BTU Committees and Officers

Committees | Officers and Staff | Executive Board

BTU Committees

Campaign Activist Network*

Collective Bargaining Committee (2016 Contract)

Community Advisory Board / Community Outreach Committee*

Committee on Political Education (COPE)

Election Committee

ELL Committee (NEW)*

History & Social Studies Committee (NEW)*

Immigrant Rights Committee (NEW)*

Inclusion Committee (NEW)*

Less Testing, More Learning Committee (NEW)*

LGBTQ Committee (NEW)*

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer*

Mediators Committee

New Educator Committee*

Nurse Faculty Senate

Parent Advisory Committee (NEW)*

Paraprofessionals Council

Pre-Paid Legal Services Fund Trustees

Professional Learning Advisory Board*

Rapid Response Team*

Retired Teachers Chapter Executive Board

Restorative Justice Committee (NEW)*

Scholarship Committee*

Sergeant-at-Arms Committee*

Social Committee*

Steering Committee

Women's Rights Committee*

Some of our committees are standing and their membership coincides with the two-year term of officers or the terms are merely in place (indefinitely). Other committees need -- and are open to -- volunteers on a regular basis. These committees are starred (*) above.

Here's what each does:

The Campaign Activist Network builds a proactive, good working relationship with those who make the laws specific to all that encompasses public education in Massachusetts. Whether you're interested in volunteering on an endorsed ballot initiative, with a BTU endorsed candidate, or with retirees specific to increasing the COLA, to name a few, we can match your volunteer interest with a volunteer activity that works with your schedule. The beauty of the Campaign Activist Network is that as opportunities come in, you will be notified via email and, if you're interested in the volunteer opportunity, it's yours. Contact Angela Cristiani to join!

The Community Advisory Board (CAB)/Community Outreach Committee reaches out to organizations and individuals in the Boston community who are active in building a better Boston and great public schools to develop a strategy for how our union and the community can work together. Are you active in a youth group, a neighborhood council, religious organization, or any organization that concerns itself with the well being of our students and/or the quality of our schools? Are you interested in helping our union build better community partnerships and parent engagement? If you are, consider becoming active in the CAB and bringing the perspective of your organization to the CAB and of the work of the committee back to your community organization. If you are interested in becoming active you can email Jessica Tang or Jonathan Rodrigues.

Members of the ELL Committee are ESL/SEI teachers concerned with advocating for better English Language Learning (ELL) student education. Recently there has been much media attention on the district’s lack of services for ELL students, many times with the blame placed on educators. Members aim to advocate and clarify misinformation, including lack of appropriate staffing, resources and barriers to opportunities for ELL students. The committee has compiled concerns to present to decision makers and will testify at upcoming hearings and meetings on the district, local and state level. Contact Jonathan for more info.

The History & Social Studies Committee is working with community partners and educators across the district to advocate for fully funded, comprehensive, and meaningful social studies and history instruction in BPS. Contact Jonathan for more info.

Recognizing that so many of our students suffer from a broken immigration system that affects their lives and prospects in and outside of school, the Immigrant Rights Committee works to advocate on their behalf, connecting with city and other nonprofit services that aim to aid our immigrant families and volunteering at upcoming citizenship and DACA clinics. Contact Jonathan for more info.

Members of the Inclusion Committee address concerns related to special education and inclusion implementation in the district. Committee members -- teachers and parents -- advocate for adequate inclusion strategies and resources that foster success in developmental growth and learning. Contact Jonathan for more info.

Less Testing, More Learning Committee: It seems like over-testing is now the growing trend, where our students are bombarded with continuous tests. This trend has kept educators from educating the whole child. If it is not tested, it is not valued. Classes like art, music, shops, home and career and others have been severely limited because of testing. Every child deserves an opportunity to shine during the school day, and when students are interested in something like these courses, they can also be a pathway to reading, writing, math and science. BTU’s Less Testing More Learning Committee advocates to end the testing mania that is driving our schools to become testing prep sites and away from comprehensive education of the whole-student. This committee is made up of parents, teachers and community members all invested in addressing concerns of the negative impact of over-testing. We need meaningful, appropriate assessments that help our teachers and students. Contact Shanika to join.

Members of the LGBTQ Committee work with Fenway Health and Connect to Protect to advocate for the needs of LGBTQ students in the district. This is a new committee and members are still forming goals. Contact Shanika to join!

The BTU is a flagship sponsor of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. If you want to work on our Making Strides event, please email Brenda Chaney.

The New Educator Committee is run by and for new members. It plans events such as the New Teacher Underground and finds ways to support new members in the BTU. If you are an early career teacher interested in engaging new members of the BTU, please email Jessica Tang.

