Published On: October 1, 2024

NEW-BTU Special Election Information

Ballots in the special election for Vice President were mailed out later than anticipated. This delay was caused by technical problems with the mailing house. As a result the deadline for receiving ballots has been extended to October 18th, at 4pm. The results of the election will be announced the evening of the 18th. Please mail back your ballot as soon as it is received. If you do not receive a mail-in ballot or need a replacement ballot, call the vendor hotline at (203)-403-8401. In person voting will be held at the BTU on October 16th from 8am to 6pm. Every member will need to show a photo ID to vote in person. You may email Michelle Frank (mfrank@btu.org) on the 16th to find out if your ballot was received. If for some reason your ballot has not been delivered please come vote in person!

Go to the BTU website under the elections tab to hear candidates Lea-Antionette Serena and Paul Christian introduce themselves. REMINDER THAT NEW MEMBERS WILL NOT RECEIVE A MAIL-IN BALLOT AND MUST VOTE IN PERSON.

Faculty Senates and other school based committees do not endorse in BTU elections.

Here are some Dos and Don’ts for members for all BTU internal elections:
You may contact ombudsmen Danielle Fraine with questions or concerns at electioncommittee@btu.org. Members are welcome to attend and ask questions at the start of election committee meetings. Next meeting is October 28 at 5 pm at the BTU. Contact mfrank@btu with any questions about your membership status.

 

 

Dear Member,

Over the past week, we have once again proven to the district, the public and to ourselves that we have the power and capacity to achieve great things when we work together. Just within the past seven days BTU members have: delivered thousands of hand-written postcards to the Mayor calling for a fair contract and a better BPS for our students, read a sample of those first-hand postcard accounts in public testimony to the school committee (starts around the 1:15:00 mark), distributed more than 40,000 books to the community at our Back to School Book Fair, and participated in national walk-ins on Monday to demand more federal public education funding and a FAIR CONTRACT.

This is the type of energy and engagement we want to bring to our next contract bargaining session with the district which is this Thursday, Oct. 3rd from 5 to 8 pm at the BTU Hall. Everyone should be participating in Throwdown Thursday that day by wearing your union shirt and pin and also register to let us know if you’ll be attending contract negotiations. There is also a possibility that an additional negotiating session focused on inclusion will be scheduled for Tuesday, October 8 at 5 pm.

We will continue to work together on our contract organizing strategy at our Fall Leadership Conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire scheduled for Oct. 18-20th. The deadline to register for the conference is THIS FRIDAY! The conference is free to all BTU members as long as you share a room with a colleague. We will be holding workshops on union rights, organizing tactics, grievances, self-care and much more. The BTU will also be supporting the Harris/Walz campaign while in New Hampshire. You can find a tentative schedule here and don’t forget to register!
If you can’t wait until Fall Conference to get involved in the fight for democracy, then join us and Senator Elizabeth Warren this Sunday, Oct. 6th at the BTU Hall from 3 to 5:30 pm for a rally and an afternoon of phone banking.

Rest assured, our actions are making an impact and the district and the media are taking notice. BTU Negotiating team members carried thousands of hand-written postcards into the Mayor’s office and secured a sit-down meeting to discuss the state of our contract negotiations last Tuesday. But the Mayor isn’t the only person who needs to see the passion and dedication of our educators. Each day, the BTU will post excerpts from these messages on our social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, X) so that the voices of our members will continue to be heard. It is important for our members to reshare our organizing actions on their own accounts to spread our message wide and far. The more people who are paying attention, the more pressure the district feels to work collaboratively to reach a contract agreement.
As you may have seen in the news yesterday, 15 schools across the city participated in a national day of walk-ins to highlight that Sept. 30th was the deadline for federal covid relief funding for public education to be spent. The disappearance of ESSER funds has led to the elimination of many positions
across the district and we are fighting to restore some of those crucial resources for our students and educators with our contract. At a time when public education is actively under attack, it is once again the educators who are on the frontlines fighting for our students. We have a full rundown of news coverage at the bottom of this eBulletin.

But our local elected officials need to do their part as well. We thank the Boston City Council for voting in favor of a COLA increase for retired city employees, including our own RTC members, just a week after the city rejected a modest increase in pension payments. It is deeply disappointing that City Hall could not provide a small measure of support to our retirees during difficult financial times.
Considering the level of vitriol and racist rhetoric that has been aggressively circulated in this presidential campaign, we’d like to share a submission from school librarian Jane Ichord at the Frederick Pilot Middle School: “[In our] Library — and in our hallways — we are currently highlighting books that feature Haitian-American representation or are by Haitian authors.
Librarians across our district curate book collections that reflect our students’ backgrounds. Sharing these books gives us the chance to show students the world and opens up an opportunity to reshape the narrative.”

The BTU stands with our Haitian-American students, their families, and our Haitian-American members in a moment when some are attacking their culture and seeking to make them feel unwelcome. We encourage members to contact bpierre74@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the BTU Haitian Educators Committee.

Providing students access to literature that sparks joy, contemplation and a sense of affirmation is one of the most powerful impacts we can have as educators. The BTU is deeply thankful to our Parent and Community Liaison Brenda Chaney and Organizer Jonathan Rodrigues and the approximately 80 volunteers who put together our 11th Annual Back to School Book Fair this past Saturday. We were able to distribute a record amount of books to educators, students and BPS families and enjoyed seeing so many smiling faces running through our Union Hall.

