Priorities | PEC Newton

Salaries that keep up with inflation and our neighboring communities
Inflation over the past few years has decreased the value of current salaries.
The city’s change in health insurance providers for FY24 has resulted in an increase in annual premium costs for staff of as much as $1,167 for a family plan.
COLA (cost of living adjustment) being offered to Newton educators is 1.5% -2% annually over 3 years, for a total or 4.5-6%.
Neighboring districts of Winchester, Malden and Lynn, offered their educators 4-5+% per year.
Belmont, Brookline, Natick, and Dedham (considered peer districts) settled contracts with annual COLAs between 2.5-3.75%.

The educators who work with Newton’s most vulnerable students should earn a living wage. The salaries for these positions are so low, that Newton has been unable to find people to take these jobs. Last year, there were 100 unfilled classroom aide positions.
Once hired, paraprofessionals receive minimal training due in part to their limited work hours. As a result, some flounder and quit. Low annual pay, the demanding nature of these positions and inadequate staffing cause burn out. Better working conditions and pay could ease turnover. Hiring costs time and resources – from building administrators, special educators, and Human Resources Staff.

The School Committee is proposing to eliminate the “Time on Learning” agreement. This is the part of the contract that protects our planning and prep time. If this agreement is taken away, teachers could be asked to take on additional responsibilities during the school day. Meaning, teachers could be monitoring the cafeteria or covering a colleague’s class when they should be preparing lessons for their own students. This takes the attention of your child’s teacher away from your child.

In the last contract, the NTA was promised that there would be a dedicated classroom aide in every kindergarten class. In this contract, the School Committee has reneged on its promise.
For more information, visit the Restore Full-Time Kindergarten Aides in Newton Public Schools website.