The Newton Teachers Association (NTA) endorsed three candidates for Newton School Committee: Jenna Miara for Ward 5, Mali Brodt for Ward 6, and Jim Murphy for Ward 8, in an announcement Tuesday.
The NTA made its determination via a questionnaire sent out to all school committee candidates, allowing them to assess each candidate’s stance on issues such as restoring full-time kindergarten aides. NTA members anonymously voted for their endorsements.
“Newton’s educators voted to support the candidates who expressed straightforward, educationally sound answers to our questions,” the union wrote in its announcement.
To receive the association’s endorsement, the candidates had to amass a two-thirds majority from NTA members. Eleven candidates submitted questionnaires, but only three received the union’s endorsement.
The union didn’t make an endorsement in the mayoral race between Marc Laredo and Al Cecchinelli, as more than two-thirds of respondents voted for “no endorsement.”
According to the NTA, the endorsed candidates provided strong responses in favor of reimplementing the district’s requirement for full-time kindergarten aides.
In her response, Miara highlighted the long-term importance of aides as “an investment that pays dividends by setting our students up for success for their entire school career.”
The three also emphasized the importance of collaboration and clear communication between the school committee and educators. These responses came as a result of questions regarding the January 2024 Newton Teachers Association strike that shuttered Newton Public Schools for 11 days. When asked how they would prevent a similar strike, Miara, Brodt, and Murphy provided similar responses.
“I would advocate for open, ongoing communications so that concerns can be addressed early,” Brodt wrote. “I also support using interest-based bargaining to foster a more collaborative and less adversarial negotiation process.”
Additionally, the candidates expressed their intention to communicate more directly with educators, rather than through the district superintendent, as done previously.
Murphy suggested various strategies to initiate this change.
“Regular meetings between School Committee members and the NTA,” Murphy wrote. “School Committee members holding office hours or lunch-and-learns at school buildings to hear directly from educators; and sending surveys to educators to ask for their feedback and ideas.”
Ryan Normandin, the union’s second release officer, told The Heights that an updated voting process made this year’s endorsements more impactful. Instead of a representative assembly within the union deciding on endorsements, as has been done in the past, this year, all union members were eligible to weigh in.
“What we did differently this year is we really wanted to ensure it was democratic,” Normandin said. “We wanted to make sure that members were engaged.”
He said, however, he was disappointed by how many candidates abstained from the process, citing conflicts of interest, yet tout endorsements from Laredo. As a prospective mayor, Normandin said, Laredo would be a main negotiator in school budgeting.
“I do think it is a strange and kind of contradictory position to embrace the endorsement of someone who you’re expected to push back against, but say that, ‘Oh, it’s a conflict of interest to accept an endorsement from another organization in the city,’” Normandin said.
Genevieve Morrison contributed to reporting.
