NEW-BTU Special Election Results

Total Number of Ballots: 2538

Lea-Antoinette Serena: 1439

Paul Christian: 1098

Congratulations and thank you to both candidates for running a vigorous race.  Lea-Antoinette Serena assumed office on Monday October 21st.  Special thanks to Richard Stutman for bringing all his experience and knowledge back to the BTU office and serving as Executive Vice President during this interim.

Per the BTU bylaws, a special election will be conducted to replace Lea-Antoinette Serena as Elementary Field Rep. All BTU/RTC members in good standing can sign nomination papers for this position. Voting will be limited to those members and retirees currently and formerly serviced by the Elementary Field Representative. Paper and electronic nomination papers will be available starting today Tues, Oct 22. Paper nominations will be available in the office.  For electronic nomination instructions click on this LINK. Members can only sign nomination papers for 1 candidate in this race. 100 signatures are required but it is recommended that prospective candidates gather more in case of duplications. Further details regarding the timing of this new election will be released in the next E Bulletin.  Here are the links for the candidate’s guide and the legal limitations.

You may contact ombudsperson Danielle Fraine with questions or concerns at electioncommittee@btu.org. Members are welcome to attend and ask questions at the start of election committee meetings. Next meeting is October 28 at 5 pm at the BTU. Contact mfrank@btu.org with any questions about your membership status.

Note on the Position of Elementary Field Rep

As there is currently an opening for Elementary Field Rep and the BTU bylaws do not call for an interim appointment, for the time being all BTU members represented by the Elementary Field Rep should still contact Lea Serena with questions and concerns. As she will be balancing both roles, there may be times where another BTU officer or staff member provides support, but please reach out to her at lserena@btu.org first.

 

Dear Member,

Last Thursday, a number of schools participated in walk-ins to continue our campaign of engaging with community members about our fight for a fair contract. We have another round of schools scheduled to take up the torch on October 29th and we will hold walk-ins on each negotiating day going forward.

Please reach out to our organizers Erica Kouka (ekouka@btu.org) and Jonathan Rodrigues (jrodrigues@btu.org) if you would like to sign your school up for a walk-in action in November! You can check out some of the news coverage we’ve received in the BTU in the News section at the bottom of this email or on our website.

The impact of these public demonstrations of solidarity are certainly felt at the negotiating table. After months of persistent advocacy from our negotiators and members, the district has finally begun to engage in a discussion about amending its policy of requiring general education teachers to obtain additional licenses in order to meet the IEP needs of students, rather than providing the support from an additional teacher.

At last Thursday’s negotiation session, the BTU presented its counterproposal to an offer the district made on licensure earlier this month. The BTU’s proposal would, among other things, place an immediate moratorium on the creation of new dual licensure positions and provide a timeline to phase out the practice of forcing general education teachers in grades K2-12 to

obtain additional licenses. For further details, please see the bargaining summary in the email below. Visit btu.org/bargaining/ for future updates and to register to join us on Tuesday, October 29th at 5 pm at the BTU Hall for the next negotiating session.

Political Action: Local and National

The November 5th election is officially two weeks away. This is the time for a full-court press to support the Harris/Walz ticket, the YES on 2 Ballot campaign and our locally endorsed candidates.

The BTU has participated in multiple canvass opportunities over the past weeks and will be sharing more opportunities to get involved in the coming days. If you’re looking to learn more about the ballot question, then there is a great opportunity on Wednesday, October 23rd. Former BTU President Jessica Tang will be participating in a debate led by youth moderators on Ballot Question 2 at Roxbury Community College. Please register ahead of time. You can also join BTU Electoral Action Team or the AFT GOTV team to participate in phone banks targeting voters locally and in swing states.

There is another issue which is of critical importance to our members and the entire city of Boston. Following the pandemic, the value of Boston’s commercial property values significantly decreased as demand for physical office space dropped. The city of Boston’s tax revenues are heavily dependent on commercial property taxes.

In response to this development, the administration has proposed a change to Boston’s property tax formula. If state lawmakers do not act, Boston residents could see their property taxes increase by as much as 28 percent while commercial properties would experience a significant decrease in their tax obligations. And there has been a steady drumbeat of calls for city budget cuts. Recent headlines indicate there has been some progress and we hope that the tax reclassification proposal is enacted.

Fall Leadership Conference

The 2024 Fall Leadership Conference brought together more than 150 members in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for a weekend of relationship building, contract organizing and labor rights workshops, and political activism in support of the Harris/Walz ticket. It was inspiring to see members pool their expertise, learn from each other and form new relationships that will further prepare us to work together to fight for a fair contract and a brighter future for our students and educators. It was also a wonderful reminder that our membership is full of talented, passionate and creative individuals.

In addition to workshops covering grievances, workplace collaboration and negotiations, members attended sessions on our Community Hub School Initiatives and our Inclusive Education priorities. The Inclusion workshop connected teachers, parents and community members to share their experiences and practice crafting their personal stories into powerful public testimonies to share with the public. There were a lot of lessons learned that our members can bring back to their school buildings and rally our members for the next stage of contract organizing.

