School Communities Continue

to Fight for their Future!

The forecast shows that temperatures are only expected to be in the teens today across Boston. The cost of heating in Massachusetts has gotten significantly more expensive over the past few years and that trend is expected to continue this winter. The City of Boston has put together a resource page for anyone who may need some assistance in covering their heating bill. Stay safe and stay warm!

Our monthly membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 10 at the BTU Hall starting at 4:30. Currently the HVAC systems at our union hall are undergoing repairs, so the membership meeting will be moved to Hall 1 only. Because of the space limitations, there will be no tabling at this month’s meeting. We will also be passing out copies of our new contract book covering School Years 2024-2027.

A quick reminder that TODAY, December 9, is the last day for members who observe Three Kings Day to submit a time-off request for that religious holiday.

School Closures and Grassroots Activism

Dozens of students, parents and educators from across the city rallied together ahead of last week’s School Committee meeting to fight for the school communities they deeply cherish. BTU members and students at CASH, ACC, Lee Academy Pilot School and the Henderson Inclusion school have demonstrated remarkable passion, dedication and courage following the announcement of the closure proposal on November 17th. They have organized with their colleagues, students and parents to ensure that the officials making these decisions cannot ignore their voices and stories during this expedited process.

BTU supports bill to reduce property tax hikes

On Monday morning, BTU leadership joined the Greater Boston Labor Council and Mass Senior Action at a City Hall press conference to call on the Massachusetts Senate to help homeowners in Boston who are facing significant property tax hikes.

This issue sounds complex, but here’s the scoop: The vast majority of the city’s tax revenue comes from property taxes on homes and commercial properties. Due to the pandemic and work-from-home options, demand for office and lab space dropped which caused the property values of office buildings to plummet across the country. Therefore, those private businesses now are paying significantly less taxes, which means that the city needs to collect more taxes from homeowners.

Because of state law, Boston cannot make major adjustments to how it collects taxes unless the state legislature approves it. Nearly a year ago, Mayor Wu brought forth a reasonable proposal to restore balance to the property tax rates in Boston, and limit the increases for residents while limiting the decreases for commercial landlords. The Boston City Council and the Massachusetts House of Representatives have both passed the proposal twice, while the Massachusetts Senate has refused to bring the proposal up for a vote. While Beacon Hill plays politics, tens of thousands of Bostonians on limited budgets are being forced to make difficult financial decisions.

You can find the exact bill number and text here. We strongly urge all members to call their representatives in the state Senate and ask them to support this legislation.

The Inclusion Working Group (IWG) was created to monitor the progress and implementation of inclusive education in the District. The IWG is composed equally of BTU members appointed by the BTU President and BPS district leaders appointed by the Superintendent. We are seeking to appoint a new BTU member to the IWG as soon as possible. Some of the characteristics preferred for the role are significant classroom experience with inclusion in BPS, especially those who have delivered tier 1 instruction and specialized instruction simultaneously.

The IWG meets once a month in person on the first Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7:00pm. If you would like to be considered for an appointment to this team, please email Katie DeLaRosa (kdelarosa@btu.org) by December 12th. Please include a brief statement on why you are interested and what you believe you would contribute to this group.

BTU Events and Announcements

Update on BTU Kwanzaa! Celebration

Thank you to all of the members who registered to attend our Kwanzaa! celebration planned for December 12th at the BTU Hall. Unfortunately due to HVAC issues at our building, the event has been cancelled. The BTU is planning to hold a replacement event on Friday, February 6th for a joint celebration of Black culture and holidays. Stay tuned for more details!

MA AFL-CIO Student Scholarships: Deadline December 19th

The Annual AFL-CIO Scholarship and Labor Education awards financial resources to high school students pursuing trade union programs or college/university study. ­The Massachusetts AFL-CIO administers half a million dollars of scholarship awards on behalf of unions and labor councils throughout the state. Individual awards range from $500 to $16,000. You can view a list of available awards and their criteria here.

Students: Register by filling out the 2025-2026 application by Friday, December 19, 2025.

Labor and the Black Freedom Struggle Event: Saturday December 13, 12-2pm

Join us for a screening and discussion of a class on the powerful links between the struggle for Black liberation and the struggle for worker power. And hear from the BTU member who co-taught the class during a live Q&A! RSVP link here

NEW! Inclusion Done Right Forum: December 11th at the BTU

The Inclusion Done Right committee will be hosting a forum on Partnering with Paraprofessionals in Inclusion on Thursday, December 11th from 5:30-7:00pm at the BTU. Please RSVP by December 8th at bit.ly/IDRForum. Interpretation and childcare are available with registration by 12/8. Light dinner will be provided.

BTU Latino Caucus Three Kings Day Celebration: January 15th

The BTU Latino Caucus will be hosting a Three Kings Day Celebration at the BTU Hall on Thursday, January 15th from 5:30-7:30! We are looking for people to sign up to bring food, participate in an open mic, and donate items for a raffle. If you are interested in attending and/or helping out, use this link to sign up!

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.

• Addressing Knowledge Gaps in Secondary Math (Connect & Share)
• MTSS Learning Cohort Session 2: “MTSS in Secondary” – Wednesday, January 7, 5:30-7:00 on Zoom
• SLIFE Educators Day of Learning: January 16, 2026; 9AM-3PM
• Exploring AI in K-12 Education: Winter 2026 Session

Community Events

Friends of the Boston Schoolyard Newsletter

The Friends of the Boston Schoolyard is an organization that supports outdoor learning in the BPS. They publish a seasonal newsletter that highlights the work of outdoor learning that is happening in the BPS and shares information about other organizations that support outdoor learning. Link: https://conta.cc/3VnDyTL

#BPSCoders Contest 2025

Celebrate Computer Science Education Week with the annual #BPSCoders Student Contest! Please visit bit.ly/bpscoders for more information. The contest is open to all BPS students, grades K0-12, from December 8, 2025 to January 9, 2026. Contact hhosokawa@bostonpublicschools.org for more information.

BTU in the News

BTU President Erik Berg was quoted in a Boston Globe article on the challenges within BPS that Mayor Wu must address during her second term in office: “We can’t divorce the issues facing our schools from other issues facing our city and our society,” said Erik Berg, a longtime teacher and president of the Boston Teachers Union. “Often, we find that our schools and our educators are essentially asked and tasked with resolving all the ills of society, and it’s just fundamentally not fair.”

Coverage of December 3rd Rally and School Committee Meeting:
Dorchester Reporter: Pushback mounts to BPS closure and merge plans.

Boston Globe: Boston parents protest district’s school closing plan.

Boston Herald: BPS school communities protest closure plans ahead of Boston School Committee vote

NBC10 Boston: Community members speak out against proposed BPS school closures

Thank You for Reading

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