We’re looking forward to hosting this year’s PSRP Social and Conference in conjunction with AFT Massachusetts this Saturday! It is the first time all New England AFT locals have been invited to join as well.
Good morning,
Welcome back from what we hope was a relaxing and restful long weekend. To all of our members who observe, we hope you had a Happy Easter! Happy Holi to all who celebrate the festival of colors, as well.
We are proud to join school districts across the country in celebrating National Paraprofessional Appreciation Day on Wednesday April 3rd. Our paraprofessionals, CFC’s, family liaisons and all of our PSRP’s play crucial roles in educating our students and in creating a sense of community within our schools. Far too often, their contributions and accomplishments have been under-appreciated and overlooked.
That is why securing fair and equitable working conditions and wages for paraprofessionals is one of our main priorities in our contract proposal. As our members have repeatedly explained, the current conditions make it nearly impossible for our members to afford to stay in their positions and live in the city. Every time our members are forced to leave, their students and school communities suffer. We are looking forward to seeing you this Thursday, April 4th at the BTU Hall from 5 to 8p.m. for our next session with BPS.
We received a stark reminder of how crucial it is that we remain united in our advocacy and behind our contract priorities when the Boston School Committee signed off on a budget proposal last week that will result in more than 300 positions being cut across the district. Any budget cut to Boston Public Schools which takes a needed service, opportunity, or support away from our students is a serious concern to our union, as it erodes progress that has been hard fought and won. See our full statement on the cuts. We will continue to organize around this issue during the city budget process and will advocate for fully-funded schools.
Last week, school leaders received information regarding the continued changes in multilingual education programming for K2 next year. Inclusion planning teams are meeting with their inclusive education coaches and OMME regional partners between now and April 12. IPTs may choose to keep their current BPS SEI program with no changes, or move forward with the changes they proposed in their inclusion plans in December due to the DESE SEI changes. According to BPS, based on testing and questionnaire data, schools that are eligible to keep their current BPS SEI program will be identified and notified by May 21. Currently, the option to keep BPS SEI is for next year only.
The BTU and our community partners in the Multilingual Learner Alliance do not believe that DESE SEI is a good option for students and that it should not be implemented at all. DESE SEI offers the least amount of native language access and support for multilingual learners. We continue to advocate for programming that will better fit the needs of our students which you can read more about here.
In summary, students should not have to lose their home language to succeed and families must be included in this process in a way that helps them to truly understand the program options and have a voice at the table. Additionally, educators must be informed of the implications that any program changes will have on their license requirements to remain in their positions. However, we are encouraged by the investments BPS is making towards educator pipeline programs to support the development of more multilingual educators for our students.
We are conducting this BTU Educator License & Teaching Survey to assess what licenses BTU educators currently use and how many they will be required to use next year. These data will be used to inform our contract negotiations and to connect educators in similar programs. The survey is just seven questions long and takes less than five minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for helping us to gather this information.
This Thursday we are inviting you to join our union siblings from across the region to show support for Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley at her first campaign rally of the year! The event will take place at IBEW Local 103, 256 Freeport Street, Dorchester, MA 02122. Please register ahead of time and show up to support one of our strongest allies in Congress! Don’t forget to wear your BTU blues!
We want to thank all of the educators, parents, students, community members and coalition partners who attended our Family2Family conference this past Saturday. We had workshops focusing on navigating BPS bureaucracy, student organizing, and informational sessions on special education and multilingual learner programs. We know that strong parent, educator and community partnerships are key to successfully advocating for the schools and communities our students deserve.
We were able to share some of those strategies and at the National Association of Bilingual Educators Conference last week. BTU member and AFT Latino Issues Task Force member José Valenzuela participated in the “Parents, Families and Educators Working Together to Support Multilingual Learners” plenary along with BPS/Blackstone parent activist Simel Rodriguez from the St. Stephens. BTU President Jessica Tang also moderated a panel on union and family engagement and facilitated a workshop with fellow AFT AAPI Task Force member Kent Wong on using AAPI history and curriculum to fight anti-Asian hate.
