Happy June, and happy first day of Pride Month! We hope you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend as we gear up for the last few weeks of school.
We’re very pleased to share that we had a successful action last Tuesday in the fight against receivership of Boston Public Schools. Elected officials, educators, parents, and students testified inside the BESE meeting – meanwhile, over 150 educators and community allies held a rally outside as we called for an end to threats of state takeover of the district. Please do thank elected leaders who continue to support our schools and ask that they also support our contract proposals as solutions!
While the commissioner did not recommend receivership during the meeting, the fight is far from over. This was only possible due to the advocacy of our communities who recognize that taking away local control is not the answer for Boston Public Schools, and we must continue our advocacy. BPS stakeholders all made their voices heard in an incredibly impactful way, and we hope that the Commissioner and board members will continue to hear our concerns and discontinue any threats to recommend receivership or top-down interventions. As we have continually affirmed, there are key areas for improvement and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to make progress and change on those areas in a manner that lifts up local voices rather than marginalizes them.
We heard several powerful testimonies from our allies, which we live-tweeted on Twitter, and you can watch the full hearing on BESE’s website. Coverage of the hearing was featured in the Boston Globe, WBUR, WCVB, NBC 10, CBS Boston, GBH News, CommonWealth Magazine, and the Boston Herald.
We will continue to advocate that receivership is NOT the answer for Boston Public Schools, and we will continue to fight for the resources and policies our students and educators do need through our contract campaign.
That is why we through the end of the school year, we are continuing with our Wear It Wednesdays visibility actions. Tomorrow, please wear your “Housing Justice sticker” (see your Building Rep for a sticker) and share why housing conditions impact learning conditions. Submit your pictures and quotes to photos@btu.org. You can see all of the photos we’ve already received in our Facebook album! To learn more about our contract negotiations, the different actions you can take to get involved (SAVE THE DATE: June 28!) and what we’re fighting for, visit BTU.org/bargaining!
At our bargaining session last Thursday, Mayor Wu’s Labor Liaison joined 100 BTU members at the table. We welcome the city’s help in getting our contract settled. Our members re-presented to the City Hall representative our priorities on libraries, inclusion & ESL services, equitable pay, housing justice, SEL supports, ABA groupings, facilities & more! See the full summary here. If you want to join our next session, take your seat at the table at tinyurl.com/BTUSilentRep.
Today and tomorrow, the Superintendent Search Committee will be conducting first round interviews with the candidates who have moved on to the next round. Finalist interviews will likely be next week, following by public interviews and then a recommendation by the end of the month. See the timeline and information about the search.
This week is Immigrant Pride Week of Action! Unafraid Educators and the Office of English Learners created a Choice Board of daily actions and events to show our immigrant and undocumented students they are welcome and celebrated in our schools. Please sign up for more information!
Lastly, we wanted to acknowledge the violence ripped through yet another school and community last week, as we mourn the loss of 19 students and 2 teachers in Texas. These horrific events have become all too familiar, as has the inaction of elected leaders who oppose common sense gun reforms. We stand in support of our fellow educators, parents and students in their grief, but it is an insult to those we have lost for our action to cease there.
Since 2017, the BTU has been an active member of The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. We will continue to fight for common-sense firearm legislation that protects our students and educators. Arming educators is NOT the answer. We will continue to fight for safety policies that do work as well as more counselors and other social-emotional support systems within our schools. At the BTU, we will continue to fight for safe and welcoming schools for all of our students. Please see our full statement.