NTA eBulletin: March 14, 2026
- Mike Zilles
- 5 hours ago
- 9 min read
Question of the Week (new)
Last week's question: When do you think the snow will be melted, so that our lawns, sidewalks and streets will be clear? (Not the huge piles in parking lots.)
This week's question: Should the NTA endorse a statewide campaign by Massachusetts Families for Vaccines to support House bill 2554, which would remove the non-medical (religious) school vaccine exemption?
Background
The Director of Massachusetts Families for Vaccines reached out to the NTA to ask for our endorsement in support of H.2554. We shared this request with our Executive Committee, who believed that this was (1) related to education, as the bill concerns a public health issue in public schools. As such, we decided thid request for us to endorse merits NTA consideration; (2) we created a democratic process for decision-making to give members a voice in deciding whether to endorse.The process:
First, we offer this non-binding poll/question whether you think we should endorse.
Second, we will share the results of this poll with the Representative Assembly, which shall then vote on whether to endorse.
Here are links to more information:
The question, once again: Should the NTA endorse a statewide campaign by Massachusetts Families for Vaccines to support House bill 2554, which would remove the non-medical (religious) school vaccine exemption?
In Memory of Judith Andleman
Former NTA Vice President and NPS teacher Judith Andleman passed away on February 18. On February 12, her daughter, Debbie Klein, reached out to me and asked if the NTA took donations; I shared a donation link with her, and she included it in Ms. Andleman's obituary. As a result of Ms. Klein's generosity, the NTA received nearly $2,000 in donations.
On behalf of the NTA, I thank Ms. Klein for her generosity. Though I did not know Judith personally, it is clear that she shared her dedication to the NTA with her daughter. We share condolences with Ms. Andleman's family and friends.
Arbitration Win - Doubling (or more!) Sick Days for Long-Time Employees (new)
Each year, members of Units A, B, and E are allocated 15 sick days (1 is donated to the Sick Leave Bank). But did you know that, if you’ve been in the district for 15 or more years, you should be receiving double that amount or more?
The collective bargaining agreement for these units states: “After fifteen (15) years’ service, an employee shall begin each successive year with a minimum of fifteen (15) days’ sick leave plus one (1) day for each year of service; after twenty-five (25) years’ service, an employee shall begin each successive year with a minimum of fifteen (15) days’ sick leave plus two (2) days for each year of service.”
Unfortunately, this language is not included in the Unit C Collective Bargaining Agreement. That's something we obviously need to work on.
Once you hit year 15, you should be receiving thirty sick days, not fifteen, with an additional day added for each subsequent year up until year 25. And when you hit year 25, you should receive 65 days, not 15, with an additional two for each subsequent year.
A maximum of 15 of days can roll over each year. Given the additional sick day allocation, most Unit A, B and E members with 15 or more years of service will be able to roll over this maximum of 15 days each year, providing long time Unit A, B and E members with much more security if they face severe illness or injury.
The district had not been allocating these days. The NTA grieved this contract violation, and, as usual, an independent arbitrator agreed that the district was in the wrong.
During the arbitration hearing, the district claimed that because the “provision does not specifically state that the additional sick leave days ‘must be annually front-loaded’ into an employee’s sick leave accruals, or printed on pay stubs, or included in annual accumulations,” they don’t have to do it! That seems a little like arguing: “Well, sure, I know I’m supposed to grade/give feedback on student work, but my supervisor never explicitly told me I need to write it down, so I guess I can skip the whole thing!”
If you’ve been in the district 15+ years, you should see additional sick days added to your paystub, and, going forward, long-time employees should continue to see additional sick days allocated each fall in accordance with our contract.
FY27 Budget Season (new)
Although the FY27 budget season is well underway, it is hard to get a good read on what is happening.
