NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - There will be no school in Newton on Wednesday as the ongoing teachers strike continues.
The news of the ninth day of missed classes came after more than 20 families signed on to a motion Monday asking a judge to intervene and compel striking Newton teachers to return to work.
Filed in Middlesex Superior Court, the motion came as the state’s longest teachers strike in decades entered a new week, forcing more canceled classes while court-ordered fines mount for the Newton Teachers Association.
“Everybody loves the teachers,” said Newton mother Lital Asher-Dotan on Monday. “We want them to have the best outcomes. But at the same time, adults can negotiate while the kids are in school and the strike stops.”
Asher-Dotan filed Monday’s motion as an emergency motion to intervene. Other parents discussed the impact of the ongoing strike in letters attached to the motion.
Among other things, Asher-Dotan in her filing said the court “should impose such sanctions to such degree as to overcome whatever financial resources the NTA is receiving to resist the Orders thus far.”
Members of the Newton Teachers Association voted to authorize a strike on Jan. 18 after months of negotiations failed to produce a new contract.
Schools have been closed since Jan. 19 as the teachers association and the Newton School Committee have remained stuck without a deal.
“This is ridiculous,” one parent said on Monday. “The adults need to do their job and get the kids back in school.”
Many parents and students have supported the Newton Teachers Association at rallies and other gatherings since the strike began.
On Monday night, though, upset parents interrupted a teachers association news conference, asking for answers as the strike prompted an eighth day of closed schools.
The union moved media members to a closed workroom and asked others to leave. But some people blocked the door from closing to try to let parents in.
State law prohibits strikes among public employees, including public school teachers. Outside Newton, officials including Gov. Maura Healey have joined calls for teachers to return to work.
With frustration growing, however, teachers on Monday said going without a deal was not an option.
“We tried that,” said one Newton Teachers Association member. “We tried that for 16 months and we didn’t get anywhere.”
“For us, this was an absolute last resort,” the same person continued.
Teachers have asked for contract items including new student mental health measures, higher wages, and paid family leave for all educators.
City officials have said Newton can’t afford teacher requests, warning union proposals would force layoffs across many departments.
Both the Newton Teachers Association and representatives for the city’s school committee said parties made small negotiating breakthroughs in talks on Monday.
Still, city officials said both sides remained $20 million apart over the life of any proposed contract.
“We’ve got to agree on the money, too and that’s part of the discussion that just isn’t happening quick enough, right now,” said School Committee Chair Chris Brezski.
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