The BTU’s 2026 Ballot Question Endorsements

In November, Massachusetts voters will decide on nine statewide ballot questions across a wide range of issues. The BTU has taken positions on several of these questions:

• Question 2: vote YES to allow public defenders the right to form a union and collectively bargain
• Question 3: vote NO to reject an all-party primary system that would favor the wealthiest candidates
• Question 4: vote YES to strengthen our democracy by allowing same-day voter registration
• Question 5: vote NO to protect funding for public schools and services
• Question 9: vote YES to retain MA’s strong gun safety laws to keep students and communities safe

Voting no on Question 5 is particularly important for public schools. If passed, the measure would limit the maximum amount of tax revenue the state can collect and refund the excess to taxpayers. This would reduce the state’s budget, including local aid for public schools and municipalities.

When Boston’s schools are already dealing with the loss of hundreds of school-based positions and outdated facilities across the district, passing Question 5 would put further restrictions on the resources Massachusetts can invest in public education. The BTU urges a NO vote on Question 5 to protect the funding our schools and students depend on.

District 5 Educators Town Hall with Councilor Pepen

BTU members who attended last week’s event thanked Councilor Pepen for his support of schools in District 5, including securing funding to renovate the auditorium at New Mission High School where the town hall took place. Members also brought a number of concerns to his attention, including the lack of Chromebooks for students, a myriad of facilities issues, inadequate staffing to meet the needs of students, and transportation challenges. It was a great discussion, and the BTU hopes to engage more City Councilors to meet for Town Halls with members.

Sick Bank Update

The sick bank deadline has been extended to November 13th. All active members who donated to the sick bank should have received an email from BPS stating they are enrolled. If you did not receive an email stating you are enrolled and wish to be, please do so before November 13th.

Back to School Book Fair

We had a fantastic Book Fair, and as always want to thank the many members of our community who joined us. It was extremely well-attended and we were thrilled to get to share one of our favorite traditions with so many students, families, and educators. Some families have expressed feedback on the book selections, including on which books are relevant for each age group, and we have passed that feedback on to the third-party vendor that curates and selects the books. If you have suggestions for books to be added to next year’s Book Fair or feedback on this year’s selections, please let us know.

We’re still feeling the excitement from this year’s event — take a look at a few more of our favorite moments from the day!

BTU Events and Announcements

If you are a new building rep or missed the August orientation, please register here for a building rep orientation make-up session, which will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, October 7 at 5pm.

If you work at a pilot school, please register here for a workshop on organizing for strong pilot school EWAs, which will also take place on zoom on Wednesday, October 7 at 5pm.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer: Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

Please consider walking this year under the umbrella of the BTU, you may sign your team up on the BTU Walkers Team page.

When you support with a donation or join the BTU Walkers team, the American Cancer Society will be able to help more people in more communities touched by breast cancer by funding groundbreaking breast cancer research, providing free comprehensive information and support, and helping people take steps to reduce their breast cancer risk or find it early when it is most treatable.

Every step taken and every dollar raised will help finish the fight against breast cancer, so please consider either walking with the BTU or making a donation.

You can donate or sign up to participate in the walk here. Thank you so much for your support!

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.

This professional development training is about building a community of paras knowledgeable about their rights and aware of the support and strategies they can use to build stronger relationships with students and teachers in the classroom.

Session One: 2 parts

Part 1 – October 1, 2026 (5:00-7:00pm, remote)

Part 2 – November 5, 2026 (5:00-7:00pm, in-person at the BTU)

Session Two: 2 parts

Part 1 – November 19, 2026 (5:00-7:00pm, remote)

Part 2 – December 10, 2026 (5:00-7:00pm, in-person at the BTU)

The link to register is HERE. You only need to complete one session, but you must complete both parts of that session.

Join this Zoom meeting to learn more about the National Board certification process and its benefits, as well as supports the BPS/BTU National Board Leadership Team provides for educators.

Zoom link: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/88608517295

Openings on Teacher Leadership Fund Committee

The Teacher Leadership Fund committee has an opening for 2 current Teacher bargaining unit members to serve. This is an opportunity to make a positive impact on students district-wide, by allocating up to $300,000 per year to support educator-led projects. The commitment includes roughly 3 hours of work monthly throughout the year with a significant increase in the workload in April and May (roughly 15-20 hours reading and scoring applications, lengthy meetings to deliberate and award proposals, etc.). Monthly meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Stipend of $3,000 per year. Apply to join the committee, or contact [email protected] for more information. Deadline to apply is October 16th.

