BTU Members Join Nationwide

Solidarity Movement for Minnesota

On Friday Jan. 23rd, more than 50,000 people marched through downtown Minneapolis to protest the federal immigration officers who have been terrorizing the city at the direction of the Trump administration. Labor, faith and community groups worked with local small businesses to organize the first general strike in an American city in more than 80 years. Solidarity poured in from across the country; BTU members in dozens of schools wore their union t-shirts and a large group joined hundreds of other local supporters at a demonstration in Dorchester.

The next morning in Minneapolis, ICE agents shot union member and nurse Alex Pretti more than 10 times after he tried to prevent an agent from continuing to pepper spray a woman the agent had just shoved to the ground. Senior White House officials immediately tried to smear Pretti in the same way they did with Renee Good.

So far, it appears the public outrage is drowning out the administration’s lies. There are reportedly changes coming to ICE and CBP leadership in Minnesota and some Republicans have criticized the administration following Pretti’s killing. It is not nearly enough, but it’s a foothold from which to push further.

The violence caused by federal agents in Minneapolis has been horrifying, but the resilience shown by its people has been inspiring. Our advocacy and demonstrations of solidarity contribute to a broader public voice that has the power to influence this administration. We can’t give up. We’ll share details on upcoming demonstrations in the coming days, and in the meantime we strongly encourage you to check out our BTU events section below for multiple chances to get involved with community orgs.

The BTU is currently engaged in impact bargaining related to several school closures and changes, including the scheduled closure of grades at Mary Lyon Lower, the closures of Mary Lyon Upper, Excel HS, and the Dever, changes at Community Academy, and the merger of the Winthrop and Clap into the Lilla Frederick.

These changes require the district to bargain with the union over the impacts on our members, and we currently have submitted multiple items pending written responses, projected staffing, or meeting dates from the district. In addition, we have demanded to bargain over changes affecting working conditions and student services, including medication protocols for nurses, changes to Early Childhood COSE jobs, Title IX investigations, and changes to ABA support, with meetings held and/or responses pending.

We are also bargaining over expiring Exit Assurance Agreements at the Grew and English High School, as well as at the Dearborn and UP Academy Holland. We are also working on finalizing an agreement regarding the calendar for next school year. Finally, we are monitoring compliance with our Cease and Desist letter regarding equitable literacy tools in evaluations and have filed an unfair labor practice charge over the matter.

Paraprofessionals who want to request reassignment to another school must submit the reassignment request by Feb. 1st. The request form can be found in Attachment #1 in the Superintendent Circular # HRS-HS07. Paras have until Feb. 14th to rescind this decision. Due to backlogs at USPS, it is suggested that the form is scanned and emailed to ohr@bostonpublicschools.org. Otherwise please contact Colleen Hart for the google form to submit virtually. It is also in the staffing circular HRS-HS07.

Permanent teachers have until Feb. 1st to excess themselves. Teachers at autonomous schools must be notified by Feb. 1st if they will be excessed. You can find a comprehensive breakdown of the Excess process in the FAQ documents compiled by BTU staff for Teachers and Paraprofessionals.

Formative Assessments Due February 1st

Reminder: Mid-Year Formative Assessments for educators on 1-year plans are due Feb 1, 2026. If you are notified that your Formative Assessment has been released, please be sure to read it promptly, so that you can respond if you wish to do so.

Tax Justice Convening: Fund our Future at the BTU Hall

Later this week, the BTU is hosting a national convening of community organizations, labor unions and advocates to explore how we can harness people power to fund our future. The event will be held on Thursday and Friday of this week and close to 300 leaders from around the nation will gather at the BTU Hall to discuss how we can equitably generate state revenue to fund schools, childcare, higher education, transit and social benefits. National leaders of both major teacher unions, Randi Weingarten of the AFT and Becky Pringle of the NEA, will be in attendance.

Randi Weingarten will also be holding a reading of her book Why Fascist Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy at the BTU Hall Friday evening at 5:30pm. Attendance is open to all BTU members, but registration is required.

Six BPS School highlighted by DESE

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education celebrated six Boston Public Schools for their academic progress during 2025. We would like to congratulate the following schools for being selected as “Schools of Recognition”:

• Grew Elementary School
• Philbrick Elementary School (Now closed, and merged into the Sarah Roberts Elementary School)
• Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary School
• New Mission High School
• Boston Latin Academy
• Boston Latin School

BTU Events and Announcements

AFT MA Winter Town Hall: TONIGHT 7pm on Zoom

We’ll get the inside scoop on what’s happening at the federal level that will impact our members, students, and communities this year.

