The biggest Mass. teachers strike in years

Also: The logic behind Healey's literacy push; whimsical public art in Boston [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 19, 2024 🌨️ Cloudy, with a high near 29 and light snow this afternoon. Good Morning Boston, If residents on the South Shore and Cape Cod were feeling FOMO over missing the snow earlier this month, I have good news: it's your turn. While everyone north of Boston can probably keep the plows in the garage, today's storm is expected to drop a few inches of snow in southeastern Massachusetts. [Click here]( for the map of expected snow totals and WBUR meteorologist Danielle Noyes' full forecast on [the weekend's frigid weather](. Now, to the news: - There's no school today in Newton: And it's not because of the weather. Newton public school teachers are officially on strike, after over a year of unsuccessful contract talks and mounting frustration with Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. The city is the largest Bay State community to have a teachers strike since Quincy in 2007. According to Newton Teachers Association President Mike Zilles, 98% percent of the union's members voted in favor of the strike yesterday. - What does the strike mean for students? Consider today a snow day. All Newton public schools [will be closed until the strike ends](. Sports and other school-related activities are also postponed. The district is offering grab-and-go meals that students can pick up at Newton's high schools, as well as METCO headquarters in Boston. - What is the strike over? Wages are the big issue. Fuller's office argues Newton teacher salaries are competitive and that the city can't afford much more after [a tax override vote was defeated]( last year. [The School Committee's latest contract offer]( includes annual raises of over 6% for half of the city's teachers (those early in their careers) over the next three years. But the NTA says the overall salaries would still [lag behind fellow affluent Boston-area suburbs]( especially for more tenured teachers. ([This chart]( shows the gap between the two sides' proposals.) - Zoom out: Teacher strikes (as with all public employee strikes) are illegal in Massachusetts. And until recently, they were rare. But the last two years have seen a half-dozen teacher strikes across the state — all of which led to new contracts. Union leaders say that they’ve found the brief disruption and fines "[worth it]( - And now we wait: Massachusetts' State Ballot Commission is [taking a little time to decide whether it even has the authority]( to remove Donald Trump's name from the Massachusetts Republican primary and general election ballots. After hearing opposing arguments yesterday, the commission has until Monday to announce its decision. - The argument for: Labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan argued [the 14th Amendment]( to the Constitution deems Trump ineligible to serve as president because of his role in the Jan. 6th riot at the Capitol. "The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has made clear [that] only candidates who are eligible to serve in office may be placed on a Massachusetts ballot," she said. - The argument against: Marc Salinas, a North Andover lawyer for the Trump campaign, said Trump should be on the ballot, regardless of the constitutional debate. "When the state committee places you on the ballot, the secretary of state is required to put you on the ballot, regardless of qualification," Salinas argued. - Last call for your [28-3 jokes]( Bill Belichick will [reportedly have a second interview]( for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job this weekend. And while Belichick isn't the only candidate being considered, [at least one NFL insider]( expects him to get the gig. - In other sports news: Olympic gold medalist and Needham native Aly Raisman [is joining ESPN]( as a college gymnastics analyst. P.S.— A Boston-based app will soon be shut down by Uber. Do you know which one it is? Then [take our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of this week's stories compared to other WBUR readers! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [How four Latino men in N.H. are evaluating the upcoming Republican presidential primary]( From the 2018 elections to the 2022 midterms, nearly 60% more Latinos voted for Republicans. These are the reasons why some in New Hampshire are supporting the GOP this year. [Read more.]( [How four Latino men in N.H. are evaluating the upcoming Republican presidential primary]( From the 2018 elections to the 2022 midterms, nearly 60% more Latinos voted for Republicans. These are the reasons why some in New Hampshire are supporting the GOP this year. [Read more.]( [In downtown Boston, whimsical pop-up public art delights and disquiets]( Giant inflatable clown heads, a 60-foot whale and eerily realistic statues are part of a bid to increase wintertime foot traffic in downtown Boston. [Read more.]( [In downtown Boston, whimsical pop-up public art delights and disquiets]( Giant inflatable clown heads, a 60-foot whale and eerily realistic statues are part of a bid to increase wintertime foot traffic in downtown Boston. [Read more.]( [Healey administration lays out the logic behind its 5-year push to reinvent literacy learning]( Healey’s announcement during Wednesday’s state address comes at a moment of alarm about how Massachusetts students are learning to read, sparked in large part by the critical reappraisal of the ‘balanced literacy’ approach to instruction. [Read more.]( [Healey administration lays out the logic behind its 5-year push to reinvent literacy learning]( Healey’s announcement during Wednesday’s state address comes at a moment of alarm about how Massachusetts students are learning to read, sparked in large part by the critical reappraisal of the ‘balanced literacy’ approach to instruction. [Read more.]( [Netanyahu says he told U.S. that he opposes Palestinian state in any postwar scenario]( The Israeli prime minister spoke just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would never have "genuine security" without a pathway toward Palestinian independence. [Read more.]( [Netanyahu says he told U.S. that he opposes Palestinian state in any postwar scenario]( The Israeli prime minister spoke just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would never have "genuine security" without a pathway toward Palestinian independence. [Read more.]( [Prosecutors arrest flight attendant on suspicion of trying to record teen girl in airplane bathroom]( Police have arrested an American Airlines flight attendant on suspicion of trying to secretly record a 14-year-old female passenger using a bathroom aboard an airplane he was working on last September. [Read more.]( [Prosecutors arrest flight attendant on suspicion of trying to record teen girl in airplane bathroom]( Police have arrested an American Airlines flight attendant on suspicion of trying to secretly record a 14-year-old female passenger using a bathroom aboard an airplane he was working on last September. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Filmmaker and artist Steve McQueen's "Lynching Tree" — a singular photo of an large oak near New Orleans — will [go on display for a brief time at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]( beginning this weekend. WBUR's Arielle Gray reports it's only the second time the photo has been on public view at an American museum. - Throngs of furries (people in full-body animal costumes) are about to descend on Boston's Seaport this weekend for the annual Anthro New England con"fur"ence. WBUR's Andrea Shea talked to author Joe Strike to [help us understand the culture of furry fandom](. - A new play coming to Emerson Paramount Center next week brings "Moby Dick" to the stage through the use of puppets, video projections, a "drowned orchestra" and [a life-sized whale](. - Although Nikki Haley is the only Republican woman running for president, Meg Heckman [writes in this commentary]( that she has mostly escaped the sexist news coverage that has long haunted female candidates. Is this a turning point in gender equity?  What We're Reading 📚 - Some Black churches are leaving Boston, citing changing neighborhoods, higher costs ([The Boston Globe]( - EV charging can get very complicated ([CommonWealth Beacon]( - Does Weymouth need an animal sacrifice ordinance? After goat slaughter, mayor says yes ([The Patriot Ledger](  Food For Thought [Boston Athenaeum’s Restaurant, Folio, Opens Soon on Beacon Hill (Boston Magazine)]( Snack on elegant French-Mediterranean fare; visit the historical library. [Read more.]( [Boston Athenaeum’s Restaurant, Folio, Opens Soon on Beacon Hill (Boston Magazine)]( Snack on elegant French-Mediterranean fare; visit the historical library. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [squares Gov. Maura Healey's State of the Commonwealth goals with the state's current fiscal reality](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: The lobster are [coming for our lobster tails.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news    Want to change how you receive these emails? 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