It’s Election Day today!
Please remember to vote: Polls will be open from 7 AM to 8 PM.
As former President Barack Obama stated, “Elections have consequences.” Please be sure to make your voices heard, as our local elections certainly will have an impact on policies that affect not just public education, our students, and schools, but also the future of our neighborhoods and city.
Please see our Political Action update for additional information about Election Day endorsements and activities! Building Reps, please remember to bring your Raise Up signature sheets back to the hall at our membership meeting on Wednesday. (Tomorrow is a great day to collect more signatures before or after school if your school is a voting site!)
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In other BTU news… last week was a busy one! Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights:
Congrats to the staff of the Mildred Ave on winning EdVestors’ School on the Move Prize and to the staff of the PJ Kennedy and McKay schools who were also recognized at the event. The Boston Globe reported, “Mattapan school lauded for academic turnaround.” The Mildred Ave and all of the finalists are proof positive that teacher voice in all aspects of decision making makes a difference for students and schools. Union-supported initiatives to empower teachers is an effective strategy for school change!
It was a busy day at the BTU, even on a Friday night! We held our first sold-out Paint Night, organized by Rollins Griffith Teacher Center volunteers and led by Jerry Pisani, a K2 teacher at the BTU Pilot School. Over 45 teachers were in attendance! In the room down the hall, a dozen members participated in the BTU Inquiry Project, a partnership between the BTU, UMASS Boston, and the Boston Writing Project.
The BTU Listening Tour and contract survey continue. We have visited more than 50 schools at this point and have dozens more scheduled. If you haven’t done so already, you have two more weeks to fill out the new contract survey via the BTU portal. At the membership meeting on Wednesday, we will be laying out our timeline for the next round of negotiations.
As for implementation of the current contract, we are making progress. The new raises will be reflected in paychecks on December 1, and the retro pay should occur sometime in January. For paraprofessionals, there is new guidance on the B+15 lane. There will also be job postings soon for the new Restorative Practices positions. Please be sure to join us on Wednesday beginning at 4:30 PM at the BTU for other important items as well! View the meeting agenda.
Have a great week and hope to see you Wednesday, at a Listening Tour stop, or at one our upcoming events!