Published On: January 16, 2025

BTU members to hold informational pickets at every school on January 16th
Dear Member,

Last week, the BTU membership meeting voted unanimously to hold informational pickets at every school building before the workday on the morning of January 16th. We have held walk-ins at dozens of schools on the mornings before negotiation sessions since the beginning of the academic year. Now, it is time we all come together and pool our power, effort and energy into a single collective show of solidarity behind our contract proposal. The action leads up to our next negotiation session with the district that same night. Please make sure to RSVP to join bargaining as a Silent Rep this Thursday, Jan 16 and next Thursday, Jan 23 at 5:00 at the BTU.

We have been at the negotiating table for nearly a year and working without a contract for 136 days. At the last negotiating session, the BTU presented a list of its outstanding priorities which need to be addressed. The district has had this list since December 19th and the BTU is looking forward to responses to our proposals.

We cannot settle a contract until management agrees to a path that would end BPS’s reliance on general education teachers to perform the jobs of multiple educators. If BPS’s current approach continues, then the district will continue to lose educators to exhaustion, continue to struggle to recruit and retain new educators, and students will continue to lose out on the specialized instruction they need.

We have also made it clear that we cannot settle a contract until the district agrees to a wage package which addresses the significant financial hardships our members, especially our paraprofessionals, face on a daily basis. How can the district confidently say they are invested in providing the best education possible to our students when paraprofessionals are paid wages which makes it nearly impossible to live in the city they serve and requires many of them to work multiple jobs to stay afloat?

The answer: the public doesn’t know what BPS and the BTU knows. This Thursday, January 16th, is an opportunity to show the public that our union is united behind this contract proposal because there is no other option to improve the quality of education in our schools. This is an opportunity to explain that the BTU has the solutions to ensure every student has an opportunity to thrive. See you out in front of your school before the workday on Thursday!

This is also a perfect opportunity to discuss the state of BPS’s school buildings and the necessity for a clear and comprehensive plan to bring BPS facilities out of the 1920s and into the 2020s. Last week, the district announced that it will be presenting the school committee with a plan to close four schools (Dever, Excel Academy, the Mary Lyon Pilot High School, Community Academy), merging the Winthrop and Clap Schools into the Frederick building, and plans to consolidate grades in others.

The BTU agrees that Boston’s students deserve modern school buildings which offer the same resource space and extracurricular programs as students in other districts across Massachusetts. The BTU does not agree with what has been at times opaque, top-down, decision-making that leads to neighborhoods losing a critical resource center with no guarantee from the city for future investments in their community. Our kids deserve better schools, but we can’t keep closing the doors on community pillars without a plan to open better ones in the near future.

The BTU released a statement on the issue and previously laid out its vision for how to address the district’s outdated facilities in a resolution unanimously endorsed by the membership last year. We will continue to fight for a better process and listen to affected school communities about how to respond. If you are a member at one of the affected schools, please reach out to your field rep for support and guidance on how to proceed.

The BTU, BPS parents and community allies have been fighting for years to get the district to be a partner, not the sole decider, in these situations and to embrace the idea of schools being an essential asset in the neighborhood. Better school facilities are just one goal the BTU is pursuing with its contract proposal and the BTU will be fighting to make those goals a reality on January 16th.

We are in this fight together, and when we fight together, we win together!

A Message from the BTU Election Committee:

Nominations are open for our regularly scheduled biennial elections in June!   For electronic nomination instructions click on this LINK. Nominations will be open until March 12th at 6pm. You can view the roles and responsibilities for each position, including E Board and delegates HERE. Here is the timeline for this election.

Candidate Q&A:

Ever consider running for BTU elected office? The Elections Committee and a panel of former union Officers, Delegates and Executive Board members want to encourage all interested members and can give you the low down on the roles and responsibilities of each position and how to go about mounting a campaign.  Please join us for a Zoom panel on January 15th from 6 to 8pm. Register for the Candidate Q&A HERE

You may contact ombudsperson Danielle Fraine with questions or concerns at electioncommittee@btu.org. Next meeting is January 27th at 5:00 pm at the BTU. Members are welcome to attend and ask questions during the first 15 minutes of the meetings. Contact mfrank@btu.org with any questions about your membership status.
Join the BTU in celebrating “Black Lives Matter at School Week 2025” by registering through this link!

BTU Events and Announcements
School Site Council Training: Zoom 5:30 to 7pm on January 13th & 27th

There will be a new School Site Council zoom training about forming & running Personnel Subcommittees for hiring teacher bargaining unit members. All such hires must go through this process from September through the end of the school year. Empower your input by learning this process. Questions can be directed to ccarew@btu.org. Check out this link to learn more and to register!

Elevating the Teaching Profession and Celebrating our NBCTs- January 22nd on Zoom

We will celebrate new and current NBCTs and engage with a panel about the power of the National Board process. Participants will also learn about NBPTS resources that can help schools bolster PD and raise the standard of teaching school-wide, ways NBCTs can connect with new roles, and new resources to support potential candidates to pursue National Board Certification. More details here 

BTU Labor Fellowship with Fund for Teachers: Deadline Jan 23rd!