We were grateful to AFT for the opportunity to present, share and learn and will have resources to share at our next membership meeting next week on Wednesday, April 10, at 4:30pm. Don’t forget to register for childcare prior to our meeting!
More than 80 community members, educators, parents and students joined the BTU for a Family2Family Conference at Fenway High School to build relationships and receive training on activism this past Saturday. Thanks to all who made this event a great success!
BTU Events and Announcements
Open enrollment for Para Pay Frequency changes: April 1st to June 3rd
Open enrollment for Para Pay Frequency changes will begin on April 1, 2024 and will close at 9:00 a.m. on June 3, 2024. Family liaisons are paid on the 12-month pay frequency and do not have the option to change to the 10-month pay frequency plan. Completed forms should be either faxed (617-635-9003), mailed to 2300 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 021119 or completed electronically via this link.
Attend Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s campaign rally: April 4th
Join the BTU and other local unions in supporting one of our greatest champions, Congresswoman Ayanna Presley. The Congresswoman will be holding her first rally of the year on April 4th, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. The event will occur at IBEW Local 103, 256 Freeport Street, Dorchester, MA 02122. Register here and don’t forget to wear your BTU blues!
Share your perspective on mandatory reporting!
AFT and the University of California, Irvine are conducting an online survey to learn more about educators’ perceptions of reporting to Child Protective Services. Even if you haven’t reported to CPS, we are interested in hearing from you. Survey participants will be entered into a drawing to receive one of 65 Target, Staples, or Bookshop gift cards for $15. Get more information and participate in the study. Please invite other educators, as well.
National Board Program Social: April 4th
Please join the National Board Leadership team on Thursday April 4th, between 4:30 and 7:00 at the District 7 Tavern to (1) build community amongst those who are nationally certified, (2) offer space for those considering & pursuing National Board certification to connect with others, and (3) to celebrate those that were board certified this year! We would love to see you in attendance– food provided & cash bar at the location. Register here.
BTU Intent to Retire Fair: April 5, 2024
These meetings are intended for members who wish to retire between 04/05/2024 through 08/05/2024 only. The meeting is not to be used for questions on creditable service, buy backs, estimates or any other routine retirement function. Sign-up form
Teacher Leadership Fund Information Session
The Teacher Leadership Fund will be having an information session on April 9th from 5:00-6:00 on Zoom. Learn how you and a team of educators can receive up to $15,000 to make a change in your classroom, school, or BPS community! We will share an overview of the program and answer any questions that attendees have. We hope to see you there! You can RSVP here.
NEW-April Nurse Faculty Senate Meeting: April 7th, 5-6:30 via Zoom
Monthly Nurse Faculty Senate meetings are open to all nurses and healthcare paraprofessionals and are held virtually on the first Wednesday of every month. If you want to attend and have not received an invite please contact Rina Ambrose rina.ambrose@gmail.com or Natalia Cuadra-Saez ncuadrasaez@btu.org to be added to the nurses contact list.
Unafraid Educators Meeting: April 8th @ 4:30pm
Please join us on April 8th for our next Unafraid Educators Meeting! We’ll meet at Fenway High at 4:30pm. During the meeting we will plan for the Immigrant Pride Week of Action and plan to fundraise for the Unafraid Scholarship. Please RSVP
BTU Dependent Scholarship: April 19 deadline
Every year the BTU awards roughly 16 scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to high school seniors who are dependents of BTU members. See the application and scholarships requirements here.
Technology Series for Paraprofessionals/ Libraries / Library Paras and Substitutes: June 3rd 5-7pm
This tech training session aims to familiarize beginners with the fundamentals of basic navigation and the Google Workspace, and for those with more experience, a higher level look at these systems. The content of the session aims to familiarize educators with BPS systems and tools available to them as educators at BPS. Beginner and advanced sessions are from 5-7 PM on June 3rd at the BTU. Sign up here!”