Finally, we commend the Guild Elementary, the Dante Alighieri, and Fenway High for being named among the “2024 Schools of Recognition” by DESE for consistently achieving progress on student outcomes. We also celebrate the O’Donnell Elementary School for receiving a golden basketball from the Celtics as part of their recognition from the state for having one of the largest drops in chronic absenteeism. Thank you for all that you do!

 

BTU Events and Announcements
ABA Strand Class Size Meeting: Oct. 1, Virtual

The BTU will be hosting a virtual meeting on Tuesday, October 1 at 7 PM for all BTU educators who work in ABA Strand classrooms, who are affected by the district’s decision to raise the class size to 11.  Please register here and you will be added to the calendar invite.

Nurse Faculty Senate Meeting Wednesday October 2, 5-6:30 via Zoom

Monthly Nurse Faculty Senate meetings are open to all nurses and healthcare paraprofessionals and are held virtually on the first Wednesday of every month. If you want to attend and have not received an invite please contact Rina Ambrose rina.ambrose@gmail.com or Natalia Cuadra-Saez ncuadrasaez@btu.org to be added to the nurses contact list. Join Zoom Meeting

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer: Join the BTU Walkers on Oct. 5th 
Join a group of your BTU union siblings at the annual Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston from 8am to 10am to contribute to the fight to eradicate breast cancer. Click here to join our team and donate!

NEW-AFT MA Fall Conference: Oct. 5th

Join your union siblings from across the state for a day of power building, organizing, workshops and contract information sessions. The conference is scheduled for the Nashoba Valley Technical School, 100 Littleton Rd, Westford. Register here!

Boston for Harris Phone Bank featuring Sen. Warren: Oct. 6, 3 to 5:30pm 
The BTU will be hosting a Phone Bank in support of the Harris/Walz presidential ticket at the BTU Hall. Senator Elizabeth Warren will be addressing volunteers and hitting the phones to get out the vote! Please register ahead of time.

Newly Hired Para/Sub/ABA reception: October 7,2024 at 5pm

Please join us for light refreshment and get to know your benefits learn more about BTU. Learn more about this reception here.

Harvard Conant Fellowship Information Session: October 9th, 7-8 PM

This virtual event will provide an overview of degree programs and unique funding opportunities available to BTU members. Hear from Admissions and Financial Aid officers, as well as past recipients of the James Bryant Conant Fellowship, a competitive full-tuition award to support the professional growth of outstanding educators in BPS. Register Here.

Para 101 PD for newly hired paraprofessionals: Multiple session in October, November and December.

Para 101 is about building a community of paras who are knowledgeable about their rights and are aware of the support and strategies that they can use to build stronger relationships with students and teachers in the classroom. Please see this flyer for all of the dates and details.

Paraprofessional Informational Meeting and Resources Fair: October 10th 
Come join us at the BTU Hall on October 10th at 5pm for important information and great resource materials from colleges, MTEL support and more. Register here!

BTU Fall Conference: October 18th to 20th; REGISTRATION DEADLINE TODAY

Join us for the 2024 Annual BTU Fall Leadership Conference from October 18-20 at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel (250 Market St, Portsmouth, NH 03801). The program will include plenary sessions, skill-building workshops, meals, and social events to build up our power and unity as BTU member leaders. The registration deadline is October 4th.
BTU Retirement Planning Seminar: October 25, 2024, 4:30-6:30pm

“When will I be able to Retire?” Find out by attending the BTU Retirement Planning Seminar on Friday, October 25, 2024. Trustees from the City of Boston Retirement Board and from Health Insurance and Social Security will also be in attendance. Register Here!

October Unafraid Educators Meeting: Monday, 10/28, 4:30-6PM 
Please join us at Fenway High on October 28th at 4:30 for our next Unafraid Educators Meeting! We are the BTU’s Immigrant Rights Organizing Committee, and work to support our students and families. We’ll have pizza, salads, and snacks for everyone.

 

Community News & Events

Urban League: Girls Empowerment Program Oct. 26th

The Urban League is co-sponsoring an event with the Northeastern University School of Law. It’s a great opportunity for middle school girls to get introduced to the practice of law and meet women attorneys of color. Please share this flyer and the registration link here: Determined to Rise Academy – Ms. JD (msjdorg.lpages.co)

Ranked Choice Voting Hearing: Oct. 10 
The Boston City Council hearing on Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is officially scheduled for October 10 at 10 AM. This hearing is pivotal to making Boston’s elections more inclusive, equitable, and representative. Register here

Right to Read Rally: October 19th, 10-11:30am

The rally for the ‘Right to Read’, protesting attempted book bans from across the country, on the plaza facing Copley Square in front of the BPL Central Library’s McKim Building. There will be a slate of speakers including from ACLU Massachusetts and BPL PSA union; a silent read-in, library card drive, voter registration and other activities.

Retirement Party for Sheila Jefferson: November 1st

Sheila Jefferson is retiring from Boston Public Schools after 33 years of service! Please come celebrate with her on November 1, 2024 from 7pm- 12 midnight at Canton Town Club, 300 Bailey Street in Canton. Cost of attendance is $65 and can be sent to Venmo: @TJ-Adams-4, Zelle: 6179634879, Cashapp: $Tadams70. Any questions, contact: Sheila 617-365-4907

 

 

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