NTA EBulletin: September 21, 2025

Click on the image above to link to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation.

When Waltham Strikes

The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation will host a Panel Discussion: The Role of Strikes in Labor History and Today on September 24, 7-8 pm. 

Staff Absences Follow Up

While the NTA continues to gather data, there are two things I want to reiterate:

(1) Unit C Absences. Even though there is a widespread belief that educational support professionals (unit C members) are absent more than licensed educators (unit A members), from the fall of 2011 to the beginning of the 2023 school year, absences of Unit C members have been roughly proportional to those of Unit A members.

As I said in last week's EBulletin, I infer that this misperception should be attributed to insufficient coverage:

Elementary and Middle schools: Unit C members often provide coverage for both Unit A and Unit C members. When this happens, they are shifted away from the students to whom they are assigned. Instead, they cover for an absent teacher, TA, or BT. This leaves educators frustrated that they cannot meet their students’ needs.

High schools. There isn’t any substitute coverage at all at this level. Parents and students are keenly aware of how many educators are absent on a given day, because absences are publicly posted. But too often, educators get blamed for being absent. This creates the impression that taking a day off is incompatible with addressing students' needs.

NECP covers absences differently: They do not use ISS or Precision substitutes because they would not be able to address the challenges their students pose. Instead, they utilize "floaters," Unit C members whose role is to step in for an absent colleague. That said, in the preschool as well there are not enough staff to cover absences satisfactorily.

I have no doubt that there are some educators who abuse their sick days. But supervisors should investigate patterns of abuse so that all educators do not get blamed for taking days when they must. 

The lack of coverage is a chronic problem that we must collaboratively address with Anna and HR. But while we work to address this issue, we should not scapegoat our colleagues, especially our Unit C colleagues.  

(2) Holy Days: We are still working with the district to gather data on how many members were inappropriately denied a paid holy day last year. Please use this link to report any holy days that you were denied last year or this year. We will keep the form open, so that you may report any holy days you are denied in the future.

Whatever the data tells us, it is important to reiterate that Massachusetts and Federal law and our contract provide expansive rights for members to take off days for religious observance, with up to four of them paid each year. The district cannot restrict holy days to a specific list. If you need to take a holy day on the basis of a sincerely held religious belief, law and contract protect your right to do so. The district cannot question the sincerity of your belief unless there is an objective reason to do so. If you use all four of your paid holy days and need to be out for additional religious days, you may either use your personal days, or take the days unpaid. 

Know your Contract

New Contracts: Since we distributed contracts on opening day, I have begun receiving emails from members who ask a question about a specific section of the contract. They have looked to find an answer to their question, and just need me to clarify what the language means. Gotta say, that feels really good. Members are using the contract to understand their rights!

Your CAT Captains in your buildings will be following up with members who still need a contract early this fall. We want to make sure ALL of you have a contract.

Unit B members, you may need contracts for all units. When CAT captains reach out to you, make this request.

FYI, we also have a "Know your Contract" page on our website. Currently, we have posts on sick leave, other paid leaves, workplace injuries, and parental leave. We will be updating the page regularly. These posts may help you when you are not quite clear on where to look in the contract, or what the language means.

In solidarity, 

Mike Zilles, President

Newton Teachers Association