Boston United for Students Coalition Responds to Ongoing Teacher Contract Negotiations

In the past several days the contract negotiations became very public with with their side of the story, an airplane banner asking for teachers to have their voices heard, and for not attending one single minute of negotiations in the past 17 months of talks.

The following statement was sent from the Boston United for Students Coalition
in response to the Boston Teachers Union and Boston Public Schools ongoing contract negotiations.

Friday morning’s Boston Teachers Union "Talk to Teacher" rallies were the capstone to a week where there had been far too much posturing and zero progress towards resolution of a new Boston Public Schools teacher contract that has been in negotiations for more than 18 months. 
 
This past Monday evening, at a listening session sponsored by the Coalition with BPS Superintendent Carol Johnson and BTU President Richard Stutman in attendance, students and parents talked about the need for more effective teacher evaluations, increased flexibility for hiring and retaining the best teachers, greater student and parent involvement in school decision-making and a meaningful extended school day.  When it came time to respond to what they had heard, the Superintendent and BTU President were unwilling to engage with each other on the issues that matter most to students and families and wound up disagreeing over the numbers – not what is in the best interest of students.
 
Last Thursday we saw charges and countercharges, with BPS blaming the union for cancelling a December 2 bargaining session and the BTU retorting that it had offered several other dates to meet.  This kind of public finger pointing does not convey the urgent need that exists for a new contract with systemic reforms to improve student achievement and turnaround underperforming schools.   A child only has one chance at each grade; real reform must happen, and it must happen now.
 
It is time for the BTU and the BPS to concentrate less on public maneuvering to gain some perceived bargaining advantage, and focus all of that energy on completing a teacher contract that incorporates real reforms to improve the quality of education for all Boston public school students.

Boston United is a coalition of students, parents and community members that is working to improve education through avocation on the BPS-BTU contract. As advocates, Boston United believes that there is a need for timely and effective teacher evaluation; flexibility in teacher hiring and reassignment; increased and strengthened parent and student voice in school based decision making; and extended school day used to engage students.