Don’t forget to vote! The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. TODAY. Support our schools, support our educators, support our candidates! Find your voting site at wheredoivotema.com.
Election Day is here, and every vote counts! Just ask Councilor Julia Mejia, who two elections ago won by just one vote. Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Enter your address here to confirm which city council district you live in and to find your voting site. For Boston residents, it’s particularly important to take advantage of this opportunity to make sure our City Council is staffed with representatives who are committed to serving Boston’s students and educators.
The BTU has engaged with each campaign to understand their philosophy and proudly endorses the following candidates: Joel Richards District 3, Henry Santana At-Large, Julia Mejia At-Large, Enrique Pepen District 5, Ben Weber District 6, Ruthzee Louijeune At-Large, Brian Worrell District 4, Tania Fernandes Anderson District 7, Sharon Durkan District 8, Liz Breadon District 9, and Ed Flynn District 2.
City Councilors take important votes, including approving funding for our contract, the BPS budget and the city’s capital investments. If we want to improve Boston Public Schools, we need to support the candidates who share our vision for an inclusive, equitable and community-centered public education system. Check out our political action page and union newspaper for more information. Our members will be at polling places across the city holding signs, handing out literature and taking advantage of those last few crucial moments to explain why our candidates are the best stewards for Boston. If you can help out today, it’s not too late! Contact Johnny at jmcinnis@btu.org.
Join us TOMORROW (11/8) to weigh in on our contract proposals at BTU monthly membership meeting. We’ll be meeting at the union hall from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. to get feedback on our contract campaign, share many updates, and take important votes, including a by-laws change vote, and hope to see you there! Please remember to register for childcare at least 24 hours before the meeting.
If you took out a packet to collect signatures in support of the ballot question that would remove the MCAS as a graduation requirement, please hand them into our office TODAY! You can also give them to your reps or bring them to our membership meeting tomorrow. We need them back ASAP to be counted and turned in!
As you may have heard, several members of the BPS EL Task Force resigned last week, stating that “continuing to serve on the Task Force would be a tacit endorsement of the compromised direction that BPS has chosen to take,” in reference to the inclusive education implementation plan and how it impacts multilingual learners beginning next year. To comply with DESE and DOE guidance, BPS is intending to do away with Sheltered English Immersion Programs for K-8 ELL students by the beginning of next year, with grades 9-12 following suit in SY25-26 and replace them with “state SEI” classrooms.
We have a number of questions and concerns regarding the plan and are meeting with state, city and local partners to better understand the plan, who is making the decisions and what the impacts and implications may be. We will be sharing more soon as we continue to gather more information. Bottom line, we remain committed to advocating for the best possible settings and supports for our multilingual learners, and will fight for a plan that provides that.
The Inclusion Planning Team process is coming up to the important realignment proposal deadline of November 30. While we know schools are still in various stages, and the work is too important to be rushed, we are urging everyone in schools and in BPS central office to make this a top priority for the next few weeks to be ready for the upcoming budget season. We are checking in daily with leaders in the Office of Specialized Services (OSS) and the Office of Multilingual and Multicultural Education (OMME) all month to work through challenges that arise and provide suggestions for improvements in the approval process.
A few weeks ago, we shared that the BPS Inclusive Education Implementation Plan was submitted to DESE and presented to the School Committee. To help understand the plan, we are compiling a Key Facts document with information that we believe is currently most relevant to educators which we will share shortly in the next BTU Inclusion Newsletter.
We were happy to host another joyful Back to School Party and Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser on Friday October 27. We raised over $600 towards a good cause. Thank you to BTU’s Social Committee as well as Community Liaison Brenda Chaney for organizing an event that brought us all together and thank you to retired teacher Gayle Marrow for donating a Coach bag for our auction. It was a big hit. Check out our photos!
A reminder, Boston Public Schools is offering a one-time incentive of $1,500 for early notification of separation of employment to members of the BTU Teachers’ Unit. See this link for the district’s notification and application form.
We’d also like to revisit a new agreement negotiated for earlier this fall – we need your help to recruit more ABAs! Any BPS staffer who fills out this form and refers an ABA hire that completes their probation period will receive $500. In addition, all current and future ABAs hired before February 1 of the 2023-2024 school year who complete the year will receive a $1,000 bonus. Please see the full agreement and we encourage candidates to apply to ABA vacancies on TalentEd.
