NTA eBulletin: May 25, 2026
- Mike Zilles
- 8 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Dear Colleagues,
Today's Globe included the following article: "Recent contracts fuel teacher layoffs in Massachusetts." The argument of the piece is straightforwardly and unsubtly stated in the title. But if you want a more in your face version, the subtitle is: "For years, teacher unions fought for better pay and benefits. Now districts, including Boston, are planning layoffs."
The authors cite four union presidents for rebuttal to their argument:
Justin Brown, President of the Brookline Educators Union: “Prop. 2 ½ is at the core of all this. That needs to be revisited so there’s not this continuing pressure on municipal governments.”
Erik Berg, President of the Boston Teachers Union: “No one should accept the false choice between fair compensation and fully staffed schools .... Boston’s students deserve both.”
Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association: “The blame is that there’s not enough money in state coffers and the state is not spending enough to support our public schools. In a state this wealthy, with this many resources, I don’t accept that.”
Mike Zilles, President of the Newton Teachers Assocition: In response to the question--"Did the School Committee warn the union there was the possibility of job cuts before the current contract was signed"?--I say: “We’re always told, ‘We don’t have enough money to do that. If we do that, we’ll have to cut jobs.’"
But let's give former Mayor Ruthanne Fuller the last word regarding the Newton contract. “This is a sustainable contract,” then-Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in 2024 after the deal [for our current contract] was reached. “There will be no layoffs.”
Question of the Week
Last week's question: Do you agree with the following statement: I believe that the Newton Public Schools has a severe absenteeism problem among staff?
This week's question: Do you agree with the following statement: I believe that the NTA and the NPS will come to agreement on a fair contract before the current contract expires on August 31, 2027?
JCC Summer Camp Scholarships (new)
Message from the JCC:
During the week of May 4th, we celebrated teacher appreciation and National Nurses Week, but our gratitude for the educators and nurses in our community goes far beyond a single week. To all the nurses and educators in our community, thank you for your dedication and care. Your work shapes our community every day, and JCC Greater Boston is proud to offer camp scholarships for your children at any of our JCamps programs in support of everything you do. Visit bostonjcc.org/jcamps to learn more about all of our summer camps, and reach out to camp@jccgb.org to discuss available scholarships. We'd love to have your family join us at camp this summer!
Know Your Contract
Longevity Sick Days (Revised)
On May 20, Human Resources Support sent out this email regarding "longevity sick days" for Units A, B and E members.FYI: The email is accurate. Highlights of 'longevity sick days" are:
Each year, members of Units A, B, C and E receive fifteen (15) sick days, of which one (1) is donated to the Sick Leave Bank)
In Units A, B and E, after fifteen (15) years of service, members are allocated one (1) additional day for each year of service, and after twenty-five (25) years of service, members are allocated two (2) additional days for each year of service.
A maximum of 15 days can be carried over each year.
If you’ve been in the district 15+ years, you should now see these additional sick days in ESS, and, going forward, long-time employees in Units A, B and E should continue to see additional sick days allocated each fall in accordance with this provision of our contract.
As the email from HR accurately states: All existing expectations regarding the appropriate use of sick leave remain unchanged. In other words, you are not allowed to take additional paid sick days off because you have been allocated additional sick days.
Per HR:
Sick leave is intended for use in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement and District policies, including for personal illness, medical needs, and other qualifying reasons per contract; Up to fourteen (14) personal sick days per school year for a close family member’s or dear friend’s illness or injury.
And, beginning next year,
FMLA Paid Leave (New)
Effective September 1, 2026, per a new Unit A (Article 5), Unit B (Article 5), Unit C (Article 8), Unit D (Article 7), Unit E (Article 5) contract provision bargained during our last contract negotiations, if your spouse, child or parent suffers an FMLA qualifying illness or injury, in addition to the fourteen (14) personal illness days and two (2) personal days you can currently use to care for them, you may use up to fifteen (15) more of your sick leave days to care for them. Beyond these paid days, any additional days of FMLA leave you must remain out to care for your spouse, child, or parent remain, as they are now, unpaid.
Family Medical Leave (FMLA), Briefly ExplainedThe federal Family Medical Leave Act provides for unpaid leave for an employee to take up to sixty (60) off per year to care for themself, a parent, child, or spouse, or to bond with their newborn or newly adopted child, and guarantees that the employee may return to work once the leave is over. This federally protected leave is the floor to our benefits, but our NTA Collective Bargaining Agreements provide for additional benefits beyond those provided by FMLA.
Sick leave for oneself can extend beyond 60 days in a given year;
the district pays NTA employees for sick days they take off using their personal illness days;
when their personal illness days run out, members have access to a sick leave bank;
using the employee's personal illness days, the district pays up to fourteen (14) days for an employee to care for a "close family member or dear friend" who is ill or injured;
new this coming year: using their personal illness days, the district pays for up to fifteen (15) days that an employee takes off to care for an ill child, spouse, or parent who has an FMLA qualifying condition, provided they have already used their fourteen days allocated to care for a "close family member or dear friend" and their two personal days.
In solidarity,
Mike Zilles, President
NewtonTeachers Association