Good morning,

We hope you stay cool as temperatures rise the next few days. We have been told that the district has taken measures to ensure schools are prepared, including with a supply of adequate drinking water, and we are glad that the vast majority of schools and classrooms now have AC, but are still advocating that all rooms and all new buildings have AC. Please remember to turn on air purifiers to ensure proper air filtering when windows and doors are closed. Access to clean air and a healthy environment were demands from students at their rally and this week a good reminder of why!

Last week, the BTU stood in solidarity with student activists for a rally in front of City Hall. A good sign that our priorities are on point is that many of their proposals to improve BPS directly align with our own. Our students are fighting for safe and modern school buildings, fully funded mental health programs, gyms, libraries and for a stronger community voice in decision-making.

That is to say that we are not alone in this movement. Our priority for the next two weeks is to ramp up recruitment for our own rally on June 5th in front of the Bolling Building at 4:30 pm. Our organizing team has already begun reaching out to community partners, parents, and other unions to generate support. But it is crucial that our members turn out in masses to show the district that they are facing a unified front every time they try to stonewall or outright reject proposals that would markedly improve the quality of education we offer to our students.

We have put together some tips on how to recruit people to our cause and to explain what the BTU is fighting for. Let us know you are coming! As we look forward to the rally, it’s also crucial to keep showing up in droves to weekly negotiating sessions. When members pack the room, it lets BPS know we are unified around our contract campaign and forces their representatives to explain why they have rejected reasonable proposals such as securing a living wage for our members and guaranteeing students have access to enriching programs and suitable facilities.

This Thursday, the session will focus on inclusive education and the district’s broken model of forcing one teacher to provide the specialized services of multiple educators. For far, BPS has said our one teacher/one license proposal is “fiscally impossible” and “inflexible.” This comes as the district is sticking to its plan to move toward fully integrating English Language Learners into general education classes, which studies show results in lower graduation rates and test scores for students. We see this all as an attempt to do INCLUSION DONE CHEAP, not Inclusion Done Right.

If you, too, believe in Inclusion Done Right, please show up in solidarity and make sure to register ahead of time. We intend to use caucus time to finalize our rally messaging and further develop our escalation strategy for our contract campaign.

BTU organizers and staff members have been visiting dozens of schools over the past two weeks to engage with members, listen to feedback, clarify our contract proposals and recruit for our rally. This work is the responsibility for all of our members. The more people involved, the stronger our unity and the more visible our activism, the better our contract would be and the faster it will get ratified.

Speaking of inclusive education: Last week, we were glad to reach a tentative agreement with the district guaranteeing that IPTs will be more reflective of the demographic and occupational diversity of the BTU and community members by including parents. Please see the following reminders as well:

Inclusive education Professional Development stipends:

• By June 20, 2024: Educators must complete PD hours and log with school leader
• By June 20, 2024: School Leaders confirm PD hours completion
• July 5, 2024: PD hours will be included in this paycheck

Educators who completed one or more of the 4 foundational inclusive education modules can demonstrate their completion by downloading certificates from Vector or BrightSpace. On Vector, you will need to fill out the feedback form to have credit assigned and certificates appear.

Inclusion Planning Team Hours Stipends

School Leaders must approve attendance reports by May 30, 2024. IPT members should get paid within the pay cycles of either Friday, June 21st or Friday, July 5th.

Inclusion Planning Team Elections

Members of the school inclusion planning team should confirm at the end of each year whether they would like to continue to serve. After two (2) years of service that seat should be open to election and the member may choose to run and continue to serve if elected. At least 50% of the IPT must be BTU elected, through a school-based BTU vote that follows the same protocols as all other faculty votes. Results should be shared with the school leader and the BTU Inclusion Liaison Katie DeLaRosa.

Thank you to all who attended the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance convening last week! It was a wonderful day of learning and inspiration. From Worcester to Boston and from Lawrence to the South Coast, educators, parents, students and community allies came together to mobilize, organize and activate, particularly around our state-wide campaigns. See photos from the convening.

Lastly, we were proud to welcome dozens of families to the BTU this past Sunday for an AAPI Heritage Month Meet the Author Event. BTU member Tracy Guan, author of the picture book “Love is Mama’s Hands”, Young Adult Author Vincent Yee, author of the Clara Wu series, BTU member Neema Avashia, award-winning author of “Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place” all read excerpts of their work. The BTU distributed 100s of more free books, continuing our support for AFT’s Reading Opens the World and Real Solutions for Kids and Communities. Last week, AFT gave out its 10 millionth free book since launching this campaign! We are proud to have contributed to this groundbreaking milestone.

BTU Events and Announcements

Apply to be a Summer Organizing Union Leader! (Earn a stipend!) 

The BTU seeks Summer Organizing Union Leaders (SOULs) to support BTU’s contract campaigns. This is opportunity comes with a stipend. Program runs from July 8-August 9 with flexible hours. Learn more and apply at btu.org/soul.

Apply to be a Summer Organizing Union Leader! (Earn a stipend!)
The BTU seeks Summer Organizing Union Leaders (SOULs) to support BTU’s contract campaigns. This is opportunity comes with a stipend. Program runs from July 8-August 9 with flexible hours. Learn more and apply at btu.org/soul.

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).

NEW- Black Caucus Meeting: May 21st at the BTU
The AFT Black Caucus Boston Chapter is holding an in-person meeting at the BTU Hall from 5 to 6:30pm. New officers will be elected at this meeting.

Haitian Educators Committee Meeting Tuesday, May 21, 5:00-6:30PM
Join us on zoom to discuss issues and concerns in our community. We will also plan for the end of the year get together in person. Please contact Bianca Pierre for the zoom link.

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

Housing Justice Committee End of Year Celebration: May 29th at BTU Hall
Want to organize for a more affordable Boston for BTU members and BPS students? Join the BTU Housing Justice Committee for an end of year celebration and documentary screening! RSVP here.

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.

BTU Scholarships by Tremont Credit Union: June 8th Deadline

The Tremont Credit Union will be awarding $10,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors who have a parent, guardian, or caregiver who is a member of the Boston Teacher’s Union. For more details on scholarship requirements and the application, please visit the Credit Union’s page.

March with the BTU in the Boston Pride for the People Parade: June 8th 
The Boston Pride for the People parade is returning to Boston this summer, and the BTU wants you to be a part of it!  The parade exists to commemorate the brave LGBTQ+ people who risked their safety to advocate for the lives and humanity of LGBTQ+ people, to celebrate the richness and complexity of LGBTQ+ community, and to continue to advocate for equity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ people. Sign up HERE to march with the BTU in our delegation.

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

Summer Organizing Institute: August 14-15 at the BTU
Join AFT Massachusetts and the Boston Teachers Union for our annual Summer Organizing Institute. Whether you are a brand new building rep or activist learning the basic building blocks of organizing or a seasoned union leader looking to bargaining your strongest contract ever these two days are for you. Register with this form

 

 

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
• Upper Elementary ESL Learning Site: May 21, 7:00-11:45AM
• 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

 

 

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.

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.

The Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) is Seeking a New Executive Director 

The Boston Education Justice Alliance is seeking a new Executive Director. Learn more about the position and how to apply here.