We were proud to be standing in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and workers everywhere in Boston for Labor Day! #1u #SAGAFTRAStrong
Welcome back, BTU! We hope you all had a wonderful summer, and we’re thrilled to get to start the school year with this group of incredible educators. This is the first bulletin of the 2023-24 school year. We send our regular bulletins every Tuesday morning at 4 a.m., unless there is a holiday on Monday, in which case it goes out Wednesday morning. We also send out occasional special bulletins as needed, too. If you were forwarded this email and want to get the bulletin in your inbox, sign up here!
In June, we launched the new and improved iteration of our union website. There, you’ll find information regarding our contract, how to file a class size grievance, professional development opportunities, and more. Toggle through the site and make sure to check out our FAQ!
Our first union meeting of the school year is next Wednesday, September 13 beginning at 4:30 p.m. As always, be sure to bring your new membership card. There will be a help desk for anyone who didn’t get their card yet, too. If you need childcare, please register in advance. There are limited seats and it is first come, first serve.
Remember that every school needs to run a BTU 30-minute back-to-school meeting during PD hours. Most schools will hold this meeting today, Wednesday, September 6 (as spelled out in the red contract book on p. 49). A slide deck presentation has been created to help facilitate these meetings. At this meeting, all members will have a chance to complete an important survey sent out yesterday to inform our contract negotiations later this school year. We are looking for surveys from 100% of BTU members at your school or work site!
Our current contract expires next August, so we’re already in preparation mode. We need to hear from as many members as possible to help us create our new initial proposal to create the Schools Our Students Deserve. In order to get the best working conditions possible for our members, and the best learning conditions for our students, we need to ensure that the voices of BTU members are heard so that we can prioritize our proposals. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey sent via email with the subject “2024 Contract Bargaining Survey” to share your ideas for what we should be advocating for in our next contract.
We’d like to remind you that our latest agreement allows members of all faiths time off for religious holidays. If you are a BTU member, you may request a day off based on your personal religious practices with 10 school day’s notice on ESS. Now is a good time to do so, and you can learn more from the BPS FAQ. We recommend putting in for the requests now so that you do not forget the 10 day’s notice!
We also have new class size limits for the upcoming school year. Please see an updated chart and remember that you can file class size overage grievances directly on our website. It is important to file the grievance as soon as you have an overage.
New Special Ed Admin Period
The contract provides for an additional 48-minute special education paperwork period for ALL teachers who provide special education services to students, while ALSO using a general education or ESL license. This generally encompasses inclusion teachers using multiple licenses and interventionists who provide both Special Ed and ESL services. This period is in addition to all contractual P&D time. If you are eligible and are not receiving this period, please let your principal and building rep know immediately.
Inclusion Planning Team Pay
Members of Inclusion Planning Teams (IPT) may be compensated for up to 15 hours of work beyond the regular school day and year. If you served on an IPT last school year, or are currently on an IPT this school year, please be sure you are providing your principal with your hours and are receiving compensation at the teacher contractual hourly rate. If you were not compensated for last year’s hours, please let your field rep know immediately.
Inclusion PD Hours
This school year, teachers may be required to complete 8 additional hours of PD related to inclusion. Pay for these additional hours is at each teacher’s real rate of pay. Paras must be offered the opportunity to participate, with pay, but are not required to participate. Compensation will be provided twice during the school year, in January and July.
It is going to be a busy fall as school-based Inclusion Planning Teams (IPTs) begin working with their regional inclusion coaches to plan for inclusive education implementation over the next few years. There is a lot to know and we are working to ensure you have as much information as possible at your fingertips. There is a Toolkit online at bit.ly/InclusionFolder (case sensitive). There, you will find tools for electing your team, understanding the planning process and implementation timeline, professional development details, FAQs, and more! Please reach out to Katie DeLaRosa, the BTU Inclusive Education Liaison with additional questions and/ or concerns.
September’s (tentative) forecast predicts temperatures will be in the high 70s and 80s for the first few days of school. WBUR posted an article marking the strides that BPS has made in ensuring AC units are installed to provide a comfortable learning environment for our students. We welcome the progress. If you encounter complications, notify your school’s administration and contact our office if you need support.
In case you missed it, we were proud to support the Rally for Black Educators last month, organized by BTU RTC member Edith Bazile. She is also the founder and Executive Director of Black Advocates for Educational Excellence. There was a lot of great coverage for this important rally, including in the Globe where Ms. Bazile, Elementary Field Rep Lea Serena and Executive Board member Cecil Carey were all quoted. Be sure to check it out and let us know your ideas on how we can better support Black educators in BPS.
Finally, make sure to read this month’s edition of our newspaper, the Boston Union Teacher! This paper is mailed monthly to all members, including retirees. It also has a lot of information that will be useful all year for in-service educators. You can find an archive of the last few editions on our website, and reach out to the co-editors, Cecil Carey and Anne Slater if you have ideas for our paper!