Last Saturday, we hosted the Fund Our Future Bootcamp, where community members from across the state came together to strategize around the use of funds that we secured through the Student Opportunity Act. We reflected on what it took to get here, identified what we need to move forward, and built out a statewide timeline around next steps together. Thank you to all who attended!
Here in Boston, the funding from the SOA will take longer to realize, but we will continue to fight for the resources to get #InclusionDoneRight and ensure adequate staffing in our schools. We are hopeful that budgets will be reflect a significant investment from the City of Boston in lieu of new immediate SOA funds. We are looking forward to continuing to build out this work with our partners at BPS and the City.
We also held a screening of the Public Education Forum which aired live on MSNBC and was hosted by AFT, NEA, and other partners. 1500 educators, students, and parents from across the country heard from seven Presidential candidates and were able to ask them questions about their stances on public education.
BTU President Jessica Tang, who is also an AFT VP, was among the couple dozen participants who were able to ask a candidate a question, and one of our members was one of the 25 AFT members nationwide who won a trip to participate! We were excited to engage BTU members in political conversations on education equity and look forward to continuing the discussions through our Election 2020 Teach-Ins.
At City on a Hill, students walked out in protest of the upcoming merger, which will result in lay-offs for educators and have lasting repercussions on the school’s students and families. We met with staff last week and are continuing to support our members, students and families through advocacy and other means.
On the contract front, negotiations continue as we meet about K-6 expansion, bilingual licensure, and inclusion expansion. We are also continuing to meet, negotiate and enforce the implementation of new contract language, including new staffing positions, funding for athletic coaches, and para job descriptions.
We are happy to share that the BTU, along with the other city unions who make up the PEC, have reached a tentative agreement with the city on our health care. It still needs to be approved by the City Council who will vote on the agreement some time in January. Details of the agreement will be publicly available after the vote.
Please note that there will be a hiatus on bulletins during the holiday break, but we will resume bulletins in the New Year. The office will be closed December 23-25 and on January 1.
Have a wonderful week and restful holiday vacation!