Centering Student Voice & Sense-Making: Responsive Classroom Design for Early Career Educators is a four-part, in-person professional learning series for educators in years 1–3 focused on listening to students, asking effective questions, and designing engaging, responsive classroom experiences. Participants who attend all four sessions and complete the accompanying work will receive 1 ALC; teachers may also register for individual sessions as one-offs without ALC credit or coursework. To sign up, log into Vector and search “centering” to find the course.

Telescope Middle School Math Learning Site

Are you a middle school math educator working to fully engage students with HQIM so students feel connected and motivated to learn? This advanced learning site, launching on October 7, asks the question “how do we cultivate meaningful, student-centered engagement opportunities within math HQIM for our middle school students?” within the context of diverse classrooms. After the observation, educators have a chance to think through and debrief with the host teachers around the hows and whys of their teaching practice. This PD includes 4 follow up virtual sessions where educators try out a small change in their own practice and reflect on the process with colleagues. 12 hour course/ALC. Learn more by checking out the flyer HERE, and RSVP at the link HERE.

Telescope Advanced Math Inclusive Ed. Planning Cohort

Start your math instruction strong with a collaborative cohort for effective planning. Guided by expert BPS teachers, you will work alongside peers to design high-impact lessons integrated with proven instructional routines that increase access for multilingual learners and students with IEPs. A significant portion of our session time is dedicated to collaborative peer coaching and supported planning so you can pool resources and leave with classroom-ready lessons. This course fulfills the BPS 12-hour inclusive education requirement (or can be taken for an ALC). Click here to RSVP.

In partnership with UMASS Boston and the Boston Writing Project, the Boston Teachers Union is proud to offer a year-long school and classroom-based research fellowship to all BTU members. In the Boston Teachers Union Writing and Research Fellowship, we create a collaborative intellectual community in which BPS educators support one another to: develop their research and writing skills, including working toward publication in professional journals and at conferences. Earn graduate credit from UMASS Boston and a $600 honorarium. Learn more here or APPLY TODAY — the deadline is October 30th. Contact [email protected] to show interest.

This Telescope Network learning site explores a central question: How can ELA educators embed ESL instruction in ways that support language development and meaningful access to rigorous ELA content?

In this learning site, we will explore language demands and high-leverage practices in reading, writing, and discourse that support MLLs, with a focus on embedding ESL within rigorous ELA instruction.

This course includes an in-person peer observation and virtual Zoom sessions and fulfills the BPS 12-hour Inclusive Education course requirement. The course launches on November 10th, and the link to register is HERE.

We’re ready to put My America together — and we could use a few extra hands!

More than 130,000 fabric tiles have been requested from all 50 states and five American territories. This October and November, we’ll be gluing tiles onto backing to create our giant American flag mosaic for its grand unveiling in December, closing out America’s 250th anniversary year.

The Boston Teachers Union is hosting the first volunteer sessions at their union hall in Dorchester:

• Friday, October 2nd: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Saturday, October 3rd: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Learn more about the project and sign up to volunteer at the link HERE.

A Far Cry: Discounted Tickets for Educators

A Far Cry, Boston’s Trailblazing Chamber Orchestra, invites Boston Teachers Union educators to join us for our 20th season of music-making, kicking off in . Get $10 in-person tickets using code STUDYHARD20 & $5 Digital Event Passes using code HALLPASS20. Get your tickets now at afarcry.org

Arts-Based Primary Sources for Immigration History Webinar: October 28, 5:00-6:00 PM

How can music and the arts help students engage with U.S. history and understand the world around them? In this webinar, TeachRock and The Immigrant Learning Center (The ILC) will share engaging, classroom-ready resources that use music and arts-based primary sources to help K-12 students explore history, migration, identity and belonging. Join us on Wednesday, October 28 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM ET. This webinar is free of charge, but you must register to participate. It is designed for K-12 educators, administrators and anyone interested in music, immigration and teaching. Register at the link HERE.