President Jessica Tang joined Mayor Michelle Wu, and a giant bunny – Maureen McInnis, special education math teacher – in welcoming children at the Mildred Avenue school last Thursday! Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, Becoming a Man (BAM) staff, BPS and BTU staff also joined the Mildred red carpet.
We hope you’re all settling into your routines and we want to say welcome to all of our Kindergarten students who started their year yesterday! It’s been a productive first few days of school. Our BTU officers and staff welcomed back students at the Mildred K-8, the Holmes, Frederick and Carter schools last Thursday, in addition to attending 30-minute back-to-school meetings during PD hours throughout last week to provide support to our Building Reps.
Make sure to checkout our Back to School Week album on Facebook for photos. We’ll be updating it for the next couple of days to capture all the energy our members have put into the start of the new year.
We want to commend all of our members who persevered through the heat emergency last week. We are aware that a dozen schools still do not have air conditioning and that many offices outside of classrooms still don’t have access to AC, fans and portable units. Some schools are scheduled to receive units, but BPS has said that new electrical upgrades required for AC, supply chain issues and worker shortages are delaying installation in the remaining schools. In the interim, we are actively working with BPS to make sure those buildings have working windows and blinds and access to fans and other measures to mitigate heat exposure. The popsicles sent to the schools without AC were a tiny gesture of appreciation for everyone’s resilience, and we thank Stop & Shop and Supt. Skipper for partnering with us to make that happen. We will continue to advocate for the best possible conditions in our schools. Please continue to bring complications to our attention.
Our first union meeting of the school year is tomorrow, Wednesday, September 13beginning at 4:30 p.m. Please see the agenda for this month’s meeting. As always, be sure to bring your new membership card. There will be a help desk for anyone who didn’t get their card yet, too. Please remember, to sign up in advance for childcare.Seats are limited.
You should have received a survey sent to your email with the subject “2024 Contract Bargaining Survey.” A reminder was sent on Sunday afternoon to anyone who had not completed the survey. Filling out this survey this will help our Contract Bargaining Committee create a new contract proposal for this year’s negotiations. We’ve received more than 2,400 responses so far, which is a fantastic start – but we’re shooting for a 100 percent response rate! We hosted a CBC orientation at our hall last week to kick-start our efforts to meet our goal of having a proposal ready by winter. Thank you to everyone who attended!
Don’t Forget to Vote! Boston Retirement Board elections are happening now: BTU Secretary-Treasurer Karen Cross and Boston Firefighters Local 718’s Michael O’Reilly have both been endorsed by the BTU, the BTU Retired Teachers Chapter, and the Firefighters Union to be elected to the Boston Retirement Board. For more information, please see here! You can mail in your ballot or vote electronically by September 29.
All schools should have an Inclusion Planning Team (IPT) formed by now. If your school does not, please refer to this document for guidance on holding elections for the required 50% of IPT seats held by BTU members. The BTU organizers and Inclusion Liaison Katie DeLaRosa can help you get this done ASAP if you need help. Remember: there needs to be 5 days notice prior to a vote!
We have received questions about the contract language shared in last week’s bulletin regarding inclusive education. Your questions are appreciated and are summarized in this document that you should print and post on your BTU bulletin board at your school. You will find clarifications on the additional special ed paperwork admin period, class size limits for early childhood, special education class ratios for all grades, stipends for triple licensed teachers, and stipends for being a member of the IPT.
Inclusion Planning Teams are being supported by regional inclusion coaches to follow a guided process with submission timelines for pieces of the whole school plan. Planning this year is for grades K0, K1, K2, 7, and 9 to be implemented in SY 24-25. This visual guide to the process should be printed and posted on the BTU bulletin board at your school.
Members of Inclusion Planning Teams (IPT) may be compensated for up to 15 hours of work beyond the regular school day and year. If you served on an IPT last school year, or are currently on an IPT this school year, please be sure you are providing your principal with your hours and are receiving compensation at the teacher contractual hourly rate which is $56.81. If you were not compensated for last year’s hours, please let your field rep know immediately.
We’d like to remind everyone that the Special Education Hotline, 617-635-8133 is available to educators and staff who wish to notify BPS about issues with their student’s IEP anonymously. This number should not be used for emergencies or concerns about student safety.
We’ve received a lot of questions about public transportation options available to BPS employees. If you log into your ESS account, you should see a Transit Benefits graphic which should detail all available options. Be sure to sign up before monthly deadlines!
You should have received September’s edition of the Boston Union Teacher. The paper is mailed monthly to all members and contains useful information for active and retired members throughout the year. The deadline to submit for the October edition is September 13th! Reach out to the co-editors, Cecil Carey and Anne Slater if you have ideas for our paper!
Our Contract Bargaining Committee hosted an orientation last week to establish a timeline for this year’s contract neogitations. We’re looking forward to continuing to receive your contract surveys so that we can come to the table with a proposal that improves our schools for all children and educators!
BTU Events and Announcements
Our Climate Justice Committee is working with 350 Massachusetts to recruit members interested in attending the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City. The movement is calling on President Biden to cease the expansion of fossil fuel use, ban drilling on public land and water and to declare a climate emergency. The deadline to register for a seat on the bus has passed but if you want to connect with our BTU members attending, you can fill out this short form.
Power Saturdays: Build your Leadership and Knowledge Skills
Power Saturdays are a monthly day to connect, learn, and grow our power together through three unique year-long learning and leadership development opportunities. Choose the stipend or credit opportunity that’s right for you, and chart your path to building our collective power and your own leadership. Check out the flyer and our website for more details on these great opportunities. The deadline to apply is October 1st and all programs begin October 14th and then the first Saturday of each month thereafter. Final Showcase and Celebration, Tuesday, May 14th 5-8 p.m.
