Good evening, my name is Jessica Tang and I am president of the Boston Teachers Union.
I am joining you all here this evening to share several priorities:
First, is to share that this past week, our members overwhelmingly approved of our initial contract bargaining package. After an extensive internal and community engagement process including over 45 listening tours, close to 4000 completed surveys, three multilingual community forums with over 300 participants, and three dozen meetings to analyze the data through an equity lens, we are proud to be ready to present a package, which we will be publicly sharing soon, that reflects the priorities of our BPS community stakeholders to create the schools our students deserve. A few of the toplines of our package include safe, healthy, modern and green school facilities; sustainable and comprehensive social emotional learning and wellness; adequate staffing and supports for Special Ed and EL students; and recruitment and retention of educators of color and proposals to address housing for all homeless and housing insecure students in BPS. We look forward to beginning negotiations and have requested dates to begin in July.
Second, we have been engaging BTU educators in proposing ways in which the ESSER and federal funds can best be utilized to close opportunity gaps for our students. As the latest heat wave exposed, our buildings are in great need of modernization, including retrofits for HVAC and AC. There needs to be both a short-term and long-term plan to repair current buildings and build new schools that have adequate heating and cooling. ESSER funds must also be used to create a baseline for what all schools need to thrive. We need to collectively advocate that current Student Opportunity Act funds and other state funding opportunities prevent a fiscal cliff in a few years and enable us to sustain any gains made in the short term. We hope the School Committee and district will join us in this advocacy at the State House.
Third, the BTU believes timely and urgent reforms are needed to ensure a more equitable admissions process for Boston’s three exam schools. We have long advocated for changes to be made that would ensure more equitable access to quality schools for all underrepresented students and communities in Boston. Students should not have to “compete” for seats to feel or be made to feel unworthy. We hope that the amount of time, energy and resources given to the exam schools admissions will also be directed towards ensuring all of our high schools have the same access and opportunities so that such competition is not needed. In the interim, exam school admission policies and practices should be centered on values of equity and access — and proactive steps should be taken to unwind and eliminate practices that have increased inequity.
Lastly, we continue to be concerned about the lack of accountability for principals that are abusing autonomous school powers and the lack of support for governing boards. For example, at the Baldwin school, a new principal who has only been in person with staff for a few months before the pandemic hit, with no good explanation chose to non-renew almost half of the teachers at the school–veteran, proficient teachers, who the principal herself has described as excellent teachers. Over 100 parents have signed a petition to reinstate them, and while their positions have been posted since February, she has yet to rehire them. We believe one motivation is retaliation for speaking up and asking questions. This has a chilling effect not just at the Baldwin, but across the district. The superintendent can and should intervene, and the district needs to stop stifling and silencing efforts to address instability and a decline in climate and culture at this school and others.
To say this has been an incredibly challenging year for all is an understatement, but we greatly appreciate all of the students, educators, families and BPS staff who have persevered and worked with us as we continue to fight for safe, healthy and quality schools for all.
Thank you also to members of the School Committee, the Superintendent, newly elected Chair Robinson as well as Dr. Rivera and Alex Oliver Davila.