We will award one fellowship to a BTU member or team whose application focuses on the theme of labor history, labor studies, and/or unionism. Interested applicants should design their application and choose destinations that will allow them to connect the rich history and present of labor organizing and activism to their lives and their students. This fellow will also present their learning with the BTU. There are plenty of resources available to support your application. Check out the Fund for Teachers Online Learning Center for resources. There are many online info sessions with weekly sessions specifically for educators of color. Support and mentoring for your application are also available from BTU peers. Please contact Paul Tritter to get connected.

Unafraid Educators January Meeting – 1/27 at 4:30pm Please join us on Zoom for our next Unafraid Educators Meeting! We are the BTU’s Immigrant Rights Organizing Committee, and work to support our Undocumented students and families. Please click here to join on Zoom!

Housing and Immigrant Justice Panel at the BTU: January 28th 5:30-7pm You are invited to a panel about the relationship between immigration and the housing crisis. This panel will feature speakers from the Haitian Educators Committee, and the Housing Justice Committee, to discuss solutions to the housing crisis, and make clear that Haitian immigrants, and all other immigrant community members, are not the culprits for the housing crisis that we face. Register here to attend.

RETELL/SEI Endorsement Courses

BPS OMME will be holding courses for Rethinking Equity in the Teaching of English Language Learners (RETELL) / SEI Endorsement Teachers beginning in late January. Courses will be held remotely via Zoom. Please use this form to sign up.

BTU Lunar New Year Celebration: Thursday, January 30th, 4:30-6:30PM

The Boston Teachers Union is hosting our annual Lunar New Year celebration on Thursday, January 30, 2025 from 4:30-6:30pm at the BTU. Join us for games, food, and celebrations of different Lunar New Year traditions. Please register yourself and any guests you plan to bring.

BTU Children’s Party: Wednesday, February 19th, 11am – 1pm

The annual BTU Children’s Party will be held on Wednesday, February 19th from 11am – 1pm at the BTU. Join us for a fun afternoon and don’t forget to use the link to sign up!

Para Pro Test

Boston Public Schools supports preparing candidates to take the ParaPro Assessment

and start their journey to becoming paraprofessionals in our classrooms. The ParaPro Assessment tests general aptitude and assesses math, writing, and reading skills. Participants in these test prep classes will gain study skills and access to online resources to prepare for the test. Learn more here

BTU Movie Night “Counted Out”: Friday, March 14th, 7-9PM

The BTU will be hosting a Movie Night on Pi Day! Join us to watch the film “Counted Out.” “Counted Out” shows us the power of math in our society, our economy, and our democracy. Who holds that power? Who doesn’t? And how can we all speak the language of math to fully participate in a world that belongs to everyone? Register to join us for the film screening.

BTU Dependent Scholarships: Deadline April 4th

This year there will be 16 scholarships in the amount of $2,000 awarded to high school seniors who are dependents of BTU members. To apply, please obtain an application from Michelle Frank at mfrank@btu.org or download the form from the BTU website. The 2025 Application and the four supporting documents must be received in the Union office no later than April 4th, 2025.

 

Retired Teachers Chapter Scholarships: Deadline April 4th

Each year the Retired Teachers Chapter of the Boston Teachers Union awards three scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to deserving high school seniors who are children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grandnieces or grandnephews of RTC members. One of these scholarships is earmarked for a student who chooses to attend a vocational school or equivalent institution. To apply, please obtain an application from Michelle Frank at mfrank@btu.org or download the from the BTU website. The deadline to apply is April 4, 2025. The envelope must be postmarked by this date.
Join the BTU for a Lunar New Year Celebration on Thursday, January 30th from 4:40 to 6:30 pm!

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
  • Early Childhood Inclusive Education PD Series
  • Telescope IM Planning Cohort: Wednesday, January 15, 12pm-3pm
  • Implementing ALL Block Connect and Share: January 16, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Telescope – Connect & Share: “Orton Gillingham Across Various Contexts”, January 22, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Early Childhood Illustrative Math Learning Site: Feb 4, 8:00-2:30
  • Teach for Climate Justice: An Experiential Retreat for Educators to the Bribri Territories of Costa Rica this summer!

Community Events

Join the MA Youth Climate Coalition Lobby Week – February 2025

Join the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition as they lobby directly (in person and virtually) with legislators to fight for state-level climate justice policy during the MYCC Youth Climate Lobby Week (week of 2/10/25). Training provided. This is a great opportunity to get students directly involved in climate advocacy work! More information here.

Multilingual Education in MA: “Building the Bilingual Educator Pipeline,” January 15, 7-8:30pm

“Building the Bilingual Educator Pipeline” is the last of three virtual sessions exploring multilingual education in Massachusetts, hosted by Citizens for Public Schools. Speakers, including BTU President Erik Berg, will share their knowledge and experience with successful programs to recruit, develop and support bilingual educators in Massachusetts and the U.S., the barriers to success, and how to overcome them. You can register and learn more here

BTU in the News

Congratulations to Joao Barros, Boys Soccer Coach at the Dearborn, for being recognized by the Boston Globe as the Coach of the Year in Division 5!

BTU Executive Board Member Michael Maguire and and Julie Calderone, a retired Director of World Languages for BPS, collaborated on a column for the Boston Herald about how essential it is for the district to continue to offer bilingual education.

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