Happy last day of February! We hope you all had a nice, well-deserved break last week and that you stay warm despite the snow today. Although Black History should be celebrated and learned throughout the year, it is the last day of Black History Month. Our educators once again led a Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, including a door-decorating contest, and much more. Check out all of the great photos from the BLM activities this month on our FB – and if you have any to add, please send them to photos@btu.org!
Contract Updates: All retro pay should have been disbursed at the last pay period(Feb. 17), except for the exceptions previously noted. If you have not received the correct amount of pay you are due, please contact your field rep as we continue to follow up with any discrepancies or errors. Building Reps or their designees are now able to access the BPS facilities tracker, Asset Essentials. Everyone who signed up this fall as the school facilities point person should have received an invitation to attend the orientation workshop on Thursday. If you are the Rep or Designee but did not receive the link, please be sure to fill out the form and contact Natasha nmoore@btu.org to get the link. BPS has shared that the special ed anonymous reporting line will be active shortly as well.
Our March membership meeting is next Wednesday, March 8 beginning at 4:30 p.m. We will have an important presentation on our building headquarters! Please remember to bring your BTU card for admittance to our monthly meeting. As usual, we will have a problem-solving table for those who do not have their cards, but you must bring a photo ID or BPS pay stub. If you need childcare, please register here.
Updates from the Election Committee: All signatures (paper and electronic) will be due March 8 for validation. While you are signing nomination forms on the member portal, please make sure to check that your mailing address is correct so that you will receive your ballot(s) and all relevant mailings. Thank you to everyone running for positions and to everyone signing nominations for your participation! As always, any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the Elections Committee at electioncommittee@btu.org.
As shared previously, we are proud to be a part of a multi-stakeholder community coalition supporting new legislation to create a better accountability system that is more democratic, authentic and impactful. See Globe coverage. Please sign this petition to support the THRIVE Act, which would end the practice of school receivership, dramatically reduce the harm caused by standardized testing, and provide local school communities with the resources students need to succeed. Read the BTU’s full statement on the THRIVE Act.
Please note, the BTU and AFT MA do NOT support the misleadingly labeled and separate “Thrive Act” filed by Sen. Pavel M. Payano and the controversial organization “Educators for Excellence (E4E),” which would be harmful to the retention of experienced and veteran educators, including older educators of color, which it purports to be supporting.
If your school has not yet scheduled a Contract Coffee Hour, please be sure to email Natasha Moore. We have visited or have scheduled school visits for dozens of schools, but there are still many we have not been able to visit yet to share the newest provisions in our contract and to answer questions.
Finally, there are still lots of Girl Scout cookies left for our in-service BTU members! One representative from each school can come by the BTU office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to pick up cookies for the BTU members at your school. If no one is able to make it during those hours, please call the BTU office to arrange pickup.