Mali Brodt moved to Newton for the school system. Now she wants to reform it.

A mother of three and a longtime educator, Brodt, 46, says her run for the Ward 6 seat on the Newton School Committee is deeply personal.

She and her husband moved to Newton 10 years ago, when their twins, Manon and Persephone, were in preschool and she was pregnant with their youngest daughter, Reyna.

“We moved here for the schools, like many people do,” Brodt said. “They’re now in seventh and third grade, so it’s been a full decade.”

Brodt will face Jonathan Greene, a Newton parent and finance executive, in the race for the Ward 6 seat, which is now held by Paul F. Levy, a businessman, author and professor who is not seeking reelection.

A native of Brookline, Brodt has worked in education for nearly 20 years, first as a middle school teacher in Boston Public Schools and later as a school adjustment counselor in private schools. She currently works in Westwood but said her experience across different school systems gives her a valuable lens on the challenges educators face. 

“I think becoming a mother changed everything,” Brodt said. “It changed my perspective as a teacher. It made me much more empathetic to parents and families. Before you have kids, it’s easy to think, ‘My kid would never do that.’ But parenting is complicated.” 

Brodt’s passion for equity emerged early. Her mother worked in public health and was active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her father, who grew up under apartheid in South Africa, was involved in the anti-apartheid movement.

“I was brought up in a way that if you can see that you can help in some way, you should,” Brodt said.

Though Brodt has spent years observing Newton’s schools as a parent and educator, it was the 2024 teacher strike that pushed her to run. 

In January 2024, Newton educators launched an 11-day strike, the longest in Massachusetts in over two decades. Teachers demanded better pay, improved student mental health support and limitations on the number of students one staff member can be responsible for. Organized by the Newton Teachers Association, the strike drew attention to issues in the classroom and tension between teachers and city officials. 

Lindsey Gulden (and her dog, Bella) visit School Committee candidate Mali Brodt’s booth at Waban’s Village Day on May 18, 2025. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

“When you move to a place with strong schools, I think there’s a strong assumption that things work well and everybody’s on the same page. The strike really showed us that it isn’t true,” Brodt said. “It was shocking to me to see the antagonism and rhetoric around it, and that’s what pushed me to pay more attention to the politics.” 

She criticized the situation for characterizing teachers as the problem, worsening the relationship among teachers, parents and the city council. 

“I mean, being a teacher, knowing teachers and respecting teachers—teachers don’t want to strike, they want to teach,” Brodt said. “It must have come to a point where something was truly off.” 

During the strike, Brodt said, the messages coming from the school committee and the teachers did not align. She condemned the current school committee for its lack of transparency and cohesiveness when informing parents and community members about the strike. 

If elected, Brodt said, she would prioritize rebuilding trust among the school committee, teachers and the public. “The school committee and the teachers’ union are on the same side,” Brodt said. “We all want what is best for our schools.”  

Brodt is also critical of how Newton funds its schools. “We have been chronically underfunding our schools for years,” Brodt said. “You can’t just keep throwing one-time funds at the budget every year and expect it to be fixed—we need to actually fix the problem.” 

She brought up the example of curriculum development, an ongoing need that’s often treated as a one-off line item. Every year, Newton does curriculum reviews, buys new curricula and does professional development to prepare teachers for new material. However, the budget does not account for these costs on an annual basis. 

Brodt is candid about the mental health crisis in schools today, especially after COVID-19. “Ever since I started teaching, I’ve seen a steady increase in social-emotional deficits and mental health needs,” Brodt said. “But COVID accelerated everything.” 

Students, she said, are dealing with more anxiety and attention challenges than ever before. “Teachers don’t necessarily have all the tools that they need to help support the kids in front of them,” Brodt said. “The world is different now.” She described how social media and the pandemic have had a direct impact on children’s ability to learn and behave.

Brodt said she believes that if the world is changing, so should the curriculum. “We need to have schools meet the needs of kids today, and not just be nostalgic for the way things used to be.” 

Despite her criticism, Brodt is quick to clarify that she is not running out of personal disappointment.

“My kids have had a tremendous experience. We’ve loved their teachers, we’ve loved their school,” Brodt said. “It’s not that I’ve been disappointed in Newton schools. I’m frustrated that a city with the resources is not treating schools with the respect and importance they deserve. “

This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.