Thank you to BTU Field Rep Colleen Hart, the BTU Para Council, AFT-MA and everyone who helped to make the annual Paraprofessional Conference one of our very best this past weekend!
Respect for our paraprofessionals continues to be one of our priorities in the stalled contract negotiations — we know how important they are to successful inclusion programs and early education. Unfortunately, the School Department does not seem to share the same priorities of ensuring adequate staffing for all BPS students. We are calling on the School Department to step up as a true partner in ensuring students have access to the resources they need, including a nurse in every school, staffing for increased social emotional supports and a commitment to increased staffing for special education inclusion.
Please take 30 seconds to sign our petition for the schools and contract our #StudentsDeserve!
The BTU continues to fight for what is right, and we will be sharing our next steps and a new activist toolkit at tomorrow’s membership meeting. See the agenda, and don’t forget to request childcare if you need it. We hope you can join us!
We also continue to call for fair funding legislation on Beacon Hill. Please save the date:on May 16, we will join educators, students, parents, and allies from across Massachusetts at the State House to call for full funding for students throughout the Commonwealth!
Since our last issue, the BTU joined the Mass Teachers Association, AFT MA, the New England NAACP and others in calling on DESE to address the MCAS debacle, as educators and students from across the state have taken the courageous step of speaking out against a racially offensive question on the 10th-grade English Language Arts MCAS exam. Join our call to discard the test by sending a letter to state officials, and please plan to join the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting on April 23 at 8:30 AM.
Lastly, the search for a new BPS superintendent continues. The latest updates, including plans for upcoming public panels, will be shared at School Committee tomorrow evening.
Have a good week, and a restful and enjoyable April vacation!