Students At Newton’s Bigelow Middle School Protest Staffing Cuts

NEWTON, MA— Students at Bigelow Middle School in Newton rallied outside their school Monday to protest potential school staffing cuts.

At the “Stop the Cuts” protest, students asked Mayor Ruthanne Fuller not to layoff their teachers for the 2022-2023 school year, a possible outcome that was first outlined earlier this month.

According to a presentation at the March 7 Newton School Committee meeting, the budget cuts are being caused by declining enrollment and budget constraints due to increased costs of transportation, health insurance, and contractual obligations, as well as the expenses related to starting and expanding special education programs and services.

Superintendent David Fleishman presented the FY2023 budget at a meeting on March 23, during which he requested a total of $262,070,208, or an $8,862, 278 increase from the FY2022 budget.

The NPS budget review will continue this week and conclude with a Public Hearing on Monday, April 4 at 6 p.m. and a final review on Wednesday, April 6 at 7 p.m.