Thank you to the Mozart Elementary team for joining us for breakfast last Wednesday. The BTU brought over hot breakfast, fruit and pastries to celebrate the fact that more than 75 percent of the building’s educators filled out their contract surveys. The Mozart won the breakfast at our last membership meeting. Any building that hits the 75 percent threshold will be entered into our breakfast lottery. Those surveys are shaping the proposal we’re going to present to the city in the winter, filling them out is your opportunity to advocate for yourself and your colleagues. It’s not too late to fill your survey today!
Mozart Elementary educators won a hot breakfast and visit from BTU staff at the last membership meeting because together they took action and almost every single member filled out their contract surveys! #BTUALLIN
BTU Events and Announcements
Join us for a Meet and Greet event at Toutwèl Restaurant to welcome new members and discuss issues in our community. We will also be discussing the next Reading With Joy Workshop which will take place the next day on November 15th. Please contact Bianca Pierre for the address.NEW-
Journey into Education and Teaching Para Mentorship
Apply to become a mentor to paraprofessionals who are seeking to complete their degree and license requirements to become teachers. This paid position, which also satisfies professional development licensure, supports JET’s mission to create an ethnically diverse workforce in Massachusetts’ schools. Apply here
The BTU & BPS work together to support teachers in becoming National Board Certified! This is a unique chance to improve your practice and increase your salary. Register here for an info session!NEW- Educators of Color Edcamp: November 14
Engage in an open discussion about your experiences, needs, and how identity impacts navigating classroom instruction and/or professional spaces. Come and connect with colleagues from across Greater Boston discuss the question, “What does it mean to be an educator of color in public schools? BPS Participants will earn two Professional Development hours. Register here.
Join the BTU and partners on one of three dates for an information session on why an active and collaborative Faculty Senate is essential for a functioning school community. Light refreshments will be served. The dates are November 14, December 12 and January 23. You can see our flyer and register here.
Homework Helper
The Boston Teachers Union has co-sponsored the Homework Helper Program with the Mayor’s Office and the Boston Public Library for 19 years. We have a BTU member at each library that is open late, one or two nights a week (Copley four nights), to help any child who is need of help with their homework. See the full schedule of locations.
Trainings for BTU Building Reps and member leaders on the topics you’ve requested!
All workshops are from 4:30-6 p.m. on Zoom. See full workshop descriptions and register for the Zoom link at bit.ly/BTUwws24.Para 101 Training Sessions
Para 101 is about building a community of paras who are knowledgeable about their rights and are aware of the support and strategies that they can use to build stronger relationships with students and teachers in the classroom. You can register on the flyer.
The BTU, AFT Massachusets and MTA are holding an information session on November 14 that covers several bills currently before the Joint Committee on Public Service, including updates on the status of one of our main priorites, Retirement Plus. Make sure to register ahead of time.
The School Site Council plays a critical role in the hiring of teachers, performance reviews, advising on the school’s budget, and can waive provisions of the BTU/BPS contract or School Committee rules and regulations. Reclaim our collective power and attnd some zoom trainings. Please see the flyer below for dates and times.
Professional Learning & Development Updates
- AFT Member Benefit Virtual Workshops
- Asynchronous Spanish for BPS Educators: Fall 2023
- Secondary Open Up Math Unit Virtual Previews
- Degree Completion
- Paid Inclusion and Anti-Racism Consultant for MFA Learning Programs: EVENT IS TODAY
- 2 Day Substance Use Prevention Training
- Nearpod in the Inclusion Classroom PD Sessions: 11/15 and 11/29
- National Board Certificiation Leader Team Seeks Leaders and Readers
- Effective Team Learning Site 11/28
- Early Childhood Phonics Learning Site 11/29
Community News & Events
Join the Boston Education Justice Alliance for a Parent Power Virtual Workshop. What is the history of parent advocacy in BPS? What is your Parent Council entitled to? Are translations available during Parent Council meetings? Learn these answers, get Informed and Empowered! See the flyer and register here.NEW-
Fairy Houses Family Hike at the Arboretum: November 19
The Arnold Arboretum offers family hikes once a month, and November’s activity will be to make fairy houses. Attendees will collect sticks, cones, leaves, seeds, and all kinds of natural materials from the forest floor, and then make our Fairy Houses among the maples! Free and open to all; most suitable for children ages four through ten. Please register here to attend. Arboretum contact: Nancy Sableski, nsablesk@oeb.harvard.edu.
