A Message from Jessica Tang
This month has seen some tremendous highs and incredible lows.
Question 2 in Massachusetts won in a landslide – with 59 percent voting yes to end the use of the MCAS as a graduation requirement!
We know true learning is much more than what can be measured by a one-size-fits-all standardized test and the voters of Massachusetts sent a clear message that they trust our educators to know what is best for all students in terms of getting the knowledge and skills they need to be prepared to be successful after graduation.
We applaud the AFT Massachusetts members across the state who knocked on doors, made calls, and organized within their schools and communities to make this victory possible.
Massachusetts voters also made sure to send one of the strongest voices for educators and working families back to Washington, D.C. – Senator Elizabeth Warren. It is hard to think of a stronger advocate for educators, public schools, and the lives of students across the Commonwealth than Senator Warren. We will need her in our capital fighting for us now more than ever.
As for the other results we saw come in on November 5, there are no “right words” in a situation like this – for our students, union members and communities. No matter what happens–whether it’s efforts to weaken public sector unions, attacks on higher education, or the dismantling of the Department of Education, we will use our collective power to protect our communities, prevent further harm and continue our proactive fights for a better future for working people.
We’ve spent months talking about how our country was facing an existential crisis and what a Trump/Vance Administration would mean. The day has come and for many of our members, it’s hard not to have all the feelings – anger, sadness, devastation, fear. At times these feelings can be all consuming - especially for those in our marginalized communities. While we can sit and speculate about just what we’re going to be facing in two short months, we can also choose to be proactive. I know it is easier said than done, but do believe we need to try and channel our grief in ways that move us toward the future we’ve been hoping and fighting for. There is much more that unites us than divides us.
Here are some resources to share with your members about teaching during the next administration as well as emergency resources for marginalized communities:
- Teaching the Election in Politically Charged Times
- Teaching in the Time of Trump
- Emergency Resources (women, LGBTQIA, mental health, etc.)
- Share My Lesson - After the Election: Answering Immigrant Students’ Questions
If you haven’t already done so, it is certainly worth taking a moment to read and share President Weingarten’s post-election column, Fighting for a better future.
The only way we can chart a path forward is if we continue to stand up and protect each other - in whatever way we can, no matter how small the gesture – wage a solid resistance against Project 2025, and take every step possible to fight back the harm and chaos that will, undoubtedly, be unleashed.
This path must allow us to build a movement of inclusiveness and resistance – one that fosters new relationships while building upon the trust and connections we have already cultivated. Our democracy relies on our ability to have a larger and stronger coalition in place in 2028. That work has already begun.
2025 Scholarship Awards Program
The AFT Massachusetts, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and unions across the Commonwealth are dedicated to teaching the next generation of trade unionists to build a strong and bright future for the working families of Massachusetts and beyond. As part of that work, the AFT Massachusetts awards thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to eligible high school seniors who are dependents of AFT Massachusetts members. The scholarships – which are awarded based on results of a labor history exam administered by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO – honor former AFT leaders Kathy Kelley, Albert Shanker, and Sandra Feldman, and long-time field representative Jay Porter.
Applications are now open for the 2025 Scholarship Awards Program to AFT Families! To be considered for a scholarship, applicants must be an AFT Massachusetts member or the dependent of an AFT Massachusetts member in their senior year of high school with plans to attend college or other post-secondary school in the fall of the following academic year.
Please make sure to share this information with your members: https://ma.aft.org/scholarships2025
WEP and GPO Update: Social Security Fairness Act Passes the House!!
We are thrilled to say that after much advocacy, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) earlier this month! This bill repeals two unfair provisions of the Social Security law that unfairly penalizes Massachusetts teachers and other public sector retirees: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). You can read our statement here.
However, our work is not done. The bill now goes to the Senate for action. Please sign and share this petition so we can get it over the finish line in the Senate. There are many competing priorities in the Senate right now, and it will take a monumental effort to get the Senate to vote on and approve the bill before the end of the session.
Educator Diversity Act Closer to Being a Reality for Massachusetts!
The Massachusetts Legislature passed an omnibus economic development bill earlier this month that included multiple proposals from the Educator Diversity Act, important legislation championed by the AFT Massachusetts and other education and community advocates since it was first introduced in 2021.
Among other things, the bill requires DESE to establish guidelines to increase racial and ethnic diversity among teaching, administration, and staff positions in public schools and districts. These policies must help school districts: (1) identify and eliminate discriminatory barriers to employment and education within the district; (2) recruit and hire members of under-represented groups; (3) develop, promote, and retain underrepresented members of the educator workforce; and (4) ensure equal opportunity in employment for educators.
You can read more about the components of the bill here.
All of our students of all races benefit from access to more educators of color. The state took some important first steps to address these issues and we look forward to continuing to partner with the Legislature, DESE, and other advocates to identify other ways to support the recruitment, success, and retention of diverse educators in every school across the state.
Testifying Before the US Commission on Civil Rights
Earlier this month, I was invited to testify before the US Commission on Civil Rights for a briefing they were hosting on the impacts teacher shortages have on special education. As one of 22 invited guests, I spoke to the shortages of not just teachers but of essential support staff, such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and behavioral aides. Due to nationwide shortages, students are not able to access these critical services in a timely way – directly affecting their educational and social development. These services are further reduced because of unmanageable workloads. I also spoke to the recommendations of a recent AFT task force released on this issue, including lowering class sizes, diversifying the educator workforce, shrinking the “teacher pay penalty”, and focusing on debt relief programs for educators. You can read my full testimony here.
Recapping a Busy Month!
Below are just a few events and moments to highlight from November:
Honoring AFT President Randi Weingarten and others at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Arnold M. Dubin Labor Education Center Awards Banquet.
The AFT Massachusetts stood in solidarity with the Beverly, Gloucester, and Marblehead educators fighting for living wages, adequate benefits, and classroom support they need. We congratulate the educators in these three communities on their new contracts, which not only address critical issues in terms of providing living wages and adequate benefits to educators and paraprofessionals, but will contribute to greater stability and support for both students and educators.
President Tang at Simmons University’s Celebrating Women in Leadership Forum.
ATTENTION: AFT Maintainers Local 6350 Members
Let's stand together in solidarity to show that classified staff across the UMass system need living wages now. UMass Classified Staff statewide are overworked and underpaid.
Please join your sibling unions in their fight for a living wage. Sign their petition today.
Student Debt Clinic!
Join us for a student debt clinic on December 9, 2024, January 2, 2025 or January 15, 2025.
Do you have questions about your student debt? The AFT is hosting a virtual student debt clinic to help our members navigate their debt. Learn more about Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-driven repayment plans, how the latest news is affecting these programs, and how you can save with the online resource Summer.
Last week, as part of Massachusetts Apprenticeship Week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration kicked-off the state’s first Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program to help increase the pipeline and diversity of educators in the Commonwealth.
The Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program will provide future educators with hands-on, practical experience in full-time instructional roles while they complete their licensure requirements. DESE will begin accepting applications from districts in late 2024 and the state anticipates that the first group of registered teacher apprentices will be employed in fall 2025.
This new program will help support our efforts to recruit and retain more educators, including educators of color and in districts with vacancies. We applaud Secretaries Tutwiler and Jones for their collaboration on this program and their efforts to support those working toward licensure in innovative ways, helping our next generation of teachers continue their path toward a valuable career in education.
More information on the program can be found here.