Did you support the NTA going on strike last year?

Leading up to the November 4 local election, the Newton Beacon asked non-incumbent candidates and candidates in competitive elections for their views on last year’s public teacher strike:

Did you support the NTA going on strike last year?

Mali Brodt, School Committee Candidate, Ward 6: No Position. I fully support our teachers and deeply respect their commitment to our students and schools. The strike was a terrible outcome that reflects accumulative failures over time—failures in communication, leadership, and addressing critical issues like staffing and resources. This situation was avoidable if earlier conversations had been more transparent and collaborative. Teachers must have felt they had no other option left to make their voices heard and secure the support their students and classrooms urgently need. Moving forward, it’s essential to rebuild trust, improve dialogue, and ensure that such disruptions don’t happen again. Our focus must be on supporting educators and students while fostering a collaborative environment where challenges are addressed proactively, so a strike does not happen again.

Christine Fisher, School Committee Candidate, Ward 2: No. I did not support the strike because it disrupted student learning and created real hardship for families. That said, I take seriously the concerns teachers raised about workload, pay, and resources. The strike showed a breakdown in trust and communication between the district and the NTA. We need leadership that restores collaboration, where issues are addressed early and negotiations are respectful and transparent. The goal should always be to keep students in classrooms and ensure teachers feel supported, so families, educators, and the district can work together toward shared goals.

Victor Lee, School Committee Candidate, Ward 8: No. I believe some of the NTA desires were reasonable and important to discuss (e.g., appropriate COLA increases, improved support for aides), and I appreciate that some members of the NTA felt frustrated and out of options because of how the Mayor and some members of the School Committee approached the negotiations. However, though the NTA is not solely responsible for the conditions that led to the strike, the decision to strike was ultimately theirs. I believe the NTA should not have undertaken an illegal strike that resulted in students being out of school for way too long (11 days) and undermined trust in the public school system. Having talked to thousands of Newtonians, I have seen how detrimental the strike was to teacher and community relations. The strike was lose-lose, and our students and teachers both deserve better. I look forward to restoring healthier channels for dialogue so that we reduce the likelihood of a strike occurring again.

Jenna Lauter Miara, School Committee Candidate, Ward 5: No Position. I was devastated by the strike and deeply concerned about the future of our schools. One of the most critical responsibilities of the next School Committee will be to avoid a repeat of the division and disruption we endured in 2024 by successfully negotiating the next contract. I understand from my experience on both sides of the negotiating table and from talking to many NTA members and past and present School Committee members that the strike was the almost inevitable result of several years of an increasingly ineffectual and high-conflict relationship. Particularly in light of the national and local challenges facing public education, it’s critical that we find a way for School Committee and the NTA to be partners, not adversaries. I know how to do that by fostering open dialogue, building productive relationships, and identifying shared interests to find compromises so that we can reach a sustainable contract that serves all students.

Jim Murphy, School Committee Candidate, Ward 8: Yes. Unlike my opponent and some of the city officials who have endorsed him, I took a clear stance back then. No one wants a strike, and they don’t happen when good faith exists. The School Committee insisted on an obscenely low-ball offer to classroom aides, and it reneged on a previous contract agreement to provide classroom aides in exchange for full-day kindergarten. Had the committee acted in good faith and done right by the kids, for that matter, there would not have been a strike at all. I’d also argue that the current model of negotiations, marked by secrecy and zero-sum thinking, incentivizes the kind of bad faith we saw. My opponent has taken no position on this that I know of, but if elected, I will move to scrap it in favor of a more collaborative, interest-based, open model of bargaining. It won’t eliminate disagreements, but it will set a tone of mutual respect and common purpose that I believe maintains good faith and takes job-actions off the table.

Arrianna Proia, School Committee Candidate, Ward 1: No. I did not support the NTA strike. In Massachusetts, teacher strikes are illegal for a reason, and the consequences fall hardest on students and families. I saw firsthand how deeply our kids were affected, especially those in special education and students with disabilities. For them, it was not just a disruption in learning but a disruption of daily routines, setting them back weeks, even months. Families lost work, and our community was torn apart. During the strike, I worked with families to advocate for ending it and putting kids first. Teachers absolutely deserve fair pay, but the union should have followed the law and kept students in school while negotiating their contract. At the core of this crisis was a breakdown of trust between the union, school administration, and city leadership. Without open communication and collaboration, both sides dug in, leaving families and students to bear the cost. Moving forward, rebuilding that trust must be the priority.

Ben Schlesinger, School Committee Candidate, Ward 5: No. I focus on what’s best for the kids. The strike was terrible for the kids. And it was the most terrible for the most disadvantaged kids – the special needs kids who went two weeks without their services, the single-parent and low-income families whose parents had to decide between working and caretaking, and many others. It was a complicated situation and there was plenty of blame to go around. Many educators felt disrespected by the prior administration. The prior School Committee and the NTA did not negotiate effectively. The Mayor did not find a path to a solution. I understand and empathize with the concerns I’ve heard from educators. The Superintendent and School Committee have been working hard to repair relationships and get us onto better footing. I am committed to continuing this work, to listening to and respecting educators and collaborating effectively with the next Mayor to ensure that the adults are doing everything in our power to keep the kids in school.

Linda Swain, School Committee Candidate, Ward 2: No. The strike was awful for our community—students, families, educators, and administrators. My family felt that pain as every Newton family did. From missed special education services to high school transcripts delayed for colleges, it was a difficult time. The strike reminded us how important it is to keep kids in school. We learned we need to listen better to teachers, and that tone matters. At the same time, we must avoid financial decisions that create unintended consequences, especially staffing cuts. To prevent future strikes, we need to rebuild trust through open communication and transparency. Mixed messages during the strike fueled mistrust. The Superintendent and Chair Brezski’s spring budget updates were an encouraging step in improving transparency.