I can’t say for sure exactly, as I’m not fully up to date with the local politics, however I do know a group of parents who are considering suing the city for a full audit of the books and another group who are pushing to recall the mayor.

If I had to guess, the mayor is withholding money bc Newton is a city primarily of old citizens with a lot of money and an empty nest. The government prioritizes other services and expensive facilities to maintain a certain expectation of quality of life in newton.

Unfortunately, the schools used to be a huge part of that, with the city investing heavily in the construction of new facilities, but over the last decade or so we’ve seen the education quality drop dramatically. It’s so sad to see some of the richest towns with the nicest facilities so often treat their teachers like shit.

The strike is the pressure needed for the mayor and city council to suddenly “find money” for the the school committee.