Over sixty BTU members attended last week’s bargaining session with BPS to stand in solidarity with paraprofessionals who deserve living wages and with inclusion educators who need support.

 

Good morning,

We’d like to start by celebrating Teacher and Nurse Appreciation Week! Thank you to the educators and healthcare professionals who go above and beyond every day to create welcoming, engaging, safe and healthy environments for all of Boston’s students. We’d also like to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month! Please check out resources on how you can celebrate our Jewish American siblings, and don’t forget to check out Share My Lesson for lessons specific to all of the heritages we are celebrating this month.

The level of unity, passion and persistence our members have demonstrated over the past week has been inspiring. Last Wednesday, members at more than 50 schools across the district staged Walk-ins on International Worker’s Day to demonstrate how committed the BTU is to securing a contract that supports student excellence and respects worker’s rights. It’s not too late to organize a walk-in at your school!

This activism and passion pays dividends when it comes to our bargaining sessions. Make no mistake, the district took notice. You can see photos from our May Day action last week in our Facebook Album and read more in the Boston Globe as part of their May Day coverage.

We rode that momentum into last Thursday’s bargaining session with the district. Over sixty members attended the bargaining session at the Bolling building in solidarity with paraprofessionals following a wage proposal from the City of Boston that severely undervalues their contributions and does little to address the dire financial situation so many of our lowest paid workers currently face.

We need to maintain this level of engagement because unfortunately the district has rejected multiple proposals that would:

• Guarantee every school building has doors that securely lock
• Ensures that all of our schools have libraries and fully staffed library educators
• Address shortages among substitute teachers and restorative justice coaches
• Guarantee every BPS employee would receive a clear-cut work and pay schedule by the first day of each school year

The district also called our proposal to end the one teacher-multiple license model as fiscally impossible and inflexible. Time and time again we have heard from educators, students and parents that forcing one teacher to provide multiple specialized services harms students and leads to educator burnout. We plan to revisit this issue at our next negotiating session this Thursday at the BTU. Show up and show your support!

We’ll be providing in-depth updates on our contract campaign plans at our monthly membership meeting TOMORROW! You can check out the agenda and register for childcare if you need it. The membership will be voting on whether to ratify two resolutions passed by the E-Board. The E-Board passed a resolution voicing its support of students exercising their right to protest in light of recent decisions by college administrations to use police force to break up student demonstrations. The resolution supports their right to express their opinions without fear of physical harm or retaliation and echoes statements made by AFT President Randi Weingarten.

The E-Board also voted in support of two climate-related resolutions that will be considered at the National AFT Convention in July. You can read them in full here.

While our members are more than pulling their weight, we know that our movement is only strengthened when we work alongside our students, families and community partners. We encourage you to show solidarity for a students who have organized a rally in front of City Hall from 4:30 to 6:30p.m. on May 14th. They plan to call on the district to deliver: Clean and Renovated Buildings, Fully Funded and Resourced Schools and Mental Health/Career/Life-skill Counseling. Please let the youth organizers know if you can attend.

The fight for educational excellence isn’t limited to Boston. Our union siblings in Lawrence are fighting to block a power grab by the city’s Mayor. Mayor DePena is pushing a home-rule petition that would change the School Committee from a fully democratically elected body to a partially elected body that gives the mayor appointment power. DePena is also pursuing a change that would give him the ability to install a superintendent even if they don’t have majority support. You can:

• Write a letter to Lawrence City Councilors
• Show up at 6:30pm at Appleton Street outside Lawrence City Hall TODAY
• Attend the Lawrence Alliance for Education (LAE) Meeting on Wednesday May 8th at 6pm at the South Lawrence East Auditorium to make your voices heard to protect democracy in Lawrence schools!

Lastly, AFT-MA held its annual conference over the weekend. Congratulations to BTU President Jessica Tang on her election as President of AFT-MA in a unanimous vote. See coverage of the historic elections from the Globe, Herald, and WBUR. She will be handing the reigns over to BTU Executive Vice President Erik Berg in the following weeks, who per BTU by-laws, will succeed as President. There will be an election in October to fill the vacated EVP seat.

Congratulations are also in order to BTU Field Rep Colleen Hart, BTU Political Director Johnny McInnis, BTU EVP Erik Berg, BTU Community Liaison Brenda Chaney and Para Council member A. Vanessa LaRocque on being elected as Vice Presidents of AFT MA! Thank you to all BTU delegates who attended this year’s convention, and a special thank you to outgoing President Beth Kontos for your leadership over the past six years!

At last week’s negotiating session, representatives from BPS and the City of Boston rejected a BTU proposal that would put an end to the ineffective one-teacher/multiple license model.

