Our 12th Annual Back to School Book Fair brought hundreds of BPS students, families and educators together at our Union Hall on a beautiful day this past Saturday for a day of joy, learning and community building. Read on below for more details on the impact of our Reading Opens the World Initiative!

To our members who will observe the Yom Kippur holiday this week, we wish you an easy fast.

12th Annual Back to School Fair: 500k books (and counting) donated to Boston Students

We couldn’t have asked for better weather at our Book Fair this past Saturday. BTU members, students and their families came to our union hall and picked through more than 40,000 multilingual K-12 books to take home to their classroom or home libraries. This is the 12th year that the BTU has partnered with AFT, AFT Massachusetts and FirstBook to provide Boston’s BPS families with a wide selection of books to inspire, encourage and support this city’s students.

The BTU is proud to be a major partner in AFT’s “Reading Opens the World” initiative, which has distributed more than 10 million books across America over the past 14 years. Collectively, the BTU and its partners have donated approximately half a million books to local students and parents. Check out photos and videos on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.

This event can only happen because of the dozens of volunteers and local community organizations who work with the BTU Community Liaison Brendan Chaney and the BTU organizing team each year. Thank you to AFT MA President Jessica Tang for starting this wonderful tradition 12 years ago and thank you to AFT President Randi Weingarten who joined us this year, for fighting against censorship and book bans across the country to ensure every student has  access to wonderful literature. Thank you also to Mayor Michelle Wu and the other elected officials who stopped by:  Senators Liz Miranda and Nick Collins, Representatives Rob Consalvo, Brandy Fluker-Reid, John Moran, and BTU-endorsed City Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Henry Santana, Enrique Pepen, Ed Flynn, along with BTU-endorsed candidate for at-large City Council Marvin Mathelier.

The BTU is most effective when we’re all working and talking together. Our elected officers can be stronger advocates for members and students when they understand intimately what’s happening in our school communities. BTU staff will be visiting all schools this year to encourage members to talk with each other about successes and obstacles, and to develop a shared understanding of our members’ and our students’ needs so the BTU can advocate most effectively, and to start building the foundation for our next contract proposal. Please ask your building rep when your visit is scheduled.

BTU Legal Update

The BTU has been busy for the past several years defending educators’ rights, and we had a couple of recent wins before the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations on Unfair Labor Practice charges filed by the BTU. In both cases, the DLR agreed that the Boston Public Schools violated the law and our members’ rights. In the first case, the labor board ruled that the district failed to bargain in good faith with the union and dealt directly with union members in violation of the law when it directed Coordinators of Special Education to attend certain trainings.

In the second case, the DLR hearing officer ruled that the BPS failed to bargain in good faith with the union and provide certain information to the union required by law when it unilaterally eliminated disciplinary hearings for teachers without professional teacher status. This important component of due process is critical for our members, and we are pleased that the labor board ordered BPS to reinstate these hearings. The district was required to post notices to this effect in all workplaces, so please look for these postings in your school.

Sick Bank

All eligible BTU members are encouraged to take advantage of an important benefit, and go to ESS and join the sick bank now! If you are having difficulty joining, try clearing the cache on your browser. You can only donate until October 31st!The Sick Bank is a pool of sick leave days donated by BTU members that their fellow union members can access if they’re experiencing prolonged medical difficulties and have run out of sick time. Please read the latest Superintendent Circular about the Sick Bank process. 

BTU Events and Announcements

Haitian Educators Committee Meeting: September 29, 5:00-6:30 PM

Join us to discuss issues and concerns in our community and to go over the committee’s leadership structure! Please email Bianca Pierre at bpierre74@gmail.com for the zoom link to our next meeting

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk: Join the BTU Team on October 4^th!

The BTU is once again organizing the BTU Walkers for another year of walking and fundraising in support of the effort to eradicate breast cancer. Each year, the BTU provides a shuttle bus from the BTU Hall to the Hatch Shell so volunteers can participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on the Esplanade. Check out more information here and search for the BTU Walkers Team to register with our group!

Unafraid Educators Meeting on October 6th at 4:30

Please join us at Fenway High for our September/October Unafraid Educators Meeting! We are the BTU’s Immigrant Rights Organizing Committee, and work to support our students and families. We will discuss goals for the upcoming school year, and share what we accomplished last year. We’ll have pizza, salads, and snacks for everyone.