The discussion will also feature local leaders ready to talk about some important state and local level updates – from recent contract fights, the school funding crisis, statewide graduation requirements, and more. RSVP at tinyurl.com/WTH26

Please join us at Zoom on Monday, February 9th at 4:30 for our next Unafraid Educators Meeting. We are the BTU’s Immigrant Rights Organizing Committee, and work to support our Undocu+ students and families. Please click here to register for the meeting.

Teaching Climate Change/Justice Focus Group & Social: Feb. 5th

Join the BTU Climate Change & Justice Committee’s focus group to engage in conversation and share your ideas on what Climate Change related information and skills BPS should be teaching our students. Thurs. 2/5/26 , 4:30-6:00 PM, at the BTU Hall. The five BTU members on the joint BTU-BPS Climate Curriculum Committee (that we won in the last contract!) will be there to take your ideas back to the Committee. There will be light refreshments and beer/wine. RSVP here.

Union Night with the Dropkick Murphy’s: Buy tickets by February 20th

The BTU has a collection of tickets reserved for the annual Dropkick Murphy’s Union Fundraiser concert at the MGM Music Hall on Lansdowne Street. It will be $65 per ticket, which includes access to a pre-show acoustic performance with the band and a custom t-shirt. Please reserve by Feb. 20th, a paypal link for payment will be shared after you complete the form.

Retired Teachers Chapter Scholarships: Application Deadline April 7

Each year the Retired Teachers’ Chapter of the Boston Teachers’

Union awards three scholarships to deserving high school seniors who

are the children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grandnieces or

grandnephews of RTC members. One of these scholarships is

earmarked for a student who chooses to attend a vocational school or

equivalent institution. Applications for these scholarships can be downloaded from the BTU website or picked up at the BTU office.

BTU Dependent Scholarships: Application Deadline April 10

The BTU will be offering 16 scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to high school seniors who are dependents of dues-paying BTU members. If you’re interested in applying for the scholarship, please contact Michelle Frank (mfrank@btu.org) or download 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.

• Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Classrooms Connect & Share: Mon, Feb 9th and March 9th, 5:30-7:00PM
• Telescope: Language in Centers Learning Site (K1) 8:00-2:00
• Co-Teaching Structures: Parallel Teaching Learning Site: February 4, 8 AM -1:30 PM
• Middle School Day of Learning: March 9, 8am-2:30pm
• MTSS Learning Cohort Session 3 on “Supporting Multilingual Learners through MTSS”
• Wicked Math Learning Site Series: Feb 12 or Feb 26

Community Events

CitySprouts Boston Area School Garden Conference, Feb. 28, 9:00-3:00

You are invited to join a cohort of local educators, gardeners, and administrators to: Build the greater Boston school gardening community, brainstorm ideas for inclusive curriculum and lesson models, and discuss how to create a greener future for youth in underserved, overpaved communities.

The day will feature panel discussions, presentations, interactive workshops, and breakfast & lunch. Registration

Teaching 250 Years of Immigration: February 25, 4:30-5:30PM

This free webinar, co-hosted by The Immigration Learning Center and the Institute for Immigration Research, invites educators to examine how immigration has shaped the nation from the Revolutionary era to the present day. Designed for K–12 educators, this session blends historical content, data literacy, and classroom practice to support inclusive and inquiry-based teaching in the lead-up to America’s 250th. Learn more and register here.

Practical Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students with Disabilities Webinar: March 10, 4:00-5:30PM

This free, 90-minute webinar focuses on practical, classroom-based strategies K–12 educators can use to ensure meaningful access to education for multilingual learners with disabilities, how to make content-rich history and civics instruction more accessible, and how to better support Latino students with ADHD. Join us on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 4:00-5:30 PM ET. Learn more and register here.

My America Project: Nationwide arts & civic engagement program
The My America Project is offering USA Flag Kits to classrooms nationwide. The kits allow students to create art pieces which demonstrate their definition of American principles. Classrooms submissions will then be stitched together into a large American flag that will displayed at TBD location in Boston. Register your classroom here!

Educating for Peace: A Teachers’ Conference for Nuclear Disarmament Education: April 24th-26th

The weekend-long conference seeks to bring together and empower middle and high school teachers to explore effective ways to teach students about the threats and historical legacies of nuclear weapons and instill in them a deep sense of shared responsibility and commitment to safeguarding the future of humanity’s peaceful existence. The conference is free, but requires an application. More details and the application can be found here on our website, including a write-up on last year’s conference.

In Memoriam

The BTU and RTC offer our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Ms. Juanita Johnson, who passed away on January 15th. Ms. Johnson dedicated 37 years of service to the John F. Kennedy Elementary School. Friends and family are welcomed to gather on Saturday January 31st at the St. John’s Baptist Church, 38 Everett St., Woburn MA. Visitation begins at 10am. More details can be found with the Davis Funeral Home.

Thank You for Reading

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