On the one hand, Marc Laredo has increased the allocation to the NPS by 5.75%. Moreover, he is including in the base approximately $4.5 million that Ruthanne Fuller provided for this year's budget as “one-time funds.” The amount of the increase is ~$21 million; if you add on the ~$4.5 million Laredo is adding to the base, the total increase is ~$25.5 million.
This is a lot! To put this increase in perspective, the last time the mayor increased the school budget by a percentage this high was for the 2007-2008 school year. Even when the citizens of Newton approved an operational override in 2013, then Mayor Warren "only" increased the school allocation by 5.3%. The "normal" increase for much of Mayor Fuller's mayoralty was around 3.6%.
On the other hand, inflation is extremely high, increasing the cost of health insurance premiums and utility rates, among other things. According to Superintendent Nolin, inflation this high means that even this very large increase in funding is not enough to level fund the schools, nor enough to introduce the next stages of her proposed “Thrive” budget--in particular, for next year, the introduction of MTSS math interventionists in middle schools.
Unfortunately, we once again have a debate about what "fully funding" the budget means.
Frustratingly, we do not yet have a budget book, which would outline, in line item detail, how Superintendent Nolin is directing the funding she has been allocated. Dr. Nolin has promised the school committee they will have this budget book before their next meeting on Monday. March 16.
If you would like to follow what is happening, here are some important resources.
Dr. Nolin’s March 9 slide deck presenting her budget proposal.
Dr. Farag's March 9 slide deck presenting the elementary school budget proposal.
Casey Ngo-Miller’s March 11 slide deck. presenting the Office of Student Services budget proposal
Dr. Flanagan’s March 16 slide deck presenting the Office of Teaching and Learning budget proposal
Budget questions school committee members submitted to the Superintendent.
Video tape of the March 9 school committee budget meeting (overall budget and elementary budget presentations)
Video tape of the March 11 school committee budget meeting (Office of Student Services budget presentation)
Negotiations Focus Groups (new)
Our next cycle of contract negotiations is rapidly approaching!
Before the NTA’s negotiations team sits down with the school committee’s, we need to understand better the priorities of our members - what are we looking for in a fair compensation package? What do we want to see changed about our working conditions? Where can our leave policies be improved? Once we have the answers to these questions, we can craft a bargaining platform that will be the team’s north star as they navigate negotiations.
And that’s where you come in!
Over the next month and a half, each building’s NTA building representatives and contract action team captains will be holding members-only focus groups to gather input.
Please make every effort to attend. While there will be a forthcoming bargaining survey, and our team will always seek member input, these focus groups are pivotal in creating our platform. They’re some of the best opportunities you’ll have to ensure that your voice is heard and incorporated into the foundation of our negotiations.
Retirement Plus (new)
The fight continues to pass H.4361 to give educators who might’ve missed the opportunity in the early 2000's a one-time chance to switch into Retirement Plus. As part of the MTA’s advocacy around this, we would greatly appreciate if you would take the time to fill out this Google form.
Immigration Training (new)
On Monday, March 30 at 4pm, the NTA will be collaborating with LUCE to host an immigration training at the new NTA Office (29 Crafts St, Suite 470). The training will explain City of Newton and NPS policies and expectations around ICE. It will further prepare interested members to get more involved in their communities through understanding what the LUCE ICE watch hotline is and how to use it, knowing their rights interacting with ICE, practicing de-escalation behaviors if encountering ICE, and coordinating with the LUCE hotline to protect and support immigrant students and families.
If you’re interested in attending this training, or can’t make it and are interested in a potential future, virtual training, please complete this Google form.
Mass Child Grant
The Massachusetts Child is a reimbursement program available to all MTA preK-12 local associations. Members use funds from their local associations to purchase qualifying items for students, and Mass Child reimburses the local associations. Qualifying items include everyday essentials, items that assist the physical, mental and emotional health of students experiencing financial need, and books.
Please note that Mass Child does not reimburse individual members; all grant applications must have the approval of the local president, and reimbursement is made to the local association. The NTA reimburses you. Therefore, please do not fill out the online application on the Mass Child website.
