We are nearing the end of January, and the sun is beginning to set a bit later! We hope you all are having a nice week amidst the snow and rain.
On Sunday, we recognized the Lunar New Year, which continues to be celebrated for an additional two weeks. In China and many other countries, the Year of the Rabbit was ushered in, and in Vietnam, Tet was celebrated with the start of the Year of the Cat. We wish all who celebrate peace and prosperity for the New Year, despite events that have cast a shadow on festivities. Our hearts are heavy for everyone impacted by the Monterey Park, CA tragedy, whose New Year celebrations were marred by an act of senseless violence. While motivations for the atrocity may be unclear, escalating anti-Asian crime and senseless acts of violence continue to be issues that must be addressed.
Last week, we had several members testify before the School Committee about the unreasonable and unprecedented number of problems with getting paid for our work. Thank you to those who made their voices heard! You can read snippets of testimonies in articles in the Boston Herald, SchoolYard News, the Boston Globe or watch the full testimonies from School Committee beginning around 1:02:40.
Not paying employees what they’re owed or on time shows disrespect and disregard – and educators have had enough. The delays and issues are impacting not just employee morale, but also impacting staffing for students. The district and city need to audit its accounting and payroll operations immediately, address these egregious delays and demonstrate it can fulfill this basic employer responsibility. In addition, at the very least, the district should ensure our paraprofessional and substitute bargaining units receive their retro pay before the new mid-February projection.
We are incredibly excited to share with you all that new legislation filed on Beacon Hill last week would end the ‘state takeover’ system that allows the state to take full control of a school or school district, and replace it with a new ‘comprehensive support and improvement’ system designed to harness local knowledge to give students the tools they need to succeed. We know from our experience in Boston that an over-reliance on high stakes testing, which has been used to justify ineffective receivership schemes, disproportionately harms our lowest-income districts and those serving Black and Latinx students.
This bill, entitled the THRIVE Act, would rectify the failed, top down, bureaucratic decision-making procedures and instead, empower those closest to our schoolsto make the decisions that, combined with resources from the Student Opportunities Act and Fair Share Act, will enable our students and schools to thrive. We are proud to partner on this new legislation with our statewide coalition of educators, students, families and community collaborators.
We are also happy to share that the local Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retirees has been increased from 3% to 5% for FY23! Thanks to the advocacy of our RTC Legislative Committee, fellow public union partners, as well as support from Mayor Wu, the Boston Retirement Board, including Michael McLaughlin from the BTU and Michael O’Reilly from the Firefighters Union, voted to pass the increase. All members of the Massachusetts State and Teachers retirement system have already received this one-time increase as well as a $1,000 increase to their COLA base, and we are glad that Boston has followed suit. Now we need the city to increase the base permanently!Additionally, State Representative Rob Consalvo filed HD1594, An Act Relative to Teacher Retirement Election and Senator Liz Miranda filed SD1049, An Act Relative to Teacher Retirement Election.
In regards to Inclusion planning and implementation, we have a new Inclusion FAQ document regarding Inclusion implementation which is updated weekly. Many “Frequently Asked Questions” from our Contract Coffee hours are answered here, and we will continue to update this document with new questions and answers each week. Remember, if your school has not yet scheduled a Contract Coffee Hour, please be sure to email Natasha Moore.
Candidates have begun collecting signatures for the nomination process for the 2023 BTU election of officers, field representatives, political director, E-Board, paraprofessional council, delegates and RTC officers. To register for electronic nomination pages, please visit this link.
Reminder: First, for the first time at BTU we are celebrating the Lunar New Year! Join us as we usher in the Year of the Rabbit and Cat, in collaboration with BTU APALA members and the BTU Racial Justice Standing Committees. You can RSVP here. The Lunar New Year celebration is open to the public! Second, we’re also excited to host BTU members for a BTU Winter Party to show our educators some love! Join us at the union hall for food, DJ, cash bar, and fun. Registration required – this is a BTU-member ONLY event.
Don’t Forget, We’re Hiring!
We are also looking for an Inclusion Liaison, which is similar to the BTU Director of Professional Learning position that is full-time position shared by the BTU and BPS. Please apply on TalentEd. It was mistakenly listed as a Substitute Position, but it is NOT a substitute position. We are also looking for a Communications Assistant, a Financial Administrative Assistant, all permanent full-time opportunities at the BTU. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to Michelle Frankfor the Communications and Executive Assistant positions and Natasha Moore for the Financial assistant via email or by postal mail to the union hall.
Lastly, this year we held another BLM @ School T-shirt contest. Many beautiful designs were submitted from students across the city, and we are excited to share the winning design below! Please purchase a shirt using this link to show solidarity in the movement, support this young artist, and remind our students they matter. Shipping is included in the cost of this shirt. Please do not add any other items in the BTU Swag Shop to your order for this shirt. Order today! We hope to get them delivered for the BLM at Schools Week of Action beginning Feb. 6.