Join the BTU Electoral Action Team
Help make a difference and strengthen democracy with the Boston Teachers Union. The BTU is looking for members to get involved with our BEAT(BTU Electoral Action Team) to organize and take action in the upcoming elections. WE NEED YOU to win this fall! Please sign up here.
Join your union siblings at our next bargaining session this Thursday at the BTU Hall from 5 to 8p.m.
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.
- AFT Member Benefit Virtual Workshops
- Degree Completion
- Wellness While You Work Series: Last Session on April 3rd, 4 – 5pm
- Teacher Leadership Fund Information Session
- UMass Boston’s Instructional Technology Licensure Virtual Open House April 22, 4:30 p.m.
- Rules-Based Reading Virtual Edcamp 5/1, 5:30-7:00PM
BTU Member and AFT Latino Issues Task Force Member Jose Valenzuela spoke at a convening of AFT representatives at NABE with President Jessica Tang who attended as co-chair of the AFT AAPI Task Force. Here, both are pictured with a group of AFT delegates and AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus (center) who is also the President of NABE.
Community News & Events
Call for Feedback on ESL Curriculum in Grades K2-12: Complete Survey by April 15th
OMME is working with a team from Harvard to gather feedback on the ESL Curriculum in order to revise and improve the curriculum for the upcoming school year. They are collecting feedback on curriculum and resources for ESL in grades K2-12 through a survey and focus groups. See the flyer for more information and links to the survey/focus group sign up. Teachers who complete the survey by 4/15 will be entered in a random drawing to win an Amazon gift card of $20. Three winners will be selected!
Part-time bike instructor for City of Boston Youth Cycling Program
The City of Boston is hiring five bike instructors! We are looking for people to share their love of bicycling by teaching BPS students and other Bostonians to ride safely, confidently, and joyfully. A full job description can be found at the link.
Courage to Teach Nature & Renewal Day for Educators: Saturday, April 27, 9 AM-3 PM
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Jamaica Plain is hosting a one-day retreat on Saturday, April 27, from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. for Boston area educators. Based on the work of Parker J. Palmer and rooted in the belief that good teaching flows from the identity and integrity of the teacher, this professional development opportunity focuses on renewing the inner lives and well-being of educators. More details here.
Aspire & Inspire Educator Symposium: May 30th
Celebrate this school year with BPS’s Office of Educator Development and Leadership (OEDL) on May 30th from 4:30-7:30 (location TBD) by honoring the work of educators who are leaders both in and outside of the classroom. There will be a variety of ways for attendees to engage– join a presentation, talk to a teacher leader 1-on-1, and explore the OEDL programs! Food and beverages will be served. bit.ly/AIES24
FREE Summer Middle School Science Program, July 1st-August 2nd
The Arnold Arboretum runs a free, science and nature based summer program intended for current 6th and 7th graders from BPS, called Arboretum Young Scientists. We are actively recruiting students who are interested in furthering their learning and growth in science and love being in nature for our 5 week program, July 1 through August 2. The application form can also be found on the AYS (Arboretum) webpage, and it is in both English and Spanish.
In Memoriam
Joan Francis “Joanie” (Edmonds) Forcucci of Roslindale, passed away on March 30th. Beloved wife of Albert “Al” Forcucci. Devoted mother of Christine Lavallee and her husband Paul, Laura Calderone and her husband Lawrence, and the late Michael Forcucci. Joanie was a dedicated paraprofessional, para council member, trustee member and building rep.
Visiting Hours will be held at the William J. Gormley Funeral Home on Thursday, April 4th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. A mass will occur at Sacred Heart Church in Roslindale on Friday, April 5th at 10 a.m.
Our thoughts are with the Edmonds and Forucci families during this difficult time.
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