 

BTU Events and Announcements Racial Justice Standing Committee Meetings: First Tuesday of each month. The Racial Justice Standing Committee will meet the first Tuesday of every month from 5-7pm. This year, the committee has set two goals: 1. to provide racial justice training for building representatives, and 2. to create a protocol for union members and building reps on how to address racial harm. If you are interested in joining us, or if you would like to receive updates about this work, please contact co-chairs Lea Serena (lserena@btu.org) or Paul Tritter (ptritter@btu.org).   Resource Donations for Newly Arrived Families The Housing Justice Committee is working with local organizations to collect donations of requested items for newly arrived families who are unsheltered or living in temporary shelter. If you are interested in contributing needed items, please fill out this form and we will be in touch with more information about how to donate. Para 101 PD for newly hired paraprofessionals: Multiple sessions in October, November and December Para 101 is about building a community of paraprofessionals who are knowledgeable about their rights and are aware of the support and strategies that they can use to build stronger relationships with students and teachers in the classroom. Please see this flyer for all of the dates and details. NEW-Multilingual Education in MA: Learning from the past and present to empower future learners The Citizens for Public Schools is hosting a webinar series focusing on the state of multilingual education in MA. This session moderated by BTU member Matt Ruggiero will focus on the question “What makes an effective bilingual program?” Register here Solidarity Rally with UNITE HERE LOCAL 26: Oct. 25th, 5 pm Join the MA Labor Movement for a rally at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. In the meantime, please encourage leaders, members, staff, apprentices, retirees, and supporters to join the 24 hour picket lines at the Boston Hilton located at 1 Hotel Drive in Boston as well as the Boston Park Plaza Hotel located at 50 Park Plaza in Boston. AFL-CIO Nashua Labor Walk: Saturday, October 26th AFT President Randi Weingarten Senator Maggie Hassan, endorsed candidate for Governor Joyce Craig, and the next Congresswoman from New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, Maggie Goodlander will be speaking at the Nashua Teachers Union Hall before heading out into the community for voter outreach. Register here

October Unafraid Educators Meeting: Monday, 10/28, 4:30-6PM Please join us at Fenway High on October 28th at 4:30 for our next Unafraid Educators Meeting! We are the BTU’s Immigrant Rights Organizing Committee, and work to support our students and families. We’ll have pizza, salads, and snacks for everyone. Haitian Educators Committee Meeting: October 28, 5:00-6:30PM The Haitian Educators Committee Meeting will now take place on the third Mondays of the month virtually. But this month please join us on Monday, October 28th at 5 pm to plan our next Meet and Greet event. Please contact Bianca Pierre for the ZOOM link at bpierre74@gmail.com Boston Teachers Union Student Debt Clinic – December 3, 4:30-6:00 pm The BTU is continuing its series of webinars on college student debt support and relief programs. Please register ahead of time   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 Mentoring For Professional Licensure (Introductory Session Oct. 24th, 5:30-7:00) Productive Learning Environment Night: October 24, 5:00-7:30pm Elementary Illustrative Math Learning Site: October 29, 10am-3pm Teaching About Desegregation Busing in Boston: A Conversation About the 50th Anniversary with Educators Harvard Conant Fellowship Info Sessions Virtual and In-person Community News & Events Urban League: Girls Empowerment Program Oct. 26th The Urban League is co-sponsoring an event with the Northeastern University School of Law. It’s a great opportunity for middle school girls to get introduced to the practice of law and meet women attorneys of color. Please share this flyer and the registration link here: Determined to Rise Academy – Ms. JD (msjdorg.lpages.co) Community Schools Virtual Forums: Limits & Possibilities of Education in an Unequal Society: Monday, Oct. 21, 4-5:30pm A presentation with Dr. Pedro Noguera. Drawing upon research in poor communities in the U.S. and several other nations, this presentation will examine the work of community schools and the role of teachers in promoting agency and empowerment to counter oppressive conditions that often obstruct progress. More information here MCAS on the Ballot Debate series: Oct. 23 from 4 to 6pm In partnership with 826 Boston and WriteBoston, the Boston Debate League is hosting a youth-centered MCAS on the Ballot Public Debate & Conversation on Wednesday, October 23 from 4-6 p.m. at RCC. This will be an opportunity to hear from youth and experts on this issue. Check out the flyer here and register with this link to RSVP. Books Not Bombs: Increasing Federal Investment in Public ED Oct. 26 Register here to join a conversation with Massachusetts educational leaders as they discuss the importance federal funding has in supporting successful local school districts. Busing in Boston: A Conversation About the 50th Anniversary with Educators November 18 from 4:00-6:00 The Boston Desegregation and Busing Initiative is co-sponsoring this event with UMass Boston at the UMass Boston Campus Center, 3rd Floor Ballroom. This event is a part of a series dedicated to examining the history and impact of busing in Boston 50 years following Judge Garrity’s decision. Learn more at www.bostondesegregation.org     In Memoriam Mary Susan DeLaura, a BTU educator who dedicated 50 years of service to the children of Boston, passed away peacefully last week. Mary, who had been teaching at TechBoston up until the first week in October, started each day by writing the date and “Work Hard. Be Kind.” You can find details on her memorial services here. BTU in the News The BTU received widespread news coverage of its latest walk-in action calling on the district to agree to a fair contract that uplifts students and supports educators. You can find coverage in the Globe, Channel 5, Channel 10 and Channel 7.