Make a plan to vote on Nov. 4th!

The general election for Mayor and City Council in Boston is Tuesday, November 4th, exactly one week away! The good news is, you don’t have to wait until then to vote. The City of Boston has early voting stations open across the city until this Friday evening. Polls are open on Election Day from 7am to 8pm.

If you’ve wanted to get involved in one of the various campaigns but haven’t had the chance, save your fear for Halloween night because the BTU has plenty of chances for you to still get involved! We are actively supporting our endorsed candidates with phonebanking as well as in-person volunteering opportunities! Check out our political landing page to see our full slate of endorsed candidates as well as legislation we are actively working to pass with our partners.

Listen and Learn Visits

As we have shared before, the BTU elected officers and organizers are committed to scheduling a visit with BTU members at every single school across the district this school year. This Listen and Learn Tour is an opportunity for members to share with each other and with BTU leadership the major issues their school communities are facing. The goal of this tour is to build a comprehensive understanding of what is happening in our schools in order to build campaigns, both across the district and in specific schools, to advocate most effectively for the needs of our members and our students. BTU office staff have completed more than a dozen visits so far and have received valuable feedback to inform our advocacy efforts.

If you haven’t scheduled a school visit yet, please ask your building reps to schedule a visit soon.

• Expediting and enhancing improvements to our school facilities;
• Healthy, safe and welcoming schools for all;
• Defending democracy and public education in the face of federal threats;
• Working to make the cost of living more affordable for members.

The BTU School Safety Committee will holds its first meeting of the school year on Monday, November 3rd, virtually. The committee was designed to focus on identifying issues related to safety that have a daily impact on our members, students, and families and work collaboratively to craft recommendations for school-level organizing efforts and future contract negotiations. Please email Elementary Field Rep. Caitlin Gaffny (cgaffny@btu.org) for the link.

Federal Food Aid to End Nov. 1st

As we write this, the federal government is still locked in a shutdown. If Congress doesn’t act, federal funding for SNAP food assistance will end at the end of October. More than 1 million people received SNAP benefits in Massachusetts, and about one-third of all recipients are children.  Many of our students and some of our own BTU members receive this assistance.

We are asking BTU members who will be attending our membership meeting on November 12th at 4:30 PM to bring in non-perishable foods. The BTU will collect your donations and arrange drop-offs with local food banks. Please stay tuned for more details.

BTU Events and Announcements

TONIGHT! Organizing for Strong Pilot School EWAs: October 28, 6:30-7:30 on Zoom
For members that work at Pilot Schools, register here to receive the zoom link for a training on organizing for improved working conditions and strong Pilot School Election to Work Agreements (EWAs).

NEW! Informational Picket at Neighborhood House Charter (NHCS): Oct 30 at 7:15AM
BTU members at NHCS are extremely close to coming to an agreement with management and finalizing a first ever Collective Bargaining Agreement. Now is the time to show up in solidarity with our fellow BTU members at NHCS! On Thursday, October 30, before school at 7:15 am, we will gather outside Queen Street Campus to send a message to management that we are united. Join us! Email Judy with questions at jgrant@btu.org.

Volunteer to get Rent Control on the ballot!
Do you want to limit rent increases to 5% per year so that you and your students can afford to live in Boston? Sign up here to gather signatures for the rent control ballot initiative with fellow BTU members from the Housing Justice Committee! No experience needed, all are welcome! Be on the lookout for signature petitions at your school building.

ABA Working Group Survey and Meetings
The ABA Working Group has released a survey for ALL ABA Classroom Teachers to take! This survey will be administered this Fall, Winter, and Spring as a way of gathering data around class sizes/ratios, missed, services and more, and will also be administered to other districts. Please fill out this survey by Friday, October 31st! The next ABA Working Group meeting is on Monday, October 20th from 5:00-6:00pm on Zoom, and then every other Monday at the same time. Please email Madison Kronheim (madisonkronheim@icloud.com) for the Zoom link.

Join the AFT MA/BTU Latino Caucus
Interested in joining the AFT MA/BTU Latino Caucus? Please fill out the interest form at tinyurl.com/LatinxPower

DESE Seeking Feedback on Inclusive Practices

The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is partnering with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and CAST (creators of the Universal Design for Learning Framework), to revise the Educator Effectiveness Guidebook for Inclusive Practices (2017).This is an opportunity to provide feedback on the Guidebook, highlight what works, and suggest what’s needed to better support inclusive instruction. Your input will directly inform how DESE strengthens this tool to meet the needs of educators and students across the Commonwealth. Please fill out this form to provide feedback virtually. 

School Safety Committee, Monday, November 3, 5:30-6:30 on Zoom
We will reconvene the BTU School Safety Committee on Monday, November 3, on zoom, to focus on identifying issues related to safety that have a daily impact on our members, students, and families and work collaboratively to craft solution driven recommendations for school level organizing fights and future contract negotiations. Please fill out this form to be sent the zoom link and join us!

