Here's where the numbers stand in the Newton teachers' contract negotiations
NEWTON - Both sides at the negotiating table in Newton say they're very close to a deal.
So how far have they come? WBZ asked both sides for numbers to show how the scales have tipped over the course of a negotiation that has left teachers on strike and kids out of the classroom for 11 days.
The Newton Teachers Association said at this time it was "focusing on...that the cost between the proposals is zero dollars."
A spokesperson for the school committee provided the following numbers:
As of January 25, the teachers union had proposed a contract that would cost approximately $100 million over the course of four years. The school committee's proposal was around $45 million for the same time period.
As of Friday February 2nd, both sides had agreed on a four-year contract that would cost approximately $53 million.
In the meantime, a judge ordered that fines for the union would be doubled - from $50,000 to $100,000 a day - starting Monday if no agreement was reached. A reminder, teachers' strikes are illegal in Massachusetts.
Plus, the city of Newton says it's owed over $1 million in compensatory fines for the money spent throughout this strike. It's unclear how or when the money will be paid, or who will pay it.