NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - There will be no school in Newton again Thursday after negotiators failed to reach a deal on a new contract — and as fines imposed by a judge in connection with an ongoing teacher strike continue to grow.
Teachers have been on strike since Thursday evening. Schools have been closed since Friday.
With strikes banned among public employees in Massachusetts, a judge on Monday ordered teachers go back to work or pay up for each day of school missed, levying daily fines against the Newton Teachers Association starting at $25,000.
The fines, which are structured to increase with each passing day, could rise to $200,000 if teachers don’t return to class before the end of the week, according to the judge’s ruling.
“They think that we will capitulate because of the structure of these fines and I want the message loud and clear that that’s just not going to happen,” said Newton Teachers Association President Michael Zilles.
In separate remarks, Newton High School teacher Ryan Normandin said teachers will not return to the classroom “until we get a deal…that is good for our students [and] is good for all of us.”
The Newton Teachers Association’s last contract expired in August.
Before and after that August expiration, the union has asked for higher pay raises, parental leave for all educators, and the hiring of more social workers to address student mental health.
“While there was minimal face-to-face bargaining on Monday, the NTA believes that it has placed the School Committee and Mayor [Ruthanne] Fuller in a position to swiftly reach an agreement with educators,” the union said in a statement Monday night. “…We look forward to a day of proactive bargaining with the goal of reopening schools once a fair contract is settled.”
Still without a deal, the Newton School Committee and Mayor Fuller have described failed negotiations as a disservice to children and families.
“The School Committee is offering right now an agreement that will provide competitive wages and benefits to our teachers without requiring layoffs of essential city employees – including teachers – later,” Fuller said in her own statement to community members Monday.
Newton School Committee Chair Chris Brezski on Sunday night said he did not know how long the teacher strike would continue, adding “The NTA continues to move the target.”
In new comments Monday, he said “Everything is on the table.”
“We feel that the union has finally put out their full package of demands which we have been waiting for and we are hoping that will be a basis from which we can move forward and get to a resolution,” Brezski said.
Newton’s teacher strike follows other strikes since 2022 in Brookline, Malden, Haverhill, Woburn and Andover.
Where teachers have gone on strike, municipal officials have sought court orders and fines penalizing teachers unions.
In Newton, as in other cases, Fuller said the Newton Teachers Association will be required to pay all fines to the state.
The Newton Teachers Association in its latest statement said it “fully expected” officials to seek fines and fully expected a court to issue fines.
“Our fight for the funding our schools deserves is greater than the need to obey laws that attempt to silence us,” the union said. “With the support we have from the community and other educators across the state and across the country, the members of the NTA have no doubt that we are doing the right thing and taking a just stand.”
Teachers also held a rally, holding signs and chanting with supporters early Tuesday afternoon.
If the strike continues, Fuller said, parties will be back in court on Friday for a new hearing “to discuss a more meaningful approach to ensuring compliance with the law.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)