Seven Days until Election Day:

Fight for Democracy

Election Day is exactly one week away from today and the BTU has organized multiple opportunities to support our candidates and ballot question campaigns until the polls close. You can sign up through any of the links below and also check out our political action page to see our full slate of endorsed candidates and ballot questions.

Out of State Midterms Phonebank this Thursday Oct. 29th from 5 – 7: https://mobilize.us/s/L3LXRu

AFL-CIO Trip to Maine this Saturday, Oct 31st: https://www.mobilize.us/meaflcio/event/1052799/

This past weekend, dozens of BTU and AFT MA members traveled to Maine to support Troy Jackson, the Democrat who is running against incumbent Susan Collins. A group of volunteers will be heading back up to Maine this weekend to continue this effort as the Maine Senate race is one of a handful of campaigns this election season that Democrats could win to regain control of Congress. If you have the time this weekend, register at the link above.

MA House approves additional funding for Community Hub Schools

Last week the Massachusetts House voted to include $1M investment in Community Schools in the closeout supplemental budget. We want to thank AFT MA and United Way for their collaboration in speaking directly with lawmakers to push this funding forward. While this is a great development, we still have work to do! The Massachusetts Senate still has to vote on whether to include the funding, so we strongly encourage you to call your state Senator to express your support for Community Hub Schools.

ABA Strand Audit Report

Earlier this year, the BPS commissioned a report on the ABA strand in the Boston Public Schools. Spurred by our ABA Strand Working Group’s efforts to prepare bargaining proposals, the BTU requested a copy of the report in June, and followed up with additional requests in July, August, and September. In September, BPS invited BTU staff to a meeting where they showed a slideshow with what they said was a summary of the report’s findings, but BPS continues to stonewall the BTU in our request for the report itself. Therefore, the BTU filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge at the state labor board last week alleging that BPS has violated the law by refusing to provide the report.  We will keep you updated on this process.

BTU Events and Announcements

Join members of FCSN’s Youth Advisory Board for a conversation about inclusion from students and youth perspectives on October 27th from 4-5pm on Zoom. Hear what helps young people feel included, where they’ve encountered barriers, and what they wish educators understood. Bring your questions and explore how these perspectives can inform your work in the classroom, school, or district. Sign up at bit.ly/lets-talk-oct.

Designed for new teacher developers, coaches, and early-career educators. Elevate classroom practice by centering student voice and equitable sense-making through collaborative reflection, video analysis, and strategic questioning. Sign up on Vector by searching “Centering Student Voice.

Latino Caucus Survey

Are you a Latino member in the BTU? The Latino Caucus would like to hear from you! Please take a moment to complete our short Latino Caucus survey here.

STIPEND OPPORTUNITY: Bilingual Spanish Special Education Assessor

The Office of Specialized Services (OSS) seeks to develop a talent pool of current licensed BPS Bilingual Special Education Teachers to administer Special Education assessments in Spanish. Incumbents will need to be familiar with administering, scoring, and interpreting the Woodcock-Muniz Bateria assessment results in their respective areas and submit an analysis of such results in the appropriate format using the department’s template. All work will take place outside of regular working hours at an assessment center or at a school. More details and application can be found here.

National Board Component Cohorts — Register by November 1st!

Join a National Board cohort to complete one of the portfolio components with support from colleagues and NB-certified facilitators while meeting your inclusive ed requirement. Find more information and a link to register here. Questions? Email [email protected].

EdD Virtual Event: Expanding Your Career Possibilities

This session is designed for professionals currently pursuing or considering an EdD and want to better understand how the degree can support career growth and new professional possibilities. BPS employees receive 10% off tuition at Regis! Event details and registration can be found here:

EdD Virtual Event: Expanding Your Career Possibilities | Regis College

BTU Member March of Dimes Ambassador Family

This year March of Dimes has asked BTU member Damian Aufiero, History teacher at the Edward M. Kennedy School, and his family to be an Ambassador Family at the Black Ties for Babies Gala on November 7th. Both of his sons were born premature, and they are sharing their story to further the mission to support healthy babies and mothers. Click to learn about their journey and support the cause in whatever way you can. Congratulations, Damian, and thank you for the great work you are doing for this important cause.

BTU Member Finalist in Voice of Logan Competition
Ashley Cook, a 3rd grade teacher and daughter of a retired BTU member, is one of 8 finalists in a competition to select the next person to record greetings to welcome travelers from across the world to Logan airport. Voting is open until tomorrow October 28th. Click this link to vote for Ashley!

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.

BTU member Silvina Ibanez received the Frances Euphemia Thompson Award for Excellence in Teaching as one of the 2026 Common Good Awards Honorees  from MassArt.  is a professional visual artist, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT), licensed mental health counselor, art educator, and community arts advocate dedicated to expanding access to the arts as a tool for healing, empowerment and social change. She was recognized for her work at the William Carter School, a Boston Public School providing specialized education for students with significant cognitive disabilities and complex medical needs. Congratulations, Silvina!

Thank You for Reading

Please send your comments and questions to us at [email protected], or call the BTU at 617-288-2000.