BTU Events and Announcements

Join the BTU Electoral Action Team
Help make a difference and strengthen democracy with the Boston Teachers Union. The BTU is looking for members to get involved with our BEAT (BTU Electoral Action Team) to organize and take action in the upcoming elections. WE NEED YOU to win this fall! Please sign up here.

NEW – Boston Community Hub Schools Info Sessions May 7th – May 10th
Last month at our membership meeting, we shared a presentation on our advocacy for Hub Schools. The Boston Community Hub Schools Collaborative is holding 4 virtual info sessions for school communities interested in applying to become Community Hub Schools in SY24/25. School leaders must apply on behalf schools, but all are welcome to learn more about the strategy and application process. BTU faculty input will be sought as part of process. Please register for one of the following opportunities by clicking on the bolded date.

• TONIGHT: Tuesday, May 7, 6-7pm
• Thursday, May 9, 12-1pm 
• Friday, May 10, 3-4pm 

OHC Reps will be at the BTU May 8 to answer licensure questions
On May 8 from 4:15-6:00pm, before and during the BTU monthly membership meeting, members of the Office of Human Capital will be at the BTU to answer licensure questions related to additional license notifications, upcoming notifications regarding expired/expiring professional, initial, preliminary licenses, the Moderate PreK-2 license, emergency license extensions, or any other issues related to licensure. Please stop by if you have questions.

NEW – Climate Resilient Schools Coalition meeting on May 9!
Register for the next Climate Resilient Schools Coalition Network meeting on May 9 from 4pm-5pm! This regular series supports locally organized district teams through the process of introducing and winning climate action resolutions in their school districts. You can catch up on previous meetings here.

NEW- Haitian Educators Appreciation: May 11, 6-9:00 pm
The Haitian Educators Committee will celebrate Haitians in Education on Saturday, May 11, from 6:00 – 9:00 P.M. at the Bruce C. Bolling Building – 2300 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119. Due to the limited capacity of the Bolling Building, we can only host 100 BPS employees. Please contact Bianca Pierre (bpierre74@gmail.com) for the registration link.

Para Informational Meeting: May 15, 5PM
Please join us at the Para informational meeting! Come ask questions and learn about any updates. RSVP here.

NEW – MEJA Statewide Education Justice Convening! May 18th
Join us May 18th, 8:30-4pm at Worcester Tech! MEJA’s convening is a space for parents/caregivers, educators, students, and community activists to come together to collaborate, build power, strengthen relationships and amplify issues facing public education. Register here.

Teacher Day at the Isabella Gardner Museum: May 18th & June 1st
Experience a day of peace and inspiration at the Gardner Museum, free of cost. This special event, co-sponsored by the Boston Teachers Union, is specially designed for Boston Public Schools teachers of all ages and subjects, and offers interactive gallery visits, mindfulness experiences, and a delightful breakfast. Relax, connect, and rejuvenate yourself. Please RSVP to let us know that you will attend. Next Dates: Saturday, May 18, or Saturday, June 1.

NEW- BLS Youth Climate Summit, May 18 at MIT
Boston Latin School Youth Climate Action Network (BLS YouthCAN) is inviting you and your students to their Youth Climate Summit, an annual free event held at the Stata Center – MIT on May 18th. The theme of the summit is “Your Place in a Sustainable Future.” Middle and high school students and their supporters are invited to attend in-depth workshops, browse tables, and listen to a keynote speaker. Entry to the event is free, and lunch will be free as well. Register here

Free Program for Paras and Others Who Want to Become Teachers
Applications are open for the Bilingual Education/Accelerated Community To Teacher (BE/ACTT) program, which is a free, one-year pre-practicum program that is designed for paras, subs, career switchers, and others looking to become teachers of record in BPS. There is no requirement to be bilingual to participate. Application to apply (deadline is May 31st).

Unafraid Educators Week of Action & Social!
Happy May everyone! This year’s Immigrant Pride Week of Action will be from May 28th – May 31st. You’re invited to our Spring Social on May 29th at the Brendan Behan at 4:30pm. Please fill out this interest form and spread the word in your school communities: https://bit.ly/Unafraid2024commit

Free BPS Initial Licensure Program: May 31 DEADLINE
Applications are open for the BPS Teaching Fellowship, which is a free, one-year practicum program designed to support novice teachers on waivers, emergency license, or provisional license to complete an ed prep program to secure initial licensure in either ESL or Moderate Disabilities (note: this would also allow for initial licensure in one’s subject area pending any other requirements from DESE, which are subject-dependent). Deadline is May 31, 2024; application here.

Technology Series for Paraprofessionals/ Libraries / Library Paras and Substitutes: June 3, 5-7pm
This tech training session aims to familiarize beginners with the fundamentals of basic navigation and the Google Workspace, and for those with more experience, a higher level look at these systems. The content of the session aims to familiarize educators with BPS systems and tools available to them as educators at BPS. Beginner and advanced sessions are from 5-7 PM on June 3rd at the BTU. Sign up here!