The BTU Parent Advisory Committee (BTU PAC) was created to improve parent-teacher relationship and advocacy. The BTU PAC provides a space for parents to seek resources and help understanding and translating materials. It allows us to unite the efforts of parents and teachers to create successful learning environments for students. The BTU PAC tackles issues surrounding student discipline and rights in school, equity, the opportunity gap, student safety, SPED rights, dual language and much more. But most importantly it is a safe space for parents to obtain resources outside of school. Contact Jessica for more info.

The Professional Learning Advisory Board is a working group of BPS educators dedicated to the advancement and improvement of professional learning in the district in order to improve the learning and well-being of our students. This group will help direct the work of the Professional Learning Initiative. Members of the PLAB (teachers and non-teachers) are jointly appointed by the President of the Boston Teachers Union and the Office of Educator Effectiveness. For more information, contact Paul Tritter.

Rapid Response Team: Media monitoring and rapid response is commonplace in all political campaigns and the BTU has an established Rapid Response Team. Proactive preparation and response. The BTU Rapid Response Team is grass roots and changes conversation. Strategy, outreach, and response. The breakdown for Rapid Response includes, but is not limited to¦ Letter to the Editor, Radio/Talk Show Call-In, Online Article/Comment Posting, and Social Media/Blogging (Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, etc.). When advocacy is needed for key political issues on those occasions when the BTU receives little notice of a legislative hearing or vote, members of the Rapid Response Team will be notified. Contact Angela Cristiani and become involved!

Restorative Justice Committee: Members of the BTU have convened to advise the district on the implementation of the new Code of Conduct and to promote Restorative Justice. The BTU has collaborated with the BPS and Code of Conduct Advisory Committee to bring professional development on restorative practices to BPS educators. The Restorative Justice Committee continues to develop support systems to promote education and practices of restorative justice in the BPS. Open to all interested parties! Contact Shanika for more details.

The Scholarship Committee reviews the applications for the BTU scholarships given to high school seniors to support continuing higher education. Contact Denise Henderson to join!

The Sergeant-at-Arms Committee keeps order and helps out at the regularly scheduled membership meetings which take place once a month, on the second Wednesday. If you want to join the Sergeant-at-Arms Committee, please email email Sue Sweeney or Betsy Drinan.

The Social Committee plans a series of well-attended social events at the BTU. The Social Committee holds a fundraiser for Rosie's Place/Pine Street Inn annually. If you want to join our Social Committee, please email Michael McLaughlin.

The Women's Rights Committee organized the second annual Women"€™s Rights Breakfast this past year and honors people who advance the cause of women and girls rights with The Glass Ceiling Award. Most recently, the committee also planned an educational panel about girls, women, and education in Afghanistan. If you are interested in joining this committee, please email Darcel or Sherry Pedone.

BTU Officers and Staff

Name	Title	Email
Jessica Tang	President	jtang@btu.org
Erik Berg	Vice-President	eberg@btu.org
Michael McLaughlin	Secretary-Treasurer	mmclaughlin@btu.org
Johnny McInnis	Political Director	jmcinnis@btu.org
Paul Tritter	Director of Professional Learning	ptritter@btu.org
Lea Serena	Elementary Field Rep.	lserena@btu.org
Caren Carew	Secondary Field Rep.	ccarew@btu.org
Colleen Hart	Para/Substitute Field Rep.	chart@btu.org
Natalia Cuadra-Saez	Director of Organizing	ncuadrasaez@btu.org
Roberto Jimenez-Rivera	Political Organizer	rjimenez@btu.org
Erica Kouka	Internal Organizer	ekouka@btu.org
Katina McClain	Internal Organizer	kmcclain@btu.org
Brenda Chaney	Part-Time Parent and Community Liaison	bchaney@btu.org
Anne Slater	Co-Editor, Boston Union Teacher	aslater@btu.org
Michael J Maguire	Co-Editor, Boston Union Teacher	mmaguire@btu.org

BTU Executive Board

Name	School
Brenda Chaney	Retired Teacher
Alice M. Yong	Retired Teacher
James (Timo) Philip	Retired Teacher
Caitlin Gaffny	Tobin K-8
Michael J. Maguire	Boston Latin Academy
Nicole Mullen	BAA
Allison Doherty	Fenway High School
CasSandra Samuel	Curley K-8
Nora Paul-Schultz	John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science
A. Vanessa LaRocque	Joseph Lee School
Robert P. Carroll	Retired Teacher
Rosalinda Midence	Boston Day and Evening