Our local process for use of Mass Child Grant funds:
Contact Cindy Colantonio at (office@newteach.org) before purchasing items to be certain that NTA still has Mass Child Grant Funds available and that the items you will be purchasing will qualify for reimbursement.
Once you have approval, purchase the items and submit your receipts to Cindy (You can do this electronically via email or by sending them through the Pony).
NTA will reimburse you directly right away. We will handle the submission to Mass Child for local reimbursement.
NTA Office Relocation
The Newton Teachers Association Office has moved. We are now located at 29 Crafts Street, Suite 470. Our new office is handicapped accessible. We invite you to stop in and see our -- your -- relocated NTA office.
Background: The NTA had been at 46 Austin Street since at least 2008 (correction from last week); in 2022, we moved from our 3rd floor office to the 2nd floor. Last fall, our landlord, the Russian School of Math, informed us that they would be terminating our lease and that we had to move out by January 1, 2026 so that they could begin renovations. We negotiated a settlement with them for breaking our lease that allowed us to remain until February 15, with two months of free rent.
For our new location on Crafts Street, we negotiated a 10 year lease with a landlord that has a reputation for reliability.
Blue Cross Blue Shield GLP-1 Coverage (updated in red)
NPS employees who participate in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) health insurance plan through Newton received a letter last week from the City of Newton Department of Human Resources and the Newton Public Schools Department of Human Resources informing them that BCBSMA would no longer be covering GLP-1 medications for weight loss effective July 1, 2026.
The letter says that BCBSMA "has made the decision to end coverage for GLP-1 medications."
FYI: the NTA was not informed in advance of this change.
Last year I learned that there could be a change coming. The BCBSMA Labor Liason informed me that had changed its policy of requiring employers to provide had changed, and the BCBSMA insurance would allow employers to offer plans that did not provide GLP-1 coverage. My understanding then was that this was an option that was at the discretion of the employer. So I was caught off guard when I received this letter myself, in my capacity as a plan participant, not as president of the NTA.
I will reach out to our Labor Liason to get further information, and I will let members know what I learn.
I have since followed up with our MTA Field Representative and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Labor Liason. Blue Cross did not require Newton to make this change; it gave city officials permission to do so.The City and NPS made the decision to exclude GLP-1 medications from coverage.
Could this change the decision? The city and school district have agency to continue to offer coverage of GLP-1 medications. Whether they would, I am not sure. Whether we could persuade them, I am not sure. Whether there could be an alternative path, I am not sure.
I am currently investigating two paths:
(1) No Change. By keeping GLP-1 medications in the Blue Cross Blue Shield "formulary," they would still be covered by insurance. This is how GLP-1 medications are covered now. They are, however, a significant driver of insurance premium increases.
(2) Health Savings Accounts (HSA). The pharmaceutical companies charge about twice as much to insurance companies for GLP-1 medications than they charge to individual patients who purchase them at their pharmacies.
Another potential path is to create Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) that allow members to save from their before tax income money that can then be used for medical purposes (sort of like a 403b for medical expenses).
These savings are different than flexible spending savings, which must all be used every year. HSA accounts do not have a strict timeline for when they can be used. Moreover, they are portable, so if you leave the Newton Public Schools, you take your savings with you. HSA savings can also include contributions from the City of Newton and/or the Newton Public Schools.
I have reached out to leaders from municipal unions to coordinate with them. They may have other suggestions/ideas/opinions.
To be continued....
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Teacher Thoughts (new)
The Newton Beacon published a column this week by Newton North english teacher Tom Fabian, on the use of "metrics" in education. His essay is titled "Tests tell us what students don’t know, not what they can learn."
His column is titled "Teacher Thoughts," which, I hope, indicates that this is not just a guest column, but rather, that Tom will be publishing regular columns. I look forward to reading them.
In solidarity,
Mike Zilles, President
NewtonTeachers Association
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