BTU Writing and Research Fellowship

In partnership with UMASS Boston and the Boston Writing Project, this year-long classroom-based research fellowship is open to all BTU members. The BTU Writing and Research Fellowships creates a collaborative intellectual community in which Research Fellows support one another to engage in professional identity work, conduct rigorous practitioner research, advance professional practice and promote student learning and well-being, and pursue social justice. Earn graduate credit from UMASS Boston (for a fee) and a $600 honorarium.

Learn more here or APPLY TODAY. Contact ptritter@btu.org with questions.

Introducing The POP: BTU Policy & Organizing Program

A new offering combining the former Education Policy and Member Organizing programs, the POP helps members gain knowledge and skills while contributing to the BTU’s core organizing campaigns. Fellows learn about education policy, build foundational organizing skills, and conduct action research. Then they apply their learning to support a priority BTU campaign.

The course meets on 7 Saturdays this year. Stipend: $1500. Flyer, FAQ, Apply today at: bit.ly/BTUepp

NEW! BTU ABA Working Group

The next ABA educators BTU group meeting is on Monday, October 6th from 5:00-6:00pm on Zoom, and then every other Monday at the same time. Please email Madison Kronheim (madisonkronheim@gmail.com) for the Zoom link.

NEW! BTU Pre-K Working Group: Oct. 14th

Calling all Pre-K educators! The working group is back with our first meeting on Tuesday, October 14th, from 5:30-6:30 on zoom. This is a space for educators to gather, share ideas, learn from one another’s expertise, and proactively problem solve together. If you are new to the group, please register here. Email Caitlin Gaffny cgaffny@btu.org with any questions.

NEW! BTU Multilingual Educators Group: Oct. 16th

The next meeting for the BTU multilingual educators group is on Thursday, October 16th, from 4:30-5:30 then will continue on the first Thursday of each month. Please email Katie DeLaRosa (kdelarosa@btu.org) for the Zoom link.

NEW! BTU Educators for Reading Group: Oct. 16th

The next BTU Educators for Reading Group meeting is on Thursday, October 16th from 7:30-8:30pm on Zoom, and then will continue on the third Thursday of each month. Please email Steven Benjamin (steven.benjamin188@gmail.com) for the Zoom link.

NEW! BTU Extended Learning Time (ELT) Working Group: Oct. 16th

The ELT Working Group starts back up on October 16th from 5:30-6:30 on zoom. Join us as we continue our conversation around Extended Learning Time. If you are new to the group, fill out this form. Contact Caitlin Gaffny (cgaffny@btu.org) with questions.

NEW! People’s Forum on Graduation Readiness: Oct. 27th

Citizens for Public Schools and the BTU are hosting a series of public forums across the state where parents, teachers, students, can come together to discuss 3 fundamental questions: What should students know/be able to do by the time they graduate from high school? How should students demonstrate their readiness to graduate? What should high school look like to prepare students for your recommended graduation requirements? Please join us from 5:00–6:30 PM, at the BTU Hall. RSVP here.

Retirement Planning Seminar: October 30th

Ready to retire or just starting to plan? Join us at the BTU for a Retirement Planning Seminar for on October 30th and take the first step toward a secure and confident future. There will be a Pre-seminar Question and Answer session regarding retirement and health benefits from 3:30-4:30pm. AFT is also planning on having a financial wellness workshop, “Building Your Financial Power” from 6-7pm.

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.

• Early Childhood Co-Planning Drop-In
• District Assessment Plan SY25-26
• SY 2025-2026 Annual Notice for State Required Assessments
• ODA Back to School PD Calendar Fall 2025
• LAS Links Training Sessions – Fall SY25-26

Call For Submissions

Call for Submissions: BTU Members teaching at their former schools

If you are a BTU member who currently teaches at a school you once attended as a BPS student, we’d love to hear from you. There are more than 8,000 active BTU educators spread across Boston’s schools and we want to share the stories of our members. Our first goal is to interview BTU members on this topic, take a photo, and learn about your journey back to a familiar school. The interview could be published in the BUT newspaper and/or on our social media channels. If you or a colleague fits this profile, please reach out to Brendan Deady at bdeady@btu.org!

BTU in the News

Check out some news coverage by Boston Fox 25 from our 12th Annual Back to School Book Fair.

Thank You for Reading

Please send your comments and questions to us at bulletin@btu.org, or call the BTU at 617-288-2000.