We hope you all have had a nice week so far as we “jumped forward” this weekend and begin to enjoy later sunsets! We also hope everyone gets home safe, dry and warm this afternoon as the day wraps up.
We shared several important updates at our membership meeting last week, including a presentation about the state of our current headquarters building. If things go as planned, we will be moving to a temporary location around the start of summer next year while our new headquarters gets built. We also shared updates on our contract implementation, including both pay issues and inclusion work, as well as several upcoming events including the Family2Family Conference and upcoming Educators of Color Night (please see flyer above) as well.
From the Election Committee: Thank you to everyone for their diligence and cooperation throughout the nomination process! All confirmed candidates can be found here. There WILL be a primary election for the position of secretary-treasurer. All confirmed candidates for every position should have received an email last Thursday. If you go by a different name than is written in the official database, please fill out this link to state how you would like to be listed by March 16. TONIGHT at 5 p.m., there will be a drawing of candidate names to determine the order on the ballot. This will be on Zoom due to the weather – please email Michelle Frank to RSVP to receive a Zoom link. Also, please be sure to keep deadlines for newspaper statements in mind! As always, feel free to reach out to the committee at our next meeting (5 p.m., March 27 at the BTU) or at electioncommittee@btu.org any time.
The BPS Special Education Hotline is now up and running! The phone number is (617) 635-8133. This number is only for staff. Callers will remain anonymous unless they would like to identify themselves. This number should not be used for emergencies or concerns about student safety.
Recently, Governor Maura Healey released this year’s state budget. BTU applauds the full funding of the Student Opportunity Act, as well as other provisions like the special education circuit breaker provision, which will provide more resources to serve students with special needs in BPS and other public schools across the state. Budgets reflect our priorities, and it’s good to see elected officials at the highest levels supporting and investing in quality public education in the commonwealth.
Don’t forget! Please join the BPS Capital Planning team, Boston Public Facilities Department and the Mayor’s Office for an upcoming Green New Deal for BPS listening session to share your experiences with BPS with the design team. The sessions will be held on March 16 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. and March 21 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. These focus group sessions are separate from the school-based ones and are specific to hearing educator perspectives on physical space and building needs. Please register now!