After more than two weeks of being away, students in Newton, Massachusetts, are returning to the classroom on Monday.
Teachers voted to Sunday to ratify their new contract with the district.
All in all, 11 missed school days and 15 days on the picket line, and now teachers, students and staff will be making their way to the class Monday morning with a one-hour late start.
The teachers union and the school committee reached an agreement Friday night, with the Newton Teachers Association voting to ratify the agreement on Sunday.
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While the school committee will hold a public vote on Wednesday, the mayor said this contract is sustainable and won't lead to layoffs.
The four-year deal calls for increases in cost-of-living adjustments, up to 60 days of parental leave, more social workers, higher wages for paraprofessionals and more prep time for teachers.
"For now, we will take a bit of a breath and then begin the work on insuring this never happens again," said Christopher Brezski, chair of the Newton School Committee.
"We taught every other district in this state what will happen if they try to balance their budgets on the backs of our students and educators," said Ryan Normandin, Newton Teachers Association negotiator.
The four-year contract goes into effect immediately with some provisions working retroactively to September 2023.
For parents whose children go to Newton Public Schools, the worst part of the process is behind them.
"I have a senior, so he's got a lot going on right now," said school parent Barbara Perlo. "So, that gap was really crucial."
"It was certainly inconvenient for us," said Alexandra Steinlight, whose 4-year-old son doesn't go to Newton Public Schools but his pre-K is in a NPS building, which closed during the strike. "It was disruptive, it was not easy, but we were with the teachers. We moved to Newton because of the school and the schools are the teachers."
A judge will determine if the NTA will pay the $625,000 in court-imposed fines or a lesser amount. Both parties agreed that the NTA would need to pay a minimum of $275,000 in fines and are requesting to the judge that the monies go towards Newton Public Schools instead of to the state.
