The Newton School Committee unanimously approved a grant to develop expanded genocide education for students in grades 8 through 11.
The vote came at a virtual meeting Monday, Aug. 31, where members also gave conditional one-year approval to Newton High Peak School, a private school seeking to open at 160 Herrick Road, the Newton Beacon reported.
School Committee member Ben Schlesinger of Ward 5 raised a concern during the meeting: Would the new content displace the district's existing Holocaust curriculum for those same grade levels?
Superintendent Anna Nolin said it would not. "This grant is meant to be additive to what is already in the curriculum," Nolin said. She added that the goal is to reorganize existing material and introduce new topics and time periods, not to retract anything.
The grant's funder and dollar amount were not disclosed at the meeting.
New private school clears hurdle
Newton High Peak School applied in May to open in Newton. Under Massachusetts law, the School Committee must approve private schools by determining whether their instruction matches the quality of Newton Public Schools (NPS).
NPS administrators walked through the Herrick Road building in late August and scored the school 19 out of 33 possible points on a comparison rubric. The committee approved the application without opposition, clearing the school to open for the 2026–2027 academic year.
Ward 6 member Jonathan Greene called the approval process "extremely bizarre," noting the committee bears the cost of evaluating private schools while the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) handles ongoing oversight. He said the arrangement struck him as odd but accepted it as the law requires.
Nolin clarified that DESE, not the School Committee, is responsible for ensuring private schools follow through on providing an adequate education.
NTA contract bargaining ahead
Chair Alicia Piedalue introduced the district's bargaining committee for the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) contract, which enters its final year in 2026–2027. Bargaining is expected to begin within weeks.
The 13-member committee includes Nolin, three assistant superintendents, four principals, General Counsel Jill Murray Grady, outside counsel Andy Waugh, and School Committee members Piedalue, Jason Bhardwaj and Schlesinger. No high school principal will serve because both Newton North and Newton South have interim leaders for the 2026–2027 school year. Outgoing principals Henry Turner and Tamara Stras shared their input before departing.
The committee has proposed livestreaming bargaining sessions, a transparency measure already adopted in Brookline. Ward 8 member Victor Lee said he supports the idea but worries public sessions could make compromise harder if participants feel pressure to play to their constituencies.
School Committee members Bhardwaj and Linda Swain were absent from the Aug. 31 meeting. No residents spoke during public comment.
The first regular School Committee meeting of the 2026–2027 academic year is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, from 7 to 10 p.m. at 100 Walnut Street. The public can also attend virtually.
