Published On: March 17, 2026

BTU Stand Out at City Hall on March 24th!

Join students, educators and community allies outside City Hall at 5pm to fight for the quality education our students deserve! Let us know you’re coming through this link or by clicking on the flyer above!

Good Morning,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, we hope the holiday brings some joy to your day. Here’s what’s on the schedule for this week:

March 24th BTU Budget Stand Out and City Council Hearing

The BTU and community allies will be out in force at City Hall next Tuesday night, March 24th, at 5pm. We will hold a stand out to beginning at 5pm tocall on the Mayor and City Council to invest in our schools before we pack the house for a City Council budget hearing at 6 pm.

Currently, the district wants to cut more than 400 positions across the city. Many of these positions are dedicated to providing direct services to students in the district with the greatest needs, including multilingual learners and those with IEPs. The BTU’s own research shows that the district has options which don’t require deep cuts to staffing and student services to balance its budget.

Let us know if you’ll be able to join BPS students, parents, and educators in asking Mayor Wu and city councilors to “Let BPS Students Bloom” by investing 1% more of the city’s operating budget (a total of $48 million more) into our schools. This amount will allow BPS to maintain the services that we have this school year.

Family2Family Conference March 21

A great opportunity to learn more about our grassroots organizing comes this Saturday, March 21st, at the Family2Family Conference at the Carter School located at 396 Northampton St., Boston. This annual conference unites families, educators and students for a day of strategic learning, collaboration and organizing.

Some of the workshops that will be offered include: Special Education Know Your Rights, Immigration Know Your Rights, Family and Educator Collaboration, Youth Justice Organizing and BPS Facilities. Make sure to reserve your spot here! Interpretation and childcare are available with advance registration.

This conference is a great opportunity to make connections with your neighbors and local community organizations which are specifically dedicated to improving the quality of education offered within BPS.

Head to https://btu.org/family2family/to register or click the flyer above!

No Kings Rally March 28

The hastening escalation of the war in Iran is distressing and impacts all of us in different ways. To any member who has a loved one in the service that may be affected by the surge in troop deployments to the area, and to BTU members in the reserves, our thoughts are with you. As educators, we’re among the first our students turn to for explanation and a sense of orientation in the world. AFT’s ShareMyLesson has some useful and up-to-date lesson plans on the war in Iran and global politics in general.

This administration is sending thousands of servicemembers to an active warzone without approval from Congress and against the wishes of a majority of Americans. We must continue to rally together against this president’s reckless violation of our rights and democratic government. Join us on Saturday, March 28th on Boston Common for the latest No Kings Rally starting at 1pm. If you can’t join your BTU colleagues on Boston Common, check out this page for details on demonstrations across Greater Boston.

Phonebank Against Evictions in Public Housing: March 23rd at the BTU Hall

The BTU Housing Justice Committee invites you to their meeting on Monday, March 23rd, from 5:30-6:30pm to phonebank against the Trump administration’s proposal to evict mixed-status families from public housing. We will be calling BTU members, explaining how this affects our students, and asking them to submit testimony demanding that public housing welcomes families regardless of immigration status. No experience is required, all are welcome! RSVP here.

NEW-BTU Reading Committee: Survey on Dyslexia in BPS

The BTU Reading Committee is investigating what happens in the BPS special education process when a student is suspected of having dyslexia. Help us better understand current trends and practice across BPS about one of the most common learning disabilities! Please share your insights in our (anonymous) survey here

Dever Digitizing Day: March 26th

The Dever Digitizing Day will be held on March 26, 2026 3-7pm to bring together the widespread Dever community, share memories, and celebrate the Dever’s journey. At the event, in collaboration with University Archives and Special Collections at UMass Boston, we will be developing a public, online archive to tell the story of the Dever over the years. Please bring 1-3 photos, artwork, documents, or stories that have special meaning to you and the Dever. What you bring will be scanned or recorded and returned to you, then uploaded to the permanent Dever collection in the UMass Boston online archives. The event will also be a chance to mingle, reminisce, and celebrate together! Please register for the event here.

Scan the QR code above to register for a seat at the BTU Women’s Rights Committee Glass Ceiling Awards Breakfast!

Job Sharing Interest Form

Are you interested in Job Sharing in SY 26-27 and looking for a possible match? Fill out this form by March 15th and we can send you the informational slides from BPS about Job Sharing and possibly help you “find a match” in the district. The deadline for the BPS Job Sharing formal application is March 27 and can be found in Supt Circular.

National Board Office Hours: March 24, 5-7PM; April 16, 4:30-6:30 PM

The National Board Leadership team holds office hours monthly. Join us to ask questions relevant to completing your National Board component or reach out about how to begin your National Board Journey. Use this link to attend. Register Here!

Black Educators’ Alliance of Massachusetts: Celebrating 60 Years

On April 18th, we’re honoring the 60th anniversary of the founding of BEAM with a themed celebration: “Education for Liberation” This is more than an anniversary. It’s a call to action. A call to connection. A moment when organizations, educators, and communities come together and say: we’re all in this fight together. Register at: https://bit.ly/BEAMis60

National Board Writing/Reading Retreats

National Board Writing/Reading Retreats are an opportunity for National Board Candidates and National Board Maintenance of Certification Candidates to focus on their writing, meet with a reader or engage in Q&A with experienced cohort leaders. Each retreat is 3 hours. Free parking is available. To attend retreats 1 & 2 register here. Registration for retreat #2 will open in April. To request a reader, candidates can reach out to Nationalboard@bostonpublicschools.org with the header, Reader Request.

Saturday, March 21, 9AM-12PM (Emmanuel College)

Saturday, March 28, 9AM-12PM (Emmanuel College)

Saturday May 9, 9AM-12PM (BTU)

Educator Appreciation Night at the Red Sox’s

Red Sox vs the Rays 7:10 pm R.F. Grandstand 5 on May 8th 2026. Tickets are not confirmed until paid. Once you fill out the form, a PayPal invoice will be sent for tickets. Tickets are $33.00 each

Retired Teachers Chapter Scholarships: Application Deadline April 7

Each year the Retired Teachers’ Chapter of the Boston Teachers’

Union awards three scholarships to deserving high school seniors who

are the 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. Applications for these scholarships can be downloaded from the BTU website or picked up at the BTU office.

BTU Dependent Scholarships: Application Deadline April 10

The BTU will be offering 16 scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to high school seniors who are dependents of dues-paying BTU members. If you’re interested in applying for the scholarship, please contact Michelle Frank (mfrank@btu.org) or download this form.

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.

Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Classrooms Connect & Share: March 9th, 5:30-7:00PM
Middle Grades Amplify Desmos Math Learning Site: March 18, 8:15am-2:15pm
Early Childhood Inclusive Practices Learning Cohort Session 4: Writing
MFA Educator Institute Teaching “America at 250”: August 10-14, 2026
Joy of Learning Grant

Community Events

BEJA is hiring! Part-Time Youth Organizer and Part-Time Parent Organizer

The Boston Education Justice Alliance is hiring:

Part-Time Youth Organizer

Part-Time Parent Organizer

We’re looking for passionate community leaders who believe in student voice, family power, and fully funded, equitable public schools. If you’re ready to organize, advocate, and build collective power in Boston, we want to hear from you. Email Keo with questions: Keo@bostoneja.org. Click here to learn more.

Fundraiser for Horace Mann School for the Deaf RIT/Middle School Math Competition
The Horace Mann Middle School Math Team will be traveling to Pittsburgh, PA for the RIT/NTID Northeast Regional Math Competition. We are looking for support to help defer the costs of transportation. Donate HERE: http://bit.ly/horacemannmath