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Dates & Deadlines
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Teachers
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| Greetings! Good day and we hope your school year began well. Please remember that all members are invited to attend our Welcome Back Party on Thursday, 9/11, at the BTU, beginning after school. All new BTU members--teachers, paraprofessionals, and substitute teachers--are invited to a reception for new employees at the Blarney Stone in the Fields Corner section of Dorchester on Friday, 9/26, from 3 PM onward. The BTU membership began hosting this event four years ago, and it's a great time to meet new friends. Invitations will go out. A few things on your pay: Approximately 650 teachers applied for career awards that were to take effect on 9/5. Less than 100 did not get them. The rest will receive them shortly, most likely on the 2nd check. Here are the rules on teacher career awards . You are entitled to get your first career award at the beginning of the first year after you reach your maximum pay step. Additional, cumulative career awards then follow, after 14 years of Boston service, 19, 24, 29, 34, 39, and 44. All Career awards are (supposed to be) automatic. If they don't show up, send in a PSO-3 form to HR. How much is your career award cumulatively?  Pay Schedule for everyone:
We have gotten a few calls suggesting that the mileage reimbursement is gone, i.e., that some departments cannot afford to pay for mileage this year. This is not true. If you are assigned two or more schools in a given day, you are entitled to collect mileage . Many other people, too, are entitled. Please see the circular . If you have any questions, please call the union office. We have gotten other calls suggesting that being a cluster substitute teacher and being a provisional teacher are one and the same--this being said to some teachers who have been told they were cluster subs when they in fact MAY be entitled to receive a contract as provisional teachers. There is a huge difference between the two designations. Here are a few key differences: Both designations are entitled to group health insurance. That's where the parity in benefits and wages ends. Provisional teachers are entitled to a better level of coverage in the Health and Welfare Fund, a higher salary, better sick leave and benefits, and most importantly, years under a provisional contract count towards the attainment of professional status. Cluster sub years do not. If you are in a teaching (*) position, teaching a program that is 50% or more of a regular teacher's schedule, you are probably entitled to a provisional contract. The contract may be pro-rata, if you are, for example, teaching two classes out of a regular four. Someone in authority may tell you that you are only eligible to be a cluster substitute because "there's no money." Not true. If you are eligible, you are eligible, regardless of the department's tight financial circumstances. Let us help you determine your eligibility. Generally, if you are in one of a BTU professional position prior to 12/1 of a given year AND the position is expected to last for the duration of the school year, you are entitled to receive a provisional contract. Email or call (617-288-2000) Michael or Caren if you have any questions. Do not settle for less than you are supposed to get. (*) this includes other professional service, such as school nursing, PT/OT, psychologist, ETF, and so on. |
| BTU to Co-Sponsor Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk |
| This year the Boston Teachers Union is proud to be a flagship sponsor of the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. This year's walk is the morning of Sunday, October 5, 2008. The BTU encourages its teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, and their family and friends to come out for this very important event. All money raised goes directly toward breast cancer research. Boston's Making Strides is the nation's oldest and largest one-day walk. With your help, this year's walk will be a great success. Come to the first membership meeting on September 10, 2008 to pick up your walk papers, or log onto the American Cancer Society's website: www.cancer.org/stridesonline. When you go online, select Massachusetts, then the Boston Walk. Our team name is Boston Teachers Union. Please contact Michael Maguire if you have any questions or if you wish to join the organizing committee. |
| BTU Building Reps: Please Remember |
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| Individualized Benchmark Testing--Extra Time Allotted! |
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| Essential & Sanitary Supplies in SPED Classrooms |
We have a contractual agreement in place that requires the school department to provide essential supplies and equipment to SPED teachers in Early Childhood, MH, Autistic, DDC, and physically handicapped programs. We negotiated this language two years ago as an outgrowth of the master contract. The language is helpful. We negotiated the language because we were, frankly, tired of having our members purchase sanitary supplies for their classrooms. |
| Retirement Board Election. BTU Urges Vote for Michael McLaughlin |
| Ballots are out and have been delivered. Please fill yours out for Michael McLaughlin and Sean Kelly. The BTU has endorsed one of its own, Michael McLaughlin (Elem. Field Rep), for this position. Michael has also been endorsed by Edward Welch, Secretary-Treasurer of the BTU and Trustee of the Boston Retirement Board from 1997-2008. Ed is retiring after more than 40 years of service. Please look for the ballots in your mail. Sean Kelly is a Boston Firefighter who is committed to representing the interests of all public employees if elected to the BRB. This is a most important election, and the BTU has held one of the two labor seats on the Boston Retirement Board for a good while. We need to continue to hold onto these seats as the board makes many decisions that impact our retirement. Michael has been endorsed by the BTU membership. |
| Union Newspaper Co-Editorship Posting |
| The Boston Union Teacher has had two co-editors, Mary Glynn and Erik Berg, for the last few years. Erik Berg has relinquished the position. He had been on leave last year and during that time had been replaced by Garret Virchick. With Erik's leaving, we will be re-posting the job. Erik will be heading up our team that is planning for the opening of the BTU Pilot School in September 2009. Mary Glynn will continue as co-editor, and we thank Mary, Erik, and Garret for all of their work in the last few years in continuing our commitment to publishing an informative and creative union newspaper. By the way, we won yet another award from the AFT this past Summer as we continue our tradition of being an award-winning newspaper. Our paper, incidentally, is quite ambitious and accomplished, and we expect to keep it in that tradition. The co-editor position pays approximately $14,000 per year, and the co-editors are responsible for 11 monthly newspapers plus any special editions that are needed. The co-editor must be familiar with any and all activities related to the writing, reporting, production, technology, and lay-out of a print newspaper. The co-editor must also be familiar in general with union policies and procedures. The position is open to all union members. Please submit a brief resume, a letter of interest, and any relevant work to rstutman@btu.org by September 15. Interviews will be conducted thereafter. Thank you. |