National School Psychology Week – Nov. 3-7

Across the U.S. schools are celebrating the impact of school psychologists in helping children thrive — in school, at home, and in life. Please click here to find simple ways to show appreciation for your school psychologist(s). Further, any school leaders and/or staff that complete this shoutout form will receive a prize from Behavioral Health Services. The shoutouts will be read aloud at our staff meeting on Friday, Nov. 7th, the last day of school psychology week.

BostonSchoolPsychs.com

PreK–2nd Report Cards Working Group Opportunity!
The BPS Department of Early Childhood (DEC) is redesigning the PreK–2nd report cards. This year, we are looking for a small group of educators in the K0, K1, K2, 1st, and 2nd grades to work with the Central Office Teaching & Learning team to co-create the content and grading rubrics for the new report cards. Click this link for more information. Fill out this survey to indicate whether you would like to be part of a working team or simply stay in the loop as the project develops.

Petition for Bilingual Programming

Boston parents, educators, and community members are signing this petition to ask the Mayor to make a 10 year plan to ensure every student in Boston Public Schools has access to home language classroom support and high-quality bilingual programs in the city’s major languages. Please sign and share!

K0/K1 Inclusion Survey

BPS is conducting a survey of educators and families to make sure all children—whether they need specialized services or not—can learn in the least restrictive environment possible. Your feedback is essential to helping improve how children are supported in inclusive classrooms across BPS. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete and the deadline to complete is December 30, 2025. Educator Survey link, Family Survey Link

NEW DATE Student Debt clinic Update: Rescheduled to December 4th
Join us for our rescheduled date Thursday, December 4th at 5:00 or register for the October 29 AFT National clinic at https://go.aft.org/DebtClinicWebinar. Thank you and apologies for the inconvenience!

Reviewing support systems for Multilingual students in BPS

The Council of Great City Schools is reviewing the district’s support for Multilingual Learners. BPS is seeking ESL, bilingual, Special education and general education teachers and paraprofessionals. For more information on how to register, please use this link.

BTU Writing and Research Fellowship

In partnership with UMASS Boston and the Boston Writing Project, this year-long classroom-based research fellowship is open to all BTU members. The BTU Writing and Research Fellowships creates a collaborative intellectual community in which Research Fellows support one another to engage in professional identity work, conduct rigorous practitioner research, advance professional practice and promote student learning and well-being, and pursue social justice. Earn graduate credit from UMASS Boston (for a fee) and a $600 honorarium. Learn more here & Apply Today. Contact ptritter@btu.org with questions.

NEW! Building Rep Orientation Make-Up Session Oct 29 at 5pm on Zoom

If you are a newly elected Building Rep or a Building Rep who missed the Building Rep orientation in August, we will be offering a make-up orientation session on zoom on Wednesday, October 29 from 5-6pm. Please register here for the zoom link

Spanish for BPS Educators is an Introductory Spanish Course geared towards adult learners in BPS to learn enough Spanish to welcome Spanish-speaking families and students into the BPS Community. Curriculum is focused on Boston schools and community and 1 ALC will be provided at end of course for students who meet course requirements. Contact jcaldarone@bostonpublicschools.org for more information

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.

• SY 2025-2026 Annual Notice for State Required Assessments
• ODA Back to School PD Calendar Fall 2025
• LAS Links Training Sessions – Fall SY25-26
• MFA Boston “World Religions in Art” Program Series
• Friends of the Boston Schoolyard Newsletter
• Math Working Group
• Telescope Network: Elementary IM Learning Site: October 30th, 10am-3:30pm
• Language and Power summit 2: Nov 19th, 4-7 pm
• Implementing the Stations Model for SLIFE Classrooms
• Early Childhood Inclusive Practices Learning Cohort Sessions 2: Centers and Stations – Nov 5th, 5:30-7:00PM

Community Events

Friends of the Boston Schoolyard Newsletter

The Friends of the Boston Schoolyard is an organization that supports outdoor learning in the BPS. We publish a seasonal newsletter that highlights the work of outdoor learning that is happening in the BPS as well share information about other organizations that support outdoor learning. Link: https://conta.cc/3VnDyTL

BTU in the News

Congratulations to Damian Aufiero of the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers and James Hobin of BINCA for receiving the prestigious 2025 Edward M Kennedy Award for Excellence in Education. This award, given at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, honors educators whose passion, innovation, and dedication embody the EMK Institutes mission to inspire the next generation of informed, engaged citizens and leaders.

Students at the Ohrenberger School tested out a mobile AI installment called the “Curiosity Cube”, which gave students to have hands-on experience in identifying and distinguishing AI content. Check out the news coverage here!

Congratulations to the Boston Teachers Union Pilot School for receiving the “Extraordinary Achievement Award” during this weekend’s Teacher Powered Schools Conference in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The award recognizes the school’s commitment to teacher leadership and their contributions to the network!