NEW – Community Schools State-wide Summit June 8th, 9am-3:30pm at the BTU!
Join us for the first state-wide summit on Community Schools! Featuring guest speakers CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and Jitu Brown from Journey for Justice! Join us for a day exploring this evidence-based nationally recognized strategy for transforming school climate and academics. Learn more about Boston Community Hub Schools at btu.org/boston-community-hub-schools

Educators on the Hill Day- June 11th
June 11 will be our annual Educators on the Hill Day! The event to lobby for the Educator Diversity Act will start at 10am with a rally on the State House steps, followed by a legislative briefing in the Member’s Lounge at 11:20 and then end with door knocking from 1-3pm. We will send out more information on the event and on opportunities to support and engage. Please reach out to Lea Serena at lserena@btu.org

BTU members at more than 50 schools, including at the Kenny K-8 school pictured here, staged Walk-ins last week in support of our contract proposal!

 

Professional Learning & Development Updates

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.

• AFT Member Benefit Virtual Workshops
• Degree Completion
• Implementing EL Learning Site, May 8th
• Focus Literacy Stations Learning Site at Haynes: May 9, 8:30-1:30
• Upper Elementary ESL Learning Site: May 21, 7:00-11:45AM
• Telescope Spring Survey: Share Your Leading & Learning Needs
• Critically Disciplinary Literacy Course: Weekly from May 7-June 11
• August 2024 MIT Climate Professional Development Workshop (paid) for high school educators
• Aspire & Inspire Educator Symposium: May 30, 4:30-7:30PM
• Stipend Opportunity: Educator Feedback on SY24-25 Professional Learning

BTU delegates attended the AFT MA Convention last weekend celebrating “The Power of We!” In addition to elections, the body conducted business including the passage of resolutions addressing book bans and supporting the Para Bill of Rights.

 

Community News & Events

K-3 Teachers: Opportunity to participate in research! 
We are seeking BPS educators to participate in a national research study to understand the barriers and facilitators schools face when implementing ongoing professional learning. Complete an anonymous survey on professional learning needs and receive a $20 Visa Gift Card. You must be 18 years old and above, be a BPS employee and currently working as a K-3 classroom teacher. Please access the survey via this flyer.

Generative AI and Social Science Summer Program by Stanford Alumni
Inspirit AI is a 25-hour project-based AI program taught by Stanford graduates that introduces middle and high school students to fundamental AI concepts to build interdisciplinary AI projects across domains. In 2024, the team is excited to announce new projects such as Generating Language Safely with ChatGPT. No CS experience is necessary to apply and priority applications are due soon.

Rise Up! for Youth Mental Health: Bridging Gaps and Sparking Change May 13th
The Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness at the Boston Public Health Commission is hosting a series of Youth Mental Health Summits featuring workshops, resources, food and games. For the Youth and Parent/Caregiver Summits, $25 gift cards will be given out to the first 200 people who register! Learn more and register at this link.

Sunday Funday for a Cure: May 19
This summer, Jillian O’Neil Geraghty will join thousands of bike riders in the Pan-Mass Challenge fundraising event. Jillian will be riding for Camila Hernandez de Obi Tabot, a fellow BTU member, whose son was diagnosed with leukemia last year. On May 19, from 12-3, their team will be hosting a fundraising event at Roundhead Brewing in Hyde Park. Please visit their event page for tickets and any donations.

Aspire & Inspire Educator Symposium: May 30
Celebrate this school year with BPS’s Office of Educator Development and Leadership (OEDL) on May 30th from 4:30-7:30 (location TBD) by honoring the work of educators who are leaders both in and outside of the classroom. There will be a variety of ways for attendees to engage– join a presentation, talk to a teacher leader 1-on-1, and explore the OEDL programs! Food and beverages will be served. bit.ly/AIES24

FREE Summer Middle School Science Program, July 1 – August 2
The Arnold Arboretum runs a free, science and nature based summer program intended for current 6th and 7th graders from BPS, called Arboretum Young Scientists. We are actively recruiting students who are interested in furthering their learning and growth in science and love being in nature for our 5 week program, July 1 through August 2. The application form can also be found on the AYS (Arboretum) webpage, and it is in both English and Spanish.

 

BTU in the News

Last week educators at the Codman Academy Public Charter School announced that they intend to unionize with the BTU. Learn more about these brave and dedicated educators at WGBH.

 

In Memoriam

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Rita F. Albanese. Rita was a long time librarian for Boston Public Schools for 20 years until her retirement in 2001. She had a constant love of learning, but most of all loved her family. You can read details about her life here.