| MTEL Workshops |
| The catalogue of upcoming preparation workshops for the fall MTELs is now available on MyBPS Central Admin (to) HR (to) Educator Licensure (to) MTEL Workshop Catalogue. The MTEL Handbook is also posted and provides helpful information about the MTELs including online resources for self preparation. All staff are welcome to participate in the MTEL support and workshops organized by the Human Resources. Workshops often fill quickly so please apply as soon as possible. Applications for workshops need to be made using the online link included in the catalogue. For more information concerning MTEL, please contact Nick Balasalle (nbalasalle@boston.k12.ma.us or 635-9036). |
| Office of Instructional and Information Technology (OIIT) Updates |
| Laptops for Learning (L4L) Reminders Please visit the L4L website for current news and tutorials regarding L4L Policies & Procedures, Hardware, and Software. As you start the new school year, we would especially like to remind you to review and follow the Laptop Security Guidelines to help ensure the security of your laptop. Please also be sure to connect your laptop to the BPS network for critical software updates. Updates need to run on both the Mac and Windows systems. In Windows, anti-virus and Windows updates need to run via the Windows toolbar in the bottom right-hand corner. Once completed, shutdown Windows and Parallels and run the Mac updates by clicking on "Software Update" under the Apple icon in the left-hand corner of the Mac toolbar. For instructions on shutting down Windows and Parallels correctly, visit the L4L website . L4L Fall Make Up Sessions The Office of Instructional and Information Technology (OIIT) announcement of Fall L4L Make-Up Orientation Sessions for eligible teachers is outlined below. Visit MyLearningPlan for details and to apply to ONE session. These sessions are first-come, first-serve. Walk-ins WILL NOT be accepted. Please note that applying for a session is not an automatic guaranteed acceptance. Deadline to apply is 1 week prior to the session starting. Eligibility will be confirmed and notification will be sent out electronically prior to the session. L4L Make Up Sessions on 9/10, 16, 18, 22, 24, 30; October 2. Participating in an L4L Orientation is required for every teacher who will be receiving a laptop. The Orientation sessions are 2 hours and participants are required to attend the entire session. L4L documentation, including a photo ID, is required to receive a laptop. Participants must come to the Orientation with the following:
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| Submission Policy of E Bulletin |
| We print (almost) anything of interest to the general membership. Please email any items to this address . All items are subject to editing for space. Please send in word format and try to keep submissions to 100 words or less. Thank you. This is your bulletin and we try to accommodate every submission except from for-profit companies and so on. Bulletins typically are sent out on Sunday evening/Monday AM. Deadline is Friday, give or take. |
| Bowling anyone? | |
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Looking for Candlepin Bowlers!
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Want to have some fun and a little exercise? The School Personnel Bowling League starts on Monday, September 8, 2008 at Boston Bowl on Morrissey Blvd. in Dorchester at 3:45 PM. There are cash prizes and a bowling banquet in May. Please plan to join us! All levels of bowlers are welcome. Contact Sandy at 781-340-6281 or Judy at 781-961-5450. |
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| Boston Children's Museum OPEN HOUSE, 9/20, 9-11 AM |
K-12, Early Childhood, After School, Home School Educators ALL Are Welcome!
Take back to your colleagues a poster about the 08-09 season of the Race, Culture, Identity and Achievement seminar series , of which the Museum is a co-sponsor (www.achievementseminars.com. (ED. Note: The BTU also co-sponsors the seminar series.) As always, educators are admitted FREE! Boston Children's Museum 300 Congress Street Boston MA 02210 |
| New Member Committee |
| Eileen Weir seeks volunteers for the new member committee. Her committee welcomes any new or veteran teacher or para who has an idea to help better welcome our new members. There will be a meeting at the BTU on 9/8 at 4. Or feel free to email Eileen. |
| Retirement Parties |
| Retirement Party for Carolyn Sullivan on 10/16, at the Common Market in Quincy. Social Hour from 4-5, Dinner at 5. Please send $50 to Ellie Dewire, c/o the Perkins School, 50 Burke St., SB, Mass. 02127 no later than 10/9/08. |
| Foundation Grant on Behalf of Deceased Blackstone Teacher Open to Boston Teachers |
| Jennifer Stowers was a first year teacher at the Blackstone School when she passed away in 2003. Her family and friends have established a foundation in her name and have raised money for a yearly scholarship. The purpose of this foundation is to promote and maintain the memory of Jennifer Lee Stowers and her personal vision of "saving the world, one child at a time." The foundation will provide funds, gifts, and/or donations to select inner-city educational institutions for the purpose of enhancing the educational experiences of children, supporting their learning environments, and supporting educational initiatives that directly benefit children. See the foundation's webpage for more information. One $4000 grant is awarded each year and is open to both classroom teachers and student teachers. Questions can be addressed here or to Ellen Stowers, P.O. Box 1784, Derry NH 03038. We can honor the memory of this wonderful teacher and support her family by applying for a grant from the foundation. Thank you to the family of Jennifer Stowers. |
| Bellevue, Washington Teachers Strike (With BTU Colors) Against 'Scripted Curriculum.' |
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| Bellevue Washington teachers have struck over pay and curriculum issues. "Bellevue, which is among the most highly regarded districts in the state, employs a curriculum that teachers complain does not allow for deviation. Dale Folkerts, a spokesman for the Washington Education Association, said there are "prescripted lesson plans" and classrooms are "micromanaged" down to the minute". See here for full story. |
Sincerely,
Richard Stutman
BTU President
rstutman@btu.org (work)
617-288-2000