Educators Thriving: Prioritize Your Well-being This Year
Learn and practice concrete strategies to prevent burnout and support your own well-being so you can be your best for yourself and your students. In this free course for BTU members, earn 3 Academic Ladder Credits. Join our free preview session on Monday, September 18 at 4:30pm, check out our flyer to learn more or register now! Application due September 25th.
Teachers as Scholars: Win a Free Course
We are happy to renew our partnership with Teachers as Scholars which provides BTU members an opportunity to learn from leading scholars in their fields. This year we are able to offer BTU members up to 30 full scholarships. If you are interested in attending a course, please review the lineup of courses, and then enter the drawing. Deadline September 16th! Winners will be selected at random in September. Important note: Many of the seminars take place during the school day. Should you enroll in one of these courses, you will need to make appropriate arrangements to be available to attend.
Want to learn what BPS does to support homeless students and families? Want to brainstorm ways BPS can help students, families, and staff afford to stay in Boston? Join the Housing Justice Committee for the first meeting of the year! You can also sign up for the committee to visit your school and talk with you – they will work with your schedule to visit before or after school hours.
Back to School Fair: September 23, 1:00-4:00PM
Make sure to mark your calendars for our 10th Annual Back to School Fair! We’re hoping to make this a particularly special event to commemorate the fact that the BTU has given away hundreds of thousands of books since this event first launched. Check out the flyers in multiple languages, and sign up to volunteer to sort books and help out the day of the fair if you can! Remember that BTU members who also sign up for FirstBook are eligible to take home a classroom set for your students, too! It’s free to register and it’s a great resource for many classroom needs.
Opening on Teacher Leadership Fund Committee
The Teacher Leadership Fund committee has an opening for 1 or 2 current Teacher bargaining unit members to serve. This is an opportunity to make a positive impact on students district-wide, by allocating up to $300,000 per year to support educator-led projects. The commitment includes roughly 3 hours of work monthly throughout the year with a significant increase in the workload in April and May (roughly 15-20 hours reading and scoring applications, lengthy meetings to deliberate and award proposals, etc.). Stipend of $3000 per year. Apply to join the committee, or contact Paul for more information. Deadline to apply is September 25th.
Para 101: October 5 & 26
Para 101 is about building a community of paras who are knowledgeable about their rights and are aware of the support and strategies that they can use to build stronger relationships with students and teachers in the classroom. This is a two-part session. Learn more and register here!
Paraprofessional Informational Meeting & Resource Fair: October 18, 5:00-7:00PM
Come join us for important information and great resource materials from colleges, housing agencies AND MORE! You can register here.
BTU Fall Conference: October 20 – 22
Join us for the BTU Fall Conference at the Omni Providence Hotel! Our theme is BTU Building Blocks: Together and United as One. Open and free to all building reps and member leaders! Deadline to register is October 2. Register today at btu.org/fallconference.
BTU Endorsements
Boston’s preliminary election is happening today September 12th, 2023. The municipal election is happening on November 7th. The BTU has endorsed a number of candidates for City Council and a few are facing challenges this election season. We hope that you will support them with your vote or your time as a volunteer. City Councilors vote to fund our contract and also stand with us when we fight for our members, students, and community. See the full list of endorsed candidates on our Political Action page. Our endorsement process will continue through the summer.
Faculty Senate Trainings
In order to proactively solve work site problems we truly believe in strong Faculty Senates! Is your Faculty Senate collaborative and inclusive? Is your Faculty Senate a place where members feel safe to problem solve? Join us for a Faculty Senate training this year to learn more about how to run a faculty senate that truly helps move the work forward!
Lit with Lea is back for the 2023-2024 school year!
Last year Lea read to over 100 classrooms and is excited to do it again! If you would like the opportunity to have your class have a reading visit from Lea please do so by signing up here!
Unafraid Educators Meetings
Unafraid Educators, BTU’s immigrants’ rights committee, is meeting the second Monday of each month from 4:30 – 6 p.m. on Zoom. Please join us!
Paraprofessionals participated in a movement break program at our union hall last week as way to learn self-care practices to prevent professional burnout.
Professional Learning & Development Updates
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Each week, we have many new and exciting Professional Learning & Development opportunities to share with you.
You can find a full description of each listing on our Professional Learning & Development Updates Page.
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Community News & Events
NEW- Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk: October 1
The BTU has once again signed up to fight breast cancer and you can, too! Are you ready to join our team, BTU Walkers, and participate in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event happening this October? Together we will raise money and awareness to save lives from breast cancer, and have a great time celebrating at the event this fall. You can join the team by visiting the team page for the BTU Walkers, or Brenda Chaney’s personal page.
Fall Athletic Coaching Positions
The following BPS Fall Athletic Coaching Positions are currently accepting applications. The Fall season starts on August 19 and runs through mid-November to Thanksgiving. If interested, please apply online.
NEW- Leventhal Map & Education Center Teacher Social: September 21
Come by for free maps and materials for your classroom, snacks, good conversation, and an introduction to all the Leventhal Map & Education Center has to offer for students and educators. Take a spin around their new gallery exhibition Gettiing Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit and explore opportunities for student field trips.
Open House on the Green New Deal for BPS: September 16
Learn how BPS and the City of Boston are building a decision-making tool to guide investments in BPS buildings and share your thoughts on how to improve schools across Boston. Childcare for ages 1 to 12, interpretation and translation services, and refreshments will be provided. Please register here.
Alray Scholars Program
Alray Scholars Program is currently accepting applications for new students until October 15. If you or anyone you work with in the BPS/BTU unions knows of any Boston students looking to return to college after a break and are seeking additional support, please send them here!
Please share these flyers with your students and parents as well as post a copy in your staff room. We have versions available in seven different languages on our site.