BTU Book Giveaway &
World Cup Watch Party TODAY!

Hope you had a great 4th of July! As we commemorate Independence Day this year, 250 years after our nation declared its independence, we are mindful of the things that make the United States special, and the first thing that springs to mind is our democracy and respect for the rule of law. May those critical aspects of our country continue for another 250 years and beyond!

If you’re looking for a fun activity to escape the rain tomorrow, come on down to the BTU. We’ll be hosting a free book giveaway and World Cup Watch Party from 3:30 to 6:30 at 180 Mt. Vernon Street, Dorchester. Players from Boston Legacy Football Club, the 15th team to join the National Women’s Soccer League, will be on hand to help.

The giveaway is part of the National AFT’s  Summer Reading Cup, which is an initiative to give out more than 30,000 soccer-themed books across the country to build upon the excitement of the soccer matches and promote summer reading.

In partnership with AFT Massachusetts, we’ll be offering 5,000 free soccer-themed books that cater to students of all ages! We’ll have pizza and popcorn available as well, so please RSVP and let us know if you plan to join us.

BTU & AFT MA build power @ Summer Organizing Institute

More than 150 educators from across New England gathered at the BTU Hall last Monday and Tuesday for a series of workshops and training sessions as part of our annual Summer Organizing Institute (SOI).

This year’s SOI was the most well-attended in history! It featured workshops on organizing successful contract campaigns, engaging members in politics, how to be a successful Building Representative, and building power with fellow labor unions.

Thank you to the AFT, AFT Massachusetts and the BTU staff who spent weeks organizing an event that supports our collective mission of fighting for high quality schools and an equitable America. You can find an album of photos from the event on our Facebook!

Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced the creation of a federal school voucher program that has been dressed up as a tax credit program. States can opt in to the program, and union leaders across the nation have called on Governors to opt out.

AFT MA President Jessica Tang wrote an op-ed in the Commonwealth Magazine which provides detailed rebuttals to the claim that school-voucher programs are a net benefit to the quality of education on offer in Massachusetts and across the country.

“Studies have shown that school voucher programs have a detrimental impact on student outcomes. Decades of commitment and collaboration between government, labor, and the business community to create best-in-the-nation schools would be lost.

Voucher programs have minimal or no curricular or testing requirements. They have no academic standards or teacher certification mandates to ensure students are receiving a quality education. Massachusetts could not impose any requirements for teaching children with special needs. Public money would flow to private schools with zero accountability.”

You can read the entire op-ed here, and join us in voicing your opposition to this program. The state has until the end of the calendar year to make a decision.

Update on Ballot Questions

Although the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court blocked one dangerous ballot initiative from the ballot, there is another ballot initiative on track to go before voters which could have similarly devastating consequences to funding for public education. The “Massachusetts Change State Tax Revenue Limit Initiative” would impose a strict ‘revenue cap’ on Massachusetts. The ballot question would change an existing law which requires the state to issue tax rebates if Massachusetts collects a certain amount of tax revenue by lowering that threshold. While rebates sound good on paper, the actual impact would be significant cuts in state funding to everything from public schools to hospitals.

The initiative is backed by the Massachusetts Opportunity Alliance (MOA), an organization which is funded by dark money and represents the interests of billionaires and corporations that would benefit from tax rebates. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO, of which the BTU is a member, has already launched a letter-writing campaign to combat this misleading ballot initiative. Sign on to the campaign and let legislators know that working people will not be fooled by this attempt to gut school funding and social services in communities across the state.

Primary elections in Massachusetts are early this year, even before the Labor Day Weekend on September 1. If you are out of town on September 1, make sure to send in your mail-in ballot or take advantage of the early voting period.

Our duty to our students, the institution of public education, and to democracy doesn’t begin and end on election day. The BTU has endorsed a number of candidates for federal and state offices in the democratic primary. Our membership made these endorsements in order to improve working conditions for our members and learning conditions for our students.

If we want our country and our state to chart a better course than the past year, we need to put in the work together. If you want to support our endorsed candidates this summer, please sign up for our BTU Electoral Action Team (BEAT) and look out for opportunities to volunteer.

A Boston Globe article published last month laid out the grim vision that technologists and anti-labor financiers have for the future of education in America.

“Forget teachers. Say goodbye to one-sized-fits-all lessons. No more blackening ovals with No. 2 pencils. Instead, hand each student a laptop loaded with an AI tutor. Let kids work at their own level and pace. Replace teachers with “guides” who monitor students’ progress, rather than delivering lectures.

Welcome to Alpha School, which is pushing to open this fall in Boston. Championed by the Trump administration, the controversial but growing network of schools has 500 students across a dozen locations from California to New York.”

The BTU strongly opposes the use of AI to replace school staff — relationships are at the core of all effective teaching and learning. The AFT has published strong guardrails around the use of AI in classrooms, and the BTU will stand against all attempts by Alpha to infiltrate public school systems.

BTU Events and Announcements

Call for Submissions: Boston Union Teacher Literary Issue- Deadline July 7th

The BTU’s monthly newspaper is seeking submissions for its annual summer literary edition. Submit any creative works such as short stories, excerpts of long fiction, poems, essays. flash fiction, cartoons etc. All submissions must be original works, accepted submissions will be paid. Send to aslater@btu.org and ccarey@btu.org Deadline July 7th.

BTU for Patrick Roath Voter Canvass

Join BTU for a canvass with District 8 Congressional candidate Patrick Roath on July 18th at 1:00pm at the Lyndon K-8 School. RSVP HERE.

WHO: BTU, AFT-MA, Patrick Roath, and more

WHAT: Canvass and Training

WHERE: Lyndon K-8 School 20 Mt Vernon St, Boston, MA 02132

WHEN: July 18th at 1:00 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.

Community Events

Immigrant Student Success Virtual Conference: July 8, 11 AM-3 PM

Explore how schools can better support immigrant students in challenging times at the free virtual conference Hosted by The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute, participants will learn how to: Foster belonging, identity and agency in students; Challenge common immigration myths; Gain strategies for supporting immigrant student mental health and wellbeing; Advocate for your immigrant students’ rights. The 2026 Immigrant Student Success virtual conference is free of charge, but you must register to participate. This virtual conference is designed for PreK-12 and adult educators, administrators, counselors, volunteers and librarians.

Byte Into Summer – Virtual Conference: Aug. 18th, 9-4:30pm.

The Office of Technology (BPSTech) invites all Central Office Staff, Educators, and School-Based Staff to dive into a day of technology exploration at our virtual conference on Tuesday, August 18 from 9:00AM to 4:30PM. We’re offering 20 engaging sessions on AI tools, digital learning strategies, and the latest updates to Google apps for teaching and productivity. Click here to register on Zoom Events with your BPS email to secure your spot. After completion, you will receive a customized certificate indicating your total PD hours earned. REGISTER HERE

BTU in the News

Check out our BTU website to find articles and/or public statements regarding

• Supreme Court TPS Ruling Impact
• School Communities Brace for Impending Layoffs
• BTU Endorsement of MA Senate Candidate Carey McDonald

Thank You for Reading

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