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AFT Massachusetts Launches Member-Driven Ad Campaign

AFT Massachusetts has launched a new member-driven ad campaign, featuring AFT Massachusetts members speaking to each other about why they're sticking with the union. AFT members will start seeing these video clips on Facebook, Twitter, and other websites this month.

The ads feature AFT members from all across the state talking about why they value their union, and why being part of the AFT is so important to them.

The Lynn Teachers Union and the Lynn Public Schools this week began offering an English as a Second Language (ESL) class for Lynn parents.

Twenty-five parents with students from four Lynn elementary schools, Breed Middle School, Lynn Classical High School, and Lynn English High School attended the first class at the Lynn Teachers Union offices on Tuesday morning.

“It was amazing how many parents wanted this — after we announced the class, we got more than 75 calls, and ended up with 25 people on the waitlist,” said Sheila O'Neil, President of the Lynn Teachers Union. “The enthusiasm was

AFT Massachusetts, representing 23,000 educators from all across Massachusetts, is incredibly proud to support Jay Gonzalez for Governor!

Jay will be a fierce advocate for our students and teachers on Beacon Hill. He knows that the status quo isn’t working for Massachusetts students,

“Jay has an aspirational vision for an education system that gives every student the resources they need to succeed. Jay has outlined a plan to fully fund our schools and libraries, fix the broken Foundation Budget, and make our public colleges affordable again,” said AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos.

“I’m

Thousands of Boston-area public school families attended a fun-filled and educational Back To School Fair on Saturday, September 22, sponsored by members of the Boston Teachers Union (BTU). Among the attractions were music and activities for students of all ages, free books and educational materials and resources for parents from community partners.

At the Boston Teachers Union Hall and Carson Beach on a sunny Saturday in September, educators hosted students, parents and neighbors to usher in a new school year, provide resources, have fun, and build community.

“It's a pleasure to be able to see

Massachusetts residents are back in their homes after a series of gas explosions and fires shook three communities—Lawrence, Andover and North Andover—in the Merrimack Valley on Sept. 13. The disaster killed one resident and forced 40,000 people to evacuate their homes.

“It’s been tough. There is a lot of hurt going on in the community, but we are resilient. We are going to recover,” says Lawrence Teachers Union President Frank McLaughlin, who drove around the city on Sept. 16 to check on some of the affected areas. According to McLaughlin, at least four LTU members lost homes, and 60 members

Deadline Extended Until January 25th!

Help the AFT Massachusetts celebrate the service of an educator, librarian, nurse, or school related-personnel whose leadership has made our union stronger. Nominations are now being accepted for our 2019 distinguished service awards. Who will you nominate to be recognized at the AFT Massachusetts annual convention in May 2019?

The Boston Teachers Union has long recognized that the union’s responsibilities go beyond the “bread and butter” issues of salary and benefits. Supporting union members means being engaged in all parts of educators’ lives, from political activity in the community to professional expertise in the classroom. As a result, the BTU has a robust, high-quality professional learning program for its members.

One recent addition to this professional development program is a course called ‘Tech Goes Home,’ which was offered to BTU paraprofessionals this past school year.

In the BTU-funded program

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Recent events in the Chelmsford Public Schools prompt me to emphatically state that AFT Massachusetts (AFT MA) will never tolerate acts of intimidation against our union, any of our members, or members of our staff. Period.

That’s what undeniably occurred when then-president of the Chelmsford Federation of Teachers Jen Salmon and AFT MA field representative Eric Blanchet were removed from the Harrington Elementary School last November by the police. Their removal at the request of the Chelmsford School Department clearly violated the law.

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, by a 7-2 vote on June 26, approved revisions to the state’s school and district accountability system over strenuous objections from the state’s two teachers unions, who argued that the new system is by and large a continuation of the failed and discredited status quo.

“It’s meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” said Dan Murphy, AFT MA’s director of educational policy. “The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education solicited stakeholder input over a two-year period. This input signaled a clear appetite to move in a fundamentally different direction. So, we’re disappointed that the Department and the Board opted for business as usual—replicating the same flaws as the old discredited system while introducing new problems and even more inscrutable metrics. We need a system that is fair and easy-to-understand, and that above all is about support, not punishment.”

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education amended educator licensure rules at their June 26, 2018 meeting, voting to extend the “Sheltered English Immersion” (SEI) Endorsement requirements to career vocational technical teachers.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released an initial proposal in March, inviting comments from the public. AFT Massachusetts submitted extensive comments in May, noting numerous flaws with the proposed implementation plan and timeline, and providing concrete recommendations for solving the identified problems.

DESE revised their

AFT Massachusetts Launches Member-Driven Ad Campaign

Lynn Teachers Union and Lynn Public Schools Collaborate to Provide ESL Classes for Parents

Phone Banks for Jay Gonzalez

BTU Members Host Back To School Fair for Public School Families

AFT Massachusetts members aid victims of Merrimack gas disaster

A Call for Nominations

In Boston, ‘Tech Goes Home’ for Boston Paraprofessionals

AFT Massachusetts Stands with the Chelmsford Federation of Teachers

New School and District Accountability System Approved Over Objections from AFT MA

SEI Endorsement Requirements Extended to Career Vocational Technical Teachers