Happy May! We hope you all enjoyed the sunshine this weekend as we celebrated International Workers Day, also known as “May Day.” As a labor union, we celebrate the contributions of all workers, including immigrant workers, as we continue to fight for respectful, equitable working and retirement conditions for all. This week is also Teacher Appreciation Week! We are so incredibly appreciative of the work you all do every day of the year. Thank you!
Respect and appreciation for all workers includes a fair contract now! Wear It Wednesdays continue tomorrow as we ask our members to wear your BTU contract buttons and BTU blue to show support for our contract demands and start conversations with colleagues and the larger community about what we are fighting for and why. Our students can’t afford to wait any longer for the proposals we are advocating for! You can also hear directly from our members in the new video we have put together. To learn more about our contract negotiations and what we’re fighting for, visit BTU.org/bargaining! Building reps – make sure to submit photos to photos@btu.org to be featured.
Next week, join the Our City, Our Schools coalition for a “Lessons Warned: State Takeovers” Town Hall. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has been threatening an anti-democratic, racist takeover of our schools by putting us in Receivership. Learn what this means and how we fight back next Tuesday, May 10, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP at tinyurl.com/OCOS51722.
What could happen under receivership? Look no further than the Dever and UP Holland schools – both under receivership for over eight years now. Receivership at these schools has led to higher staff turnover, less experienced staff, a dismantled dual language program, and a weakened ability to enforce portions of our contract. What our schools need are the proposals we have been advocating for and an accountable, elected school committee.
Our next membership meeting is Wednesday, May 11 at 4:30 p.m. It will be an in-person meeting with the option to view-only on Zoom. If you will be joining in-person, you do NOT need to register, though, as always, you should bring your BTU card for admittance. (We will have a problem-solving table for those who do not have their card, but you must bring a photo ID or BPS pay stub.) Registration link is forthcoming.
As we unite to recognize May Day and our solidarity with one another, BTU members also continue to speak out across the district in support of welcoming, anti-racist, and safe schools. Particularly in light of recent incidents at several schools, this work is all the more important because fighting for the schools our students deserve means combating racism, combating hateful speech and symbolism, and promoting equity. The BTU continues to denounce racism and remains committed to the furtherance of racial equity and inclusion focused work in our schools.
The search for a new superintendent continues, with the job posting now open. The Superintendent Search committee continues to meet weekly on Tuesday evenings and there are now five new language-specific forums scheduled as well.
May is both Haitian Heritage Month as well as Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! Check out this month’s Haitian Heritage Month events from our BTU Haitian Educators Committee and be on the look out for AAPI Heritage month events from APALA and AFT in next week’s bulletin!
Finally, we hope all who celebrated had a fulfilling Eid! Peace and blessings to all.
Reminder for Building Reps: If you have not done so already, please remember to submit your W-9 to Nichole Staude in order to receive the 2021-2022 BR stipend.