have to land in a contractual space where we are not cutting staff to fund contracts. The kids deserve it, the teachers deserve it, our community deserves it. No matter the outcome of our mediation and negotiations, you have my commitment that my focus is on our students and as such, in supporting our staff. I am deeply aware of the special role that our teachers play each and every day in shaping these young minds.
The Great Resignation has been affecting districts across the nation since the pandemic. NPS is not unique here. But what is unique are all of us. We are all individual people in a truly exceptional community. I am unwavering in my commitment to foster excellent learning environments for our students –- and a big part of that is in supporting our educators in the ways they need and deserve.
As a community, I invite you to join me for an agreement that I always set in my districts and with teams I lead: extend the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words, and actions of others. If we all do this, our views - even the most divergent ones - can all live in a space where collaborative dialogue opens up. It is in this space where the most creative solutions can be found.
I look forward to us working together to do what is best for our incredible community. Newton, we’ve got this!