Class Sizes Remains Sticking Point as Newport Teachers, Committee Head to Arbitration

As the Teachers Association of Newport and the school district prepare for their first arbitration hearing on Oct. 19, the teachers union has issued a statement refuting comments made by the School Committee’s lawyer, Mary Ann Carroll.

The union said in the statement that most of what was printed “is at the very least misleading, if not untrue and inflammatory.”

In the statement (see embedded Facebook post below), the union reiterated what it has said in public statements several times in recent months: the one issue preventing a contract agreement is class sizes.

The union also disputed a series of statements Carroll made relating to post-retirement medical benefits and her characterization of earlier School Committee decisions.

The teacher’s union voted to reject the school committee’s last contract proposal in August.

The union and the district have been without a contract for two years. At the same time, Newport has been trying to get out of fiscal quicksand and is grappling with a $1.4 million deficit from last year.

The issue of class sizes caused friction to start the school year, notably at the Pell school, where the district added a third grade classroom after student overages.