As we mentioned in our special bulletin last week, BPS announced that retro payments will be issued after the original January date they had been sharing with us for months. To be clear, we have been advocating since before the start of the school year for the retro payments to be disbursed as quickly as possible, and the announcement last week is just the latest setback in an unprecedented number of pay issues this school year. We have reached out to all levels of government and are pursuing multiple avenues to remedy these issues.
While BPS says they are “optimistic” that they will get this retro pay disbursed by the second paycheck in February (2/17/23), we are advocating that at least our Para and Substitute units receive their retro pay before that date. We will be demanding accountability and recourse this evening at School Committee where several educators will be sharing their experiences. We have other actions planned if needed as well to address these egregious issues.
In regards to Inclusion planning and implementation, we have a new Inclusion FAQ document regarding Inclusion implementation.
Many “Frequently Asked Questions” from our Contract Coffee hours are answered here, and we will continue to update this document with new questions and answers each week. Remember, if your school has not yet scheduled a Contract Coffee Hour, please be sure to email Natasha Moore.Candidates have begun collecting signatures for the nomination process for the 2023 BTU election of officers, field representatives, political director, E-Board, delegates and RTC officers. To register for electronic nomination pages, please visit this link.
We wanted to highlight two upcoming events: First, for the first time at BTU we are celebrating the Lunar New Year! Join us as we usher in the Year of the Rabbit, in collaboration with BTU APALA members and the BTU Racial Justice Standing Committees. You can RSVP here. The Lunar New Year celebration is open to the public! Second, we’re also excited to host BTU members for a BTU Winter Party to show our educators some love! Join us at the union hall for food, DJ, cash bar, and fun. Registration required – this is a BTU-member ONLY event.
Many educators will receive a formative assessment during the month of January. BTU educators in the teacher bargaining unit who receive a rating of less than proficient are typically eligible for support from the Educator Supports Program (ESP). The ESP is a jointly-run collaboration between the BTU and BPS which provides a range of supports for educators who find themselves in evaluation difficulty. If you or a colleague is rated less than proficient, please make sure you or they visit the ESP Website for more information, and to sign up for a meeting to learn more.
If you are a family liaison, please be sure to fill out this form. We are creating a list-serve for family liaisons, and we are continuing to work on the pay issues. We will remain in contact through this distribution list as we continue advocate for the resolution of these issues.Don’t Forget, We’re Hiring: