SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Check out our new site:  North Shore Educators

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Good evening, BTA members:

As we’re sure many of you know, given the nearly 400 members who attended as silent representatives, this afternoon the BTA attended a rally for a fair contract organized by families and had our 11th bargaining session with the School Committee.  

If you could not attend the parent rally, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our Beverly parents and families! They spoke so eloquently about the issues facing our schools. Families are clearly talking to all of you and trying to find ways to help create the schools students and staff deserve. 

After the rally, hundreds of BTA members walked into bargaining, where the Union gave a financial presentation to the School Committee. Please take a chance to look at it. Beverly has the resources to fund our contract, and we must demand that the School Committee and City fully fund our schools.

It’s evident that we, as a Union, need to come together and determine our next steps. Our dedicated membership engagement team will contact you soon. In the meantime, we ask you to hold September 30 for a potential collective action. More details will follow. 

As always, please visit the BTA Bargaining HQ to stay updated on all proposals. Our next session is October 3, 2024. 

In solidarity, 

BTA Bargaining Team  

JOIN US ON AUGUST 22 @6:30 pm:


RSVP through our new North Shore Educators website, which is cool anyway so check it out! (Click the button at the top of the page, which will take you to a Facebook signup option for August 22.)

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MORE LATE AUGUST BTA DATES
(Just mark your calendar now and then go back to summer; there’s plenty of it left!)

Tuesday, August 27, 9 a.m., BHS Auditorium:  Bargaining, Units A and C
We’re looking to fill the room with BTA members who want to see us make real progress in our contract negotiations.  Stay tuned for more info about topics and session length.   Sign up at the BTA bargaining HQ.
            
Wednesday, August 28, 7:25 a.m., BHS Auditorium:  BTA Annual Meeting.  Join us to learn more about our plans to win transformative contracts for Beverly’s hardworking educators.  Please plan to join us that morning, before all of the other speeches. 

Good evening BTA Members,
 
Earlier today, we had our ninth bargaining session with management: the fifth for Unit A and the fourth for Unit C.  As seems to be the pattern set by management, we were unable to make any meaningful progress during this five-hour session. The School Committee continued to seem unprepared to engage in productive discussion of any topics other than salary.  They were twenty minutes late in arriving to the table in the morning and then asked to extend the time of each of our three caucus sessions, leaving us waiting around for them for a significant amount of time.
 
We spent the bulk of our face-to-face time discussing Unit A.  Management gave us a couple of documents, including a new wage proposal that included new columns and a longer school day at all levels.  This particular proposal caught us off guard because the School Committee had not previously raised a concern about the length of the school day in Beverly.
 
For Unit C, we came close to agreement about restructuring the sick leave bank.  Management made a new longevity proposal, starting with a whopping additional $250 after 10 years of service as a paraprofessional.  They also proposed deferring fine-tuning of our para-to-teacher pipeline proposal to yet another committee; this wouldn’t get us any closer than we were when we discussed the same Unit C topic three years ago.   The School Committee also asked that we reconsider our rejection of their earlier wage proposal.  It continues to be our position that ALL Beverly employees should be paid a living wage.
 
Our next session will begin at 9 a.m. on August 27, the day before we return to school.  You can read all bargaining proposals and documents on our BTA Bargaining HQ.   If you haven’t done so already, please use the same link to sign up to attend this day-long session.  We need to continue to show management that we’re united in our demands for better working conditions in Beverly.
 
This summer, please visit the BTA Facebook page regularly to like AND share our posts.  It’s important that we get the word out to the community about our positions on these bargaining issues, so share our posts widely. 
 
Have a restful and restorative summer break!
 
In solidarity,
 
The BTA Bargaining Team

BARGAINING UPDATE 4/5/24:

Good morning, BTA members:

Despite the terrible weather, last night’s bargaining session was attended by a full crowd of silent representatives (picture below).

Before the bargaining session, management sent us a list of bargaining agenda items for us to prepare for negotiations. We had received information ahead of time and did our best to review a nearly 500-page attendance record to respond to management’s earlier, draconian proposal.  Despite Superintendent Sue Charochak’s statements that the district is suffering from “chronic teacher absenteeism,” the actual data we reviewed from Ayers showed that many teachers aren’t even taking both of their contractual personal days!  However, despite our preparation and understanding of the bargaining agenda, the School Committee instead presented an “off the record” proposal to end contract negotiations. As always you can read all proposals on our Bargaining HQ. 

This proposal from management:

–REJECTS our parental leave proposal; 
–REJECTS our concerns on special education and dysregulated students; 
–REJECTS our concerns on class size; 
–REJECTS our proposal on preparation time; 
–REJECTS our proposal on elementary lunch and recess; 
–REJECTS our concerns about the facilities; and 
–Many other proposals. 

The bargaining dynamic escalated as the School Committee’s team gaslit the Union and the silent representatives by simultaneously saying they wanted to work together to solve problems.   Our next bargaining session will be on Thursday, April 25.  Sign up here to attend as a silent representative. 

One thing is clear: we need to continue to act in solidarity and unite on our proposals. We’re already getting media coverage on next week’s “walk-ins.” Please pledge to join your colleagues next Wednesday morning and wear your red!

An injury to one is an injury to all. We can win a transformative contract. We will continue to fight for the schools our students and staff deserve until we win. 

In unity, 

BTA Bargaining Team

March 12, 2024

Good morning, union colleagues:

Last night, we had our third negotiation meeting with the Beverly School Committee. We had another great showing of silent representatives from across the district, and dozens of members came for the first time. Management gave their initial responses and proposals to the Unit C contract. You can always review all proposals and documents via the BTA Bargaining HQ.

While management’s responses and proposals largely mirrored those of Unit A (absence meetings with management, some low-hanging tentative agreements, and many rejections), some of the innuendos were most frustrating. Specifically, School Committee Chair Rachael Abell foreshadowed management’s response to our concerns about paraprofessional pay by signaling that “people in industry” work much more than those caring adults in our schools. 

As we are sure you can imagine, we find this response insulting. 

Do students go to school full-time? Do teachers work full-time? So do our invaluable paraprofessionals. And we don’t think that “people in industry” are regularly kicked or sworn at by their clients.  During this contract campaign, we will continue to fight to ensure paraprofessionals earn a living wage (and teachers a professional salary). 

Please visit our linktr.ee (https://linktr.ee/beverlyunited) or Bargaining HQ (QR codes in breakrooms) to join as a silent representative for the next session on April 4. 

In solidarity, 

BTA Bargaining Team

Good morning, union colleagues:

We had our second bargaining session with management last evening. We had almost 70 silent representatives from all across the district! It’s imperative that members show up and hear the bargaining session for themselves, as this update will largely not do it justice. Please visit the Bargaining HQ to review the documents and sign up as a silent rep in a future session. 

Here’s the good: 

• Management was agreeable to some of our minor proposals, like housekeeping items and voluntary deductions for members wanting to donate to the BTA scholarship fund. 
•  They made a counterproposal regarding employees who have specialized degrees. We don’t have an agreement yet, but we appreciate their recognition of this problem. 

Here’s the medium: 

• Management said members who do interpretation duties or help with language barriers with families are eligible for pay via the curriculum rate. This was a complete surprise to us! So, we encourage members not to do multi-language work without asking for and receiving this extra pay.

Here’s the bad:

• Management either rejected or did not respond to our most important items. 
• Management proposed a bizarre attendance “check-in” for members with more than seven non-FMLA-approved days off (personal, sick, family illness, etc.) by January 1st. Apparently, meeting with the Superintendent is an opportunity for them to provide 
• “self-care” feedback to the “student dysregulation dynamic” in our schools.

Again, please review the documents for yourself in our “Bargaining HQ” (QR code on poster in your staff lounge). Our next session is on Monday, March 11, at 4 pm in McKeown. It will be a Unit C agenda, but we encourage all members to sign up because many proposals between the units are aligned and overlap. 

In solidarity, 

BTA Bargaining Team

BTA ANNUAL MEETING: JOIN US!!
MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 7:30 A.M., BHS AUDITORIUM

The BTA Bylaws (located here and under which our union operates) stipulate that we hold at least one regular membership meeting each year, and that we notify members of the meeting at least a week ahead of time.  For decades, the BTA has held that meeting on the morning of the first day of school.

THIS YEAR’S MEETING WILL BE DIFFERENT, so even if you’ve never attended in the past, please plan to join us this time.

At this year’s meeting, we will launch our campaign to bargain for our next contracts, which expire next summer.  Bargaining is going to look different this time: it’s going to be much more open and inclusive because that’s how we’ll achieve significant changes to our contracts. 

We’ll explain more during the meeting, which will be the best meeting you’ll attend all day.

Right now, all you need to know is:  set that alarm, and plan to arrive at BHS by 7:15 so you can grab some breakfast before heading into the auditorium to learn more about how YOU can help us to achieve our best contracts ever. 

We’ll plan to be done at 7:55 or earlier in case you want to eat a bit more before the official start of the school day.

Want to help even more?  Urge your friends (BTA members only, of course!) to join us as well.

Stay tuned for more back-to-school news later this week.

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MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS ONGOING: PLEASE HELP!
Many thanks to those people who have signed up for union membership in the past month.  You now receive this newsletter, which is exclusively available to current members, past members who no longer work in Beverly, and a few other select like-minded folks.  

We’re still in the process of trying to sign up quite a few more newly hired staff for union membership. 

So: we could still use your help.  If you find yourself working with or eating lunch next to a new staff member, ask them if they’ve joined the union yet.  Tell them how much the union has done for us and how important it is that we all pull together. Here’s a short video from the U.S. Department of Labor (now run by Marty Walsh) about why unions are important. Here’s another list of good reasons to belong to the MTA.  Print it out and put it up on your workroom bulletin board (we have the right to do this, per our contracts). 

If someone expresses interest in joining, seize the day!  Bring them straight to your building rep. Better yet, hand them a join form, and help them fill it out.  Union dues ($908 and $374 per year for teachers and paraprofessionals, respectively) would be prorated for this membership year. In other words, if a person joins now, no back dues will be assessed. 

Another note:  If it turns out we’re compelled to take action (such as a stand out–reminder that a strike is a very last resort) because of seriously stalled contract negotiations, it’s hard to persuade members to go to bat for a pretty significant group of paraprofessionals (as well as some teachers) who aren’t union members. We get it:  it’s hard for all of us to make ends meet right now, but in my opinion we should treat union dues like insurance:  it’s a necessary expense.  So please, please help our union out with this effort!

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MTA CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK (CAN) TAKES ACTION TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

The MTA Climate Action Network is looking to expand its membership and influence.  They are focused on these four main areas:

“> Using our position in the labor movement to work in coalition with other unions to push for climate justice
> Bargaining for climate justice during contract negotiations
> Making sure climate change and climate justice are taught and learned at all levels
> Being first-tier allies to the powerful youth climate movement”

The Network is asking each local union to identify one point of contact–that’s one member of the Beverly Teachers Association who will work to encourage Beverly educators–administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals–to take action against climate change and for climate justice.  Read more about the group’s work here, and if you’re interested in representing the BTA in this important network, please reply to this email

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BTA OFFICER ELECTIONS

As many people know, the Vice President and Secretary of the BTA Governing Board are retiring this year, as is the teacher building representative for Ayers. We do have a person interested in running for Secretary, which is a big relief. 

But we’re still looking for the right person to step up as Vice President, and for someone to represent Ayers teachers next year. 

The BTA Nominating Committee (which is essentially the Governing Board, minus anyone running for reelection) will be issuing its list of nominees sometime in the next month or two, since our Bylaws state that Officer Elections must take place no later than May 15.  You’ll find descriptions of the duties of the officers and building representatives, as well as the rules for holding elections, in the Bylaws.

Speak to your building representative, or reply to this email, if you’re interested in stepping up, or if you’d like to nominate someone else for one of these positions. 

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MTA LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES:  WRITE YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS!

Now that the Fair Share Amendment (aka the Millionaires’ Tax) has gone into effect, the MTA has shifted its focus to trying to influence how that new money will be spent.  Priorities include

–a bill to end the high-stakes component of the MCAS system (Did you know that Massachusetts is now one of only eight states in the country still requiring students to pass a state-wide test to graduate?  And that studies have shown: this graduation requirement has no effect on young people’s future college and career success?)

–another bill that would gradually increase the amount of retired teachers’ MTRS income to which an annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) would apply (did you know that the COLA currently applies only to the first $13,000 of a teacher’s retirement income?  That is SO (mid) twentieth century.)

–a bill to ensure a fair share of Millionaires’ tax money goes to education (including higher ed, which has also been given budgetary short shrift for years), and another one to make teacher strikes legal in Massachusetts. 

Read more about the MTA’s legislative priorities here, and consider writing to your state legislators if you support those priorities.

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UNION SKILLS WORKSHOP FEBRUARY 4:

Stephanie Andrews (BHS), Allyson Farrell (BHS), and I braved the bitter cold to trek into Boston last Saturday, where we attended workshops on topics ranging from “Family and Medical Leave” to “Writing Surveys” to “Demystifying Municipal/School Finance” to “The Economics of Bargaining.”  We all came away with new knowledge and skills.

Most exciting to me were some new online financial analysis tools put together by MTA organizing staff.  One tool allows us to analyze the finances of our community and compare it with similar/neighboring districts.  This will help us to answer the question we always ask:  does the City really have no money, as they claim?

Another tool allows us to compare our salaries with those of neighboring/comparable districts, and yet another allows us to analyze the effects of inflation on our income. 

These are all amazing! The last time we bargained, for example, it took our entire teams hours and hours to comb the Internet for other districts’ salary information.  Now we’ll be able to do that with a few clicks.  Coming soon:  a tool that will allow us to compare/analyze the value of benefits such as health insurance.  Did I say these are amazing?  Kudos to the MTA folks for putting these together, and wow:  isn’t the Internet something?

Many thanks to Stephanie and Allyson for giving up their Saturdays to join me in Boston, when we would much rather have been snuggled in at home.  It turned out to be a great day.

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PARAPROFESSIONALS:  ATTEND THE ANNUAL MTA ESP CONFERENCE MARCH 31 – APRIL 1

Unit C members:Want a weekend away, on us?  The BTA has budgeted some money to cover the expenses of two people to attend the MTA’s ESP (Education Support Personnel) Conference on March 31-April 1.     Every year, our members who have attended report that the conference is valuable and invigorating.  Furthermore, we hear that the hotel is pretty nice and the food is more than decent! 
Interested?  First come, first served, so if you’d like to attend, reply to this email ASAP. Of course this offer is for dues-paying members only.

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MUTUAL CONCERNS

Dianne Moffett and I met with Drs. Charochak and Flaherty on January 17. Here are the highlights:

Teacher Evaluation: “Student feedback:”  DESE regulations require that districts ask for student feedback on their teachers, but the form that feedback takes is up to each district.  This requires more discussion, but right now we’ll focus on developing language that will acknowledge the regulation but doesn’t have a negative effect on teachers’ ratings. 

Elementary Report Cards:  We asked about the possibility of creating a drop-down menu (or a coded list, as we have at the High School for quarterly grades) for second and third trimester report card comments.  Dr. Flaherty said she’d ask the elementary principals how they felt about the idea.  Dr. Charochak was not enthusiastic because she likes the “personalized approach” of individually written comments.  Nevertheless, we’ll follow up at our next meeting.

We also talked about a few individuals’ issues. 

If there’s an issue you’d like us to bring up at our next meeting on March 2, please reply to this email.

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TOKNOWTODAY:

Taxes:
You should have received your W-2 from the Beverly Public Schools by now:  mine arrived a couple weeks ago.

Your union dues may be tax deductible; consult your tax professional.

Union dues paid in 2022 by full-time Units A and B members:  $907
(COTAs, PTAs, part-timers, etc:  your total is lower; check your last December pay stub)

Union dues paid in 2022 by full-time Unit C members: $374

Approved Courses:
The district has finally posted a list of graduate courses approved for salary advancement for Unit A members in the past year or so: it’s linked at the bottom of the page linked here.

Reminder: this list does not mean that anything on here would be approved for everyone else.  We still have to go through the approval process by explaining how a course would benefit our own practice.

Name Change?
 Within the next few years, the MTA will change its name to be more inclusive of ALL educators, the result of a vote at last year’s Annual Meeting of members.  MEU (Massachusetts Educators Union)? MUE (Massachusetts Union of Educators)?  The Committee is working very carefully on this, including conducting historical research (yay!).  This name change wouldn’t happen without a vote of the membership, presumably at an Annual Meeting (late April this year, in Springfield; see below). 
Should the BTA change its name as well?  It’s worth thinking about.

MTA Health and Safety Summit, Worcester, March 4:

In addition to focusing on temperature and air quality issues in schools, the MTA’s new Health and Safety Organizer is also tasked with addressing the issue of student violence.  I’m unable to attend this event due to a prior commitment; it would be great if we could send some people from Beverly.  Read more, and register here; and if you decide to go, reply to this email so I know we’re covered?

Are you a new educator?  Feed two birds with one biscuit by attending MTA’s Early Career Educators’ Conference, also in Worcester on March 4:

“MTA’s Early Career Educators Conference, designed for preK-12 teachers, paraprofessionals and higher education members in their first five years of practice, presents early career and aspiring educators with the perfect opportunity to meet with colleagues and learn how to strengthen their skills.”

Read more, and register here.

MTA Annual Meeting:  April 28 -29, Springfield
If you’ve never been to this, it’s a great way to watch the democratic process in action, as well as to get a real feeling for the awesome power of unions.  The BTA has budgeted some money to cover the cost of the hotel and meals for our delegates.  More info coming in the March newsletter, but if you’re interested you might want to mark your calendar now and let me know by replying to this email.

BTA ANNUAL MEETING: 
MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 7:30 A.M., BHS AUDITORIUM

The BTA Bylaws (located here and under which our union operates) stipulate that we hold at least one regular membership meeting each year, and that we notify members of the meeting at least a week ahead of time.  For decades, the BTA has held that meeting on the morning of the first day of school, so

The Annual Meeting of the Beverly Teachers Association will take place at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, August 29 in the Beverly High School auditorium.

This will be a short but important meeting:  I’ll review our recent activities and preview what we’ll be working on this year, and we’ll plan to be done in time to grab breakfast before the 8 a.m. program begins. .

Attending this meeting is one easy way to stay involved with and informed about our union!  Plus, getting to BHS early will give you a better chance of snagging a parking place :-).

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IMPORTANT DATES: REMINDER

Monday, August 29:
(Duh) First day for staff AND BTA annual meeting (7:30; see above)

Thursday, September 1:
First paychecks of 2022-2023 school year for teachers and paraprofessionals.
We should all see our COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) in this check.

Teachers and paraprofessionals advancing a step (for an additional year of service) should see their increases in this check.

Teachers’ salary scale is located on page 39 of the Unit A Contract.
Paraprofessionals’ pay scale is located on page 12 of the Unit C Contract.

The payroll department is working hard to finish calculations of our available sick leave and personal days; they hope to include accurate numbers in our first check.  It’s a bit trickier this year, because unused personal days now get rolled over into sick time (unless you were eligible for a payment; see below).  If the numbers in your first check don’t seem to have been updated, consider waiting until the next check (September 15) before contacting Sue Manzo. 

Teachers:  September 1 is also the deadline to submit graduate credits earned during the 21-22 school year, especially if you plan to advance on the salary scale in the 22-23 school year.

Tuesday, September 6:  Yes, you read the calendar correctly:  that is indeed a day off for everyone!  The City of Beverly still wants schools closed on primary day, but our 2021-2024 contract stipulates that we work 184 days: four days more than the students’ 180.  The two days at the beginning of the year, the November election day PD day, and the December PD day will be those four days, so that means:  work four days, get paid, have five days off, then work three days–a very soft landing. 

September 29:  This should be the check in which teachers advancing on the salary scale (due to earning graduate credits) see their increases.  The payroll department receives those numbers from Personnel (that’s Erin Brown and Annie Davidson); checking credits can be time-consuming so again, if you’re eligible, please be patient if you don’t see the increase in this check.  These increases will be retroactive to the beginning of the year.

Teachers who qualified for a payment of up to $500 for perfect or near-perfect attendance last year should see that payment in this check.  See pages 17-18 of the Unit A contract.

This is also the first paycheck from which we’ll see union dues deducted.  Union dues will increase this year by $2 for the year for full-time teacher members.  Stay tuned for more on union dues and paychecks in the next newsletter.

Here’s the School Year Calendar for 2022-2023.

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TUITION REIMBURSEMENT:

We have a new procedure for tuition reimbursement which we hope will make the process more clear and equitable.  Tuition reimbursement payments will now be issued once a year, in June.  This applies to courses taken in the summer of 2022.  But if you took a course this summer and are looking for reimbursement, don’t wait to submit your receipts–you can still do that any time. 

Here’s a link to the agreement; this language replaces the tuition reimbursement language in our current contract.  The agreement is posted on the BTA website, under “Contracts.” 

One reason this can be confusing is that our contract cites the district’s fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)  for tuition reimbursement, but the school year (September 1 – August 31)  for earning graduate credits for salary advancement.

Bottom line: submit receipts for reimbursable tuition expenses as soon as you have them, but no later than the third Monday in May.  Then look for your reimbursement in a June pay check. I’ll be sending out reminders about this. 

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SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE: MEMBERS AND CHAIRPERSON NEEDED

This committee was created last year under a new provision of the 2021 – 2024 contract.  It’s an effort to keep lines of communication open between special education staff and administration.

The committee, which meets once per quarter, needs new members and a new chairperson.  If you are interested in serving on the special education committee, for which you will be paid at the curriculum rate ($35/hr), please reply to this email.

This also from Grace Scherer, former chairperson of the committee:  middle school special education staff will be told that they MUST include a  weekly testing block in their schedules this year to ensure that at least some time is allocated for this time-consuming aspect of their jobs.

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PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS FORMS

If you already know what this means, send your form directly to Susan Manzo in the payroll department–she’s the person who has to sign it.

If you want to know more about this program, especially the October 31 deadline for submitting your form, go to the federal government’s student loan website.

I also heard a student loan expert on a podcast the other day talking about this. Her organization’s website, “Free Student Loan Advice,” sounds as if it also has useful information.

The National Education Association also offers advice on student loans which might be worth checking out.

I’ll repeat this item in the next newsletter since some of our new hires might also be interested in it, and they aren’t yet subscribed to this newsletter. 

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INTO PILATES?  WANT TO TRY IT?
NEW STUDIO OFFERS SPECIAL RATE FOR TEACHERS

A BPS alum and parent sent this along:

“Gold Coast Pilates Therapy is a new boutique studio conveniently located inside the Beverly Athletic Club. Owned by a physical therapist who is a Beverly Public alum and parent, GCPT would love to thank the faculty and staff for all that you do with a special rate on semi-private group reformer training!

These classes are limited to 5 people in order to offer individual attention to your posture, strength, and mobility while alleviating stress, eliminating pain, and optimizing function. Visit www.goldcoastpilatestherapy.com and enter code PANTHERS20 to take an extra $20 off any 5 or 10 class package!”

I also just heard that the BAC will be offering other discounted classes for educators?  I hope to have more information for the next newsletter.

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Here we go:  see you next week!