Boston Public School Green New Deal Decision-Making Rubric
BPS is holding virtual and in-person meetings to gather community input on how it should “grade” school buildings in order to identify the facilities that have the greatest needs. This is a chance to shape how BPS decides where to invest its money! BPS is holiding multiple meetings throughout October, November and December. Make sure to register.
18th Annual Schools on the Move Prize Ceremony: November 8
Each fall, Edvestors awards a $100,000 School on the Move Prize to a Boston Public School that has made significant strides in improving its culture and education. This ceremony will celebrate one of the three finalists. Boston Partners in Education Mentorship
The BPIE has matched students with mentors for more than 50 years. Mentors meet with students in-person or online – for one hour a week – to help with classwork and homework. Any BPS student in grades K0-12 is eligible to be matched with a mentor in any school subject. Students can be nominated for a mentor on their website.
Governor’s Youth Advisory Council: November 13
This Council will give young people from across the Commonwealth the opportunity to advise the Healey-Driscoll Administration on issues such as climate, education, mental health, gun violence, housing and more. Applicants must be between 16 and 21 years old.NEW-
The Real James Bond…Was Dominican!: November 8 through November 11
In this funny and poignant show, writer and performer Christopher Rivas brings audiences along on a self-discovery journey, framed by the pivotal moment in his life when he, as a James Bond-obsessed Dominican boy finds out that 007 was inspired by the real-life Dominican diplomat, race car driver, and spy, Porfirio Rubirosa. Contact the ArtsEmerson Box Office at 617.824.8400 or tickets@artsemerson.org and use the code BTUOFFER for a discount. Thank you to Susan Chinsen and Emerson College for offering BTU members a discount!
NEW- Approaches to Multimodal Engagement with Contemporary Art: Creativity and Care
Join a participatory educator workshop in the exhibition “Tender Loving Care” at the MFA on Thursday, November 16 from 4:30-6:30. We’ll use prompts—words, images, and even ordinary objects—to spark discussion connected to the exhibition themes of threads, thresholds, rest, vibrant matter, and adoration. After the workshop attend a public panel discussion with three exhibition artists Lucia Hierro, Gisela Charfauros McDaniel, and Joan Snyder. Learn more and register here.PBHA’s 17th Annual Robert Coles “Call of Service” Lecture & Award honoring Ruby Bridges: November 9
The BTU is co-sponsoring this event at Memorial Church in Cambridge. Ruby Bridges was six when she became the first African American child to integrate the white southern elementary school of William Frantz in Louisiana. This event is free and open to the public, RSVP here. Have a question for Ms. Bridges? Send them to adminassistant@btu.org, and we will submit it!
Unions make our democracy work. On Saturday, we joined UAW, SEIU 1199 and community members to talk with neighbors about the importance of voting and supporting candidates including Joel Richards (D3) and Henry Santanta (City Council at Large) who will be partners in building the public education system our students, educators and communities deserve. #GOTV
BTU in the News
Congratulations to Crystal Cobb Collier, who has taught in BPS for 15 years, on publishing a children’s book “I Think my Teacher is a Superhero”. Described by Crystal as a story that “celebrates the everyday superheroism of educators like us. It shines a light on the remarkable work we do, often behind the scenes, and how our students consistently see us as the heroes we truly are.” You can check it out here.
Congratulations to teacher Sean Fitzgerald for being recognized by MASSCUE as the November Featured Educator. Fitzgerald started the BTRu organization which supports student led community service projects as a way to teach kids the power and impact of altruism.
Check out this interview between Tanisha Milton, of the 2023 Educator of the Year Award winners, and GBH News All Things Considered host Arun Rath. Milton is an 8th grade history teacher at TechAcademy Boston and is one of 12 educators in BPS teaching AP African-American studies. Congratulations again to all of our Educators of the Year!
And a final congratulations to Heidemarie Floerkes for receiving the World Language Teacher of the Year for Massachusetts! Heidemarie is a German teacher at Boston Latin School.
We are so proud of all of our BTU educators!