Newton's School Committee has proposed letting the public watch its next round of teacher contract negotiations live.

At a virtual meeting on Thursday, Aug. 27, the committee unveiled a 13-member bargaining team and proposed livestreaming sessions with the Newton Teachers Association (NTA). The move would mark a departure from past practice. Neighboring Brookline already livestreams its teacher negotiations, the Newton Beacon reported.

The committee set a target of finishing a deal by spring 2027, before the current NTA contract expires. If it succeeds, it would be the first time in at least 12 years that Newton reached a teacher contract on time. The prior three cycles all missed the deadline, according to Fig City News.

School Committee Chair Alicia Piedalue, Vice Chair Jason Bhardwaj and member Ben Schlesinger will sit on the bargaining team alongside Superintendent Anna Nolin, three assistant superintendents, four principals, general counsel Jill Murray Grady and outside counsel Andy Waugh. No high school principal is on the team because both Newton North and Newton South have interim principals this year. Piedalue said outgoing principals Henry Turner and Tamara Stras shared their insights before leaving their roles.

Not everyone on the committee is fully at ease with the transparency push. Victor Lee of Ward 8 said at the Aug. 27 meeting that he supports public bargaining but worries the audience could make compromise harder.

"My hope and aspiration is that the nature of it being public and transparent doesn't force us or other folks, NTA or otherwise … to feel like we can't reach points of compromise as a result of having to play to particular constituencies," Lee said, as reported by the Newton Beacon.

The committee also disclosed that it met twice in executive session the week before the Aug. 27 meeting to discuss negotiation strategy. Mayor Marc Laredo attended the meeting and voiced support for the process, noting the city is simultaneously negotiating contracts with other unionized employees.

On the union side, the NTA had been gathering member input since at least spring 2026 through building-level focus groups on bargaining priorities. No public response from the NTA regarding the livestream proposal or the spring deadline target appeared in available records as of Sept. 2.

In an Aug. 25 Newton Beacon profile, Nolin described the NTA as a partner, saying the two sides don't always agree but keep things civil.

The School Committee's next meeting is Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at 100 Walnut St., with a first read on the Newton Public Schools capital improvement plan on the agenda.