Teachers union seeks health and safety, equity in new contract
The Boston Teachers Union is asking for a number of proposals centered on upto-date facilities and technology, health, safety and equity in schools as contract negotiations with the district are approaching.
“Now we have a chance to ensure public schools are ready for whatever comes next, and that the necessary resources are being provided to students and educators to create the schools our students deserve,” said BTU President Jessica Tang during a Thursday press conference.
Some of the 19 BTU contract proposals include more mental health supports, building updates, fullystaffed special education programs, increased supports for multilingual students, hiring a diverse staff, help for homeless students, student loan repayment assistance and smaller class sizes.
Tang said, “Our students deserve to return to schools that value their social emotional health and that prioritize diversity and inclusion in the classroom all within well-maintained, safe buildings.”
Several BPS teachers and parents spoke in support of the expansive contract at the press conference hosted at BTU headquarters.
Some other measures within the proposals include increased social emotional services, a three-month supply of cleaning supplies for classrooms, updated tech hardware every three years and air quality standards for all classrooms and HVAC systems for all new schools.
The technology could include smart TVs, projectors, speakers and wireless headphones.
The current iteration of the BTU contract expired on Aug. 31 and the upcoming contract negotiations following a tentative agreement on health and safety was reached on Sept. 9, shortly before school started.
“We have fought really hard to ensure the safety of making sure that our families and educators and students are safely back in school for in-person learning,” Tang said.
Once finalized, the new contract will cover over 8,000 active teachers and other professionals who work in the Boston Public School system, including school nurses, psychologists, guidance counselors and paraprofessionals.