For students and teachers, everyone wishes for a day off of school. Yet, even though a break can be extremely beneficial and relaxing, getting back into a routine refreshes the body. Newton Public School administrators and parents have been out of routine since January 18th, and it took them almost a month to advance towards negotiations. The Newton Strike has captured major headlines and became the longest teacher’s strike in Massachusetts since the 1990s, while changing the eyes of future administration and pushing the boundaries for what teachers deserve.
The Newton teachers contract expired five months prior, making them go on strike after 16 months of failed negotiations. The teachers were striking for more social workers to every elementary and middle school, increased paid parental leave, inadequate cost of living adjustments for all educators and living wage raises for teacher aids and behavior therapists that their contract did not give them. While it is illegal for public employees to go on strike under the Massachusetts state law, the teachers of Newton felt like they are worth more than how they are being treated, no matter what.
“They are striking because they feel like they are not being heard,” Mckenzie Gould, an English teacher at Walpole High School said. “There is a breaking point for teachers and what they deserve.”
However, while the strikers have made major headlines and given people insight on why they are on the picket line in the first place, there were many arising concerns with the countless days off of school. Parents filed lawsuits on the teachers during the strike for keeping their kids out of school. In addition, parents who work full-time jobs have been barely able to find care for their kids, and are quickly becoming desperate to get their children back into a routine. While many felt like it had gone on for too long, the teachers held strong.
“They aren’t purposefully hurting the families, they are striking because they believe the schools need to provide more for the families”, Gould said.
The Newton Teachers Association has collected $625,000 in fines already, and a judge threatened to impose a fine of $100,000 per day until an agreement is met. On Friday, Feb. 2nd, the teachers and the school committee reached a tentative deal on a new four-year contract, which will include increased access to mental health supporters, social workers, a new 60 day paid parental leave and a raise for the starting salaries for aids and behavior therapists. While the strike may be over, the Newton teachers have left a definite impact on future teacher strikes and negotiations.
“We fought tooth and nail for the schools that our students, families and educators deserve,” one teacher from Newton said.
The Newton Teacher Strike exclaimed to communities that the teachers were fighting for what students and admin deserve, and if that meant protesting all day, every day, then so be it. They showed immense strength, empowerment and determination for what they should earn. The strike was not like any other, it changed how teachers will be treated in the future entirely.
