BTU joins City Hall rally

to fight for community investment

Welcome back from Memorial Day weekend. We offer our gratitude and condolences to the service members who have died in service of our country as well as the Gold Star military families who live with that sacrifice every day. Thank you.

The BTU stands in solidarity with Boston’s firefighters as they process the tragic death of Robert Kilduff Jr., who lost his life while battling a fire in Dorchester this past Saturday night. A 3rd generation firefighter and Marine Corps veteran, Kilduff Jr. was hailed as the heart of his firehouse in Roxbury by his colleagues. Our brothers and sisters of the Boston Fire Fighters Local 718 are in our thoughts and prayers.

We have entered the final month of the BPS 2026 School Year, and we have a lot in store for the final stretch.

Legislative Updates

In case you missed it, there was an important development in our campaign to reform the state’s Retirement Plus program for educators. On Thursday, President pro tempore of the MA Senate William Brownsberger announced that the chamber will soon vote on An Act Relative to Teacher Retirement Election introduced by state Sen. Liz Miranda. The bill would allow teachers who missed the window in 2001 to enroll in the Retirement Plus Program, which allows teachers to retire earlier if they make higher than required monthly pension contributions.

A dedicated group of educators led by BTU and AFT MA members has spent years advocating on Beacon Hill to right this wrong. Their commitment and perseverance led to breakthroughs in the past two legislative sessions. The bill has already passed in the House, and now thanks to the persistent support from Sen. Miranda, it looks like the bill will soon be up for a vote in the Senate.

This is fantastic news, but there’s still work to do. Call/write/visit your local state Senator at any opportunity in the coming days to reiterate how important this retirement benefit would be to thousands of teachers who have dedicated their lives to serving the public.

Temperatures surpassed 90 degrees last Tuesday and Wednesday. The spike in heat proved once again that the Boston Public Schools system is in desperate need of significant investment in school facilities. The average temperature in some schools on Wednesday morning was well above 80 degrees, according to the district’s own heat index tracker. Our members reported that high school students had to take MCAS exams in rooms that were either sweltering or full of noise from inadequate window air conditioning units.

We learned last week that some of our district school buildings are using an HVAC system that was designed more than 70 years ago. Because of this, some schools require up to a week for the HVAC system to transition from a heating to a cooling setting. We live in Boston. It can be 50 degrees on Monday and by Tuesday the heat index is approaching triple digits. It is outrageous that we live in a city with some of the most advanced laboratories, offices and hospitals, yet our children and educators are forcibly stuck in the 1950s.

We’re entering yet another June where educators and students will be forced to suffer through the final weeks of the school year because of chronic underinvestment in Boston’s school facilities. We need new schools. We needed new schools 30 years ago. Every year we kick the can down the road, we’re subjecting another generation of students to unfair learning conditions.

Yesterday, members of the BTU rallied alongside more than a dozen community organizations to call on Mayor Michelle Wu and the City Council to amend the city’s proposed budget for next year. In its current form, the budget will reduce funding for youth job programs, housing support, and elder and immigration services. BTU members marched with these community organizations to support their demand for City Hall to direct more investment into our neighborhoods and schools.

The budget would also result in the loss of 400 student-facing positions in schools across the city. The BTU has been fighting against these severe job cuts since day one, and our activism has resulted in the restoration of dozens of positions in schools across Boston, but the proposed budget remains inadequate.

We’ve testified at City Hall and on Beacon Hill, held rallies, written letters, marched in the streets, phonebanked our communities to build support and our neighborhoods have shown up for our schools. At this stage, it is up to the Mayor and City Council to pass a supplemental appropriation to ensure the progress the district has seen in recent years can continue.

The City Council will vote on the budget on June 3rd.

On May 13th, the BTU membership voted at our monthly meeting to approve the endorsements of several candidates for federal and state office. Last week we highlighted our endorsement of Patrick Roath to serve as the next U.S. Representative for the 8th Congressional district. You can read more about the endorsement in Axios.

You can find a full list of BTU endorsed candidates on our website.

BTU Events and Announcements

BTU Collective Bargaining Committee & Contract Organizing Committee Applications

Get involved in next year’s contract negotiations! The Collective Bargaining Committee (CBC) is primarily responsible for developing our bargaining package and the Contract Organizing Committee (COC) is primarily responsible for setting up Contract Action (CAT) Teams that will allow us to quickly reach every single member about union actions. BTU members are encouraged to apply to either or both committees. You can find full descriptions of job roles and responsibilities here: CBC & COC Applications

The BTU seeks 8-12 Summer Organizing Union Leaders (SOULs) to build power for our next round of BPS-BTU contract negotiations. No previous experience is necessary to be a SOUL. SOULs receive training and coaching in effective organizing practices, including how to have effective one-on-one conversations and how to escalate a campaign, in order to develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to build power and win the schools our students deserve. July 27th-Aug. 28th, 2026. Flexible hours. Trainings on Mondays from 2-5pm at BTU. Paid position: $20/hour for 60 hours total ($1200). Learn more and apply at btu.org/soul.

AFT MA/BTU Summer Organizing Institute: June 29-30

Summer Organizing Institute (SOI) is our union’s deep organizing space to build the skills we need to win for our members, students and families in the classroom and beyond. From bargaining strong contracts, building strong school-site union structures and taking our movement to the streets in this critical time— we must be ready. Join us for SOI 2026; Monday June 29th 1:00pm-4:00pm Tuesday, June 30th, 2026, 8:30am-4:00pm at the BTU. This is a FREE institute for all BTU and AFT-MA members with meals included. Learn more and register to attend at bit.ly/AFTMassSOI26

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.

• Fourth Annual Aspire & Inspire Educator Symposium – June 4th 5-7pm
• 2026 Telescope Network Needs Assessment Report

Community Events

Immigrant Student Success Virtual Conference: July 8, 11 AM-3 PM

Explore how schools can better support immigrant students in challenging times at the free virtual conference Hosted by The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute, participants will learn how to: Foster belonging, identity and agency in students; Challenge common immigration myths; Gain strategies for supporting immigrant student mental health and wellbeing; Advocate for your immigrant students’ rights. The 2026 Immigrant Student Success virtual conference is free of charge, but you must register to participate. This virtual conference is designed for PreK-12 and adult educators, administrators, counselors, volunteers and librarians.

BTU in the News

Congratulations to Boston Latin Academy and TechBoston for an impressive showing at the Boston City League Championships this past weekend. The BLA Dragons baseball and softball teams both took home the championship. In track, the TechBoston boys team captured the outdoor title while the BLA girls team won their division. Congratulations to our student-athletes!

The political news site Axios ran an exclusive story on the Boston Teachers Union’s endorsement of Congressional candidate Patrick Roach. Roach, who has worked for Gov. Deval Patrick and the Obama Administration, is running